No images? Click here A year of challenge, resilience & hopeNo one could have anticipated the year we have all lived through as a result of COVID-19. In many ways, it has been a year in which we have truly stood in the shoes of a traumatised young person. We were forced to change the way we live our lives. We could take nothing for granted. Our safety was threatened. We were separated from important people and places. We were required to adapt to new rules and restrictions. The familiar became strangely unfamiliar. Things were changing rapidly and kept changing. The routine and predictability of our lives were taken away from us. We had to change the way we behaved – how we shopped, socialised, learned, worked, exercised, ate! It wasn’t always easy and, at times, it took its emotional toll. This is the everyday experience of living with trauma for many of the young people for whom we care. But whilst it is easy to focus on the challenges of 2020 we heard many stories and witnessed many acts of meaning-making and reflection, resilience, creativity and adaptation. We all found new ways to stay connected. We all found new ways to learn, work, shop and eat! We held hope that we would get through it all. In trauma terms this is healing and change – they are the signs of good health and well-being. We also saw ITC organisations in NSW show remarkable care, compassion, resilience and creativity throughout 2020. The young people stayed at the centre of all they did as they tried to juggle the implications of COVID-19 on service delivery. We heard stories of incredible support to young people to help them make sense of this strange world. We heard stories of deep commitment from staff to ensure young people received the care they needed, despite what COVID-19 may bring. We heard stories of collaboration, innovation and adaptability in how best to approach the needs of young people and staff, how to change the way you did things and the development of new ways. ITC organisations have done all this whilst working through the ongoing processes and challenges of implementing the ITC reform! I hope that the end of 2020 offers some time for relaxation, reconnecting with family and friends. Thank you all for all that you have done for the young people in your care. It has been a privilege walking alongside you this year. I look forward to our shared work together next year. Have a happy holiday season. Janise Mitchell, Director How We've Made a Difference TogetherWe stayed connectedWe moved smoothly to remote working and provided 55 + professional development sessions, including 130+ hours of webinars, videos, virtual classrooms with hundreds now having completed the 12 module foundational integrated online learning courses all tailored to the specific implementation needs of intensive therapeutic care. We’ve provided 60 hours of agency support and consultation to help you with your work. We’ve participated in countless zoom forums with you and government colleagues on a range of issues over the year. More than 250 of you participated in our pulse survey about your progress in and reflections about the implementation of therapeutic care and the ITC reforms. We built communityWe built community and learnt from each other during 24 two-hour communities of practice for Therapeutic Specialists, and 6 two-hour bi-monthly knowledge sharing sessions for ITC Significant Disability providers and a 2-day online forum for Therapeutic Specialists during 2020. We brought managers together to better understand their needs and make plans for communities of practice for them in 2021. We shared what worksWith your practice wisdom and collaboration, we produced:
And lots in the pipeline for release in January 2021 New Research & Practice GuidesPractice Guide: Client Mix and Client Matching in Therapeutic CareBy Janise Mitchell, Kelly Royds, Noel MacNamara, Glenys Bristow How do you approach effective decision making when it comes to Client Mix and Client Matching in Therapeutic Care? This guide has been developed to support effective decision-making processes around client mix and placement matching. Research Briefing: Preventing Self-Harm Among Young People in Out-of-Home CareBy Nadine Cameron, Lynne McPherson, Kathomi Gatwiri, Noel MacNamara, Natalie Parmenter This Research Briefing explores why young people in out of home care self-harm, what the predictors for self-harm are, how best to intervene, and what out of home care providers need to know to prevent self harm and suicide. Research Briefing: Vicarious Trauma and Secondary Stress in Therapeutic Residential CareBy Nadine Cameron, Lynne McPherson, Kathomi Gatwiri, Natalie Parmenter This research briefing explores what is known about the factors that both worsen and reduce the risk of vicarious trauma and like conditions for those in the child welfare field. Practice Tool: On the inside…I am showing you…I need…A free therapeutic tool to use with children and young peopleThis resource has been developed for practitioners to use to summarise how children and young people can be supported at different states of arousal using Polyvagal theory as the basis. Working Well with LGBTIQA+ Young PeopleWED 10 & 17 FEB 10 AM to 12 PM (AEST) LGBTQIA+ young people are overrepresented in out of home care. This two part virtual classroom training series has been developed to provide a mix of information, discussion, networking and knowledge/experience sharing around working well with LGBTQIA+young people. Register here Workshops on Client Mix & Matching for ITC23 FEB & 3 MAR 2021, 10 to 12.30PM Are you currently working in Intensive Therapeutic Care in New South Wales? We are running two, free workshops for ITC leaders (Senior Managers) and Therapeutic Specialists and House Managers to explore and discuss the implications of the new Practice Guide: Client Mix and Client Matching in Therapeutic Care. Register here Latest BlogsHow do you support staff feeling defeated and powerless? A Case StudyBy Tram Nguyen My work as a Therapeutic Specialist is about finding ways to equip and support staff to provide high-quality therapeutic care for young people living in Intensive Therapeutic Care homes. Read more Understanding vicarious trauma and compassion fatigueBy Noel MacNamara Research shows how profoundly influenced we are by other people’s emotional states and how rapidly our interpersonal affective responses occur, and how dynamically our physiology responds to others’ emotional states. This is why trauma can be emotionally contagious. Read more Client Mix and Matching in Intensive Therapeutic CareBy Janise Mitchell & Noel MacNamara Effective decision-making regarding placement matching and client mix provides the foundation for safety, therapeutic care and improved outcomes for young people. Read more ‘Tis the Season to be Jolly’ – but not for everyoneBy Noel MacNamara It’s all too easy to get wrapped up in the fun and happiness of Christmas and forget that, for others, the season isn’t necessarily a joyful one. For some the young people in the ITC system, Christmas has not been a happy time and can bring back difficult memories. Read more What works? Promising Practices to Support Young People Who Self HarmBy Kelly Royds What really works when supporting young people who self-harm in out-of-home care? Our latest research brief looks at what the research has to say on this question, and in this blog, I highlight a few promising practices that emerged from the literature. Read more Last Chance - ITC Survey Closes FridayAre you a residential worker, house supervisor/manager, therapeutic specialist, case manager, senior operations and executive leader delivering Intensive Therapeutic Care in New South Wales? We want to hear from you. * Please note: this survey is only for those providing Intensive Therapeutic Care in NSW More Training OpportunitiesFoundational Training in Intensive Therapeutic CareOngoing - 12 week series of 12 Online Training Modules The Foundational Training in Intensive Therapeutic Care is a training resource for all new workers in Intensive Therapeutic Care (ITC) in NSW. Upgrade your qualification - 10800NAT Graduate Certificate in Developmental Trauma10 October, Course Start Upgrade your qualification with this innovative, practical and relevant post-graduate qualification and enhance your practice with abused and traumatised children, young people, and their families. Transform Digital LibraryOne of the best Online Digital Libraries about Trauma you will find! Our TRANSFORM DIGITAL LIBRARY includes video recordings of keynote presentations and full day workshops from some of the world’s best-known therapists and writers about trauma. Neurobiology of Self CareVirtual Classroom: Multiple dates Working with traumatised children and young people can impact us all but our understanding of the neurobiology of trauma can inform our approach to looking after ourselves as much as others. Self-care is critical to ensuring our own wellbeing as well as our capacity to support the children, young people and families with whom we work. Dan Hughes and the Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Course16 to 20 November, and more dates As an emerging knowledge base, the neuroscience of caregiving is critical to responding to the needs of traumatised and at-risk children and young people. You can now access Level 1 and Level 2 courses as real-time online workshops, with courses running for 5 consecutive days. Do you have a story, practice reflection or case study you would like to share about the Intensive Therapeutic Care system? As we approach the two-year anniversary of the Intensive Therapeutic Care reform, we want to spotlight stories from our sector about what is working well in practice. If you are interested, please reach out to Kelly Royds or the Centre on kroyds@childhood.org.au We want to hear from you!We would love to hear any feedback how we are going and ideas on how we can better work together. |