What we've been up to..

Hi ,

While on holiday in the UK last month, I took the opportunity to visit the offices of the Trauma Recovery Centre and Place2Be - two British children’s mental health organisations delivering programs closely aligned to our own. After spending several hours speaking to my peers on the other side of the world, it became abundantly clear that there is an emotional epidemic bearing down on our children world-wide and the need to intensify early mental health support to children is critical.

Equally crucial is the need to spread awareness of trauma-informed practices for anyone working with children to change the tide of this epidemic. The cost of not doing this is significant; student learning outcomes suffer, the cost to taxpayers increases and society loses the potential of another person. For far too many, a child’s life lost is a loss no parent, family or community should ever bear and can never afford.

KidsXpress has been at the grassroots of leading Trauma-Informed Expressive Therapy and Education Services for many years and these past few months have been no exception. As our programs are aligned with NSW school terms, we thought we’d let you know what we’ve been up to in Term 1 this year. This newsletter has been sent to all our incredible supporters and so if you're reading this, it means you've helped us in one profound way or another. Your ongoing support is deeply appreciated not only by us, but by the children and families you have already helped.

So read on, be informed and connect with us anyway you care to. Together we can bring the power of trauma-informed services to children far and wide. Together we will create a future our children all deserve.

Margo Ward, Founder & CEO

P.S. With only 17 days left of this financial year, now is a good time to think about reducing your tax bill and supporting additional children impacted by adversity in their young lives. Now is the time to help create a future all children deserve.

Make a tax deductible donation today!

A Safe Place for Talia

When 8-yr old Talia was referred to KidsXpress earlier this year, she was in the midst of moving into what would be her sixth home. Despite an unstable family environment due to domestic violence and housing insecurity, Talia was a resilient and creative child but struggled to feel safe, which can be common for children impacted by adversity and toxic stress.

The sensory, non-verbal ‘Safe Place Activity’ is used by our Art Therapists to help children like Talia tell their story, explore how their world feels and learn to nurture themselves.

At her first session, we provided Talia with an animal figurine and art supplies and invited her to create a safe place for her figurine. This activity was repeated at Week 10. The box depicted in the top image, is the safe place that Talia created for her giraffe figurine in the first week. The box on the bottom is what she created at the end of the program.

This specific activity was helpful for Talia because although things at home might still be unstable, after several weeks of therapy she was able to experience safety and connection in a new and positive way.

Healing by Numbers

All referrals to our Expressive Therapy program must come via a professional pathway from the health, education or child welfare sectors and reasons for referral are as varied and unique as the children themselves.

The Jan - Apr period saw 'Grief & Loss' as the biggest referral reason, with 65% of participating children requiring support in coping with this particular experience. 'Grief and Loss' includes parental separation which can sometimes leave children struggling emotionally. Feelings of sadness and anger are particularly strong in these cases, as many children grapple with feelings of abandonment, guilt, worry or blame towards another parent.

Hassall Grove Playgroup

Playgroups are one of the first and most important social networks for children and families. KidsXpress was invited to support the Hassall Grove Playgroup in Sydney’s Blacktown region by helping to structure and deliver a program that promotes safety, connection and management of emotions for both children and carers.

Although academics may be becoming increasingly more important, research shows that social and emotional skills are what most affect school adjustment. Left unprepared and unsupported, a poor transition experience into Kindergarten can lead to weak school performance, more absences, and negative attitudes towards school that last throughout a child’s entire school life.

A high-need, disadvantaged area in Sydney’s Blacktown region, some Hassall Grove families are unable to readily access the support they need to best prepare their children before they move into formalised Early-Childhood and Kindergarten settings.

A qualified Early Childhood Teacher, KidsXpress’ Chris Hagan visits Hassall Grove weekly to run this program, and reports that “some of the parents who attend the group can feel isolated, especially if they’re raising children solo. This program not only helps the parents and their children to feel more confident as a social group, but also provides valuable parenting skills to give their children the best possible head start”.