FAMILY INCLUSION IN Jessica Cocks – Churchill Fellow and CHILD Practice Lead for Children, Families and Young People, Life Without Barriers. PROTECTION AND Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies Conference, 2018, Sydney. CARE Jessica.Cocks@lwb.org.au If a community values it’s children, it must cherish their parents. John Bowlby, 1951
Poverty is not Neglect, Surveillance is not Support. The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust supports Australians to travel overseas to research innovations and knowledge that will benefit Australia. Family inclusion is urgently needed in Australian child welfare systems www.churchilltrust.com.au Joyce McMillan, Child Welfare Organising Project, New York City 2
FAMILY INCLUSION – THE REAL CRISIS IN CHILD PROTECTION 1.The context for family inclusion. 2.The key elements of family inclusive practice 3.Peer Parent advocacy and support – cheap, accessible, practical. Families are children’s first and most enduring relationship. Relationships are the golden thread in children’s lives. UK Care Review, 2013 3
THE CONTEXT – WHY FAMILY INCLUSION? • Evidence support for family engagement • Child welfare practice has not met the needs of parents, families and children Every child has the • The availability of models and programs that don’t right to their always help parents to be represented by the • We need to refocus on the lived experience of parents best lawyer in and their children town, Professor Martin Guggenheim, 2017 4
THE ELEMENTS OF FAMILY INCLUSION Use a lens of Address Power Through skilled Poverty, social justice imbalances homelessness, advocacy, inequality, racism… information, education, (intra family accountability interventions) do not Our clients have an address the root advocate at every causes of most child single meeting – we removal - poverty, fight for them Centre for racism and entrenched Family Representation, NYC, 2018 disadvantage. Jeremy Kohomban Children's Village, NYC 5
“Poverty is the wall paper of practice in child welfare – unremarkable and unremarked upon.” Professor Kate Morris and colleagues, Child Welfare Inequalities Project, UK h p://www.harryvenning.co.uk/� 6
ELEMENTS OF FAMILY INCLUSION Relational Parents as Peer work, policy It is what children permanence Leaders reform, training and experience that research matters – not the legal order Change comes from Carers often continue a the ground up and relationship with parent allies are children post leaders of change and reunification which educators in the contributes to safer system. Dana Dildane, reunification and Parents 4 Parents Program greater permanency. Seattle Fairfax County VA, Bridging the Gap, 2018 7
PEER WORK – A FAMILY INCLUSION INNOVATION Peer workers are parents who have I want to talk to a parent. No offence. I’m had personal experiences in the sure you’re really nice. child welfare system and offer But another parent will advocacy and support to parents know what I’m going newly involved in the system through Parent in Newcastle, 2017 (Lalayants, 2013). Parent Parent Partner Advocate Parent Parent Ally Leader
Family partner roles have • no actual power. Only Peer workers coach, translate, influence. They don’t take encourage, empathise and notes and we have an advocate – above all they offer agreement with the court hope. that they wont give • They influence and role evidence. Manager model. • Peer workers don’t take case I can trust my parent partner notes, they rarely give – I can’t totally trust the evidence. They don’t assess, social worker. Its as simple monitor or supervise. as that. I know I won’t be judged by her. She helps me work out how to talk to the social worker. Parent
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Peer Parent Implementation issues • Supervision, training and support • Locate outside of government Parent partners have • Make access to peer workers easy – brought a relational focus no gateways back to child welfare. I highly • Anticipate and plan for resistance value them as team • members. They have High expectations of professionalism improved my relationships • Build alliances with leaders, managers, with clients. Social Worker educators, policy makers, researchers • Ensure links to systems change – partner with parent led organisations
THANKS AND QUESTIONS https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellows/detail/410 4/Jessica+Cocks Jessica.cocks@lwb.org.au
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