Critical Reflection and Child Protection Practice

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Critical Reflection and Child Protection Practice
Critical Reflection Forum
Robyn Miller Principal Practitioner Children,
Youth and Families Division
2nd October 2009
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The importance of Critical Reflection in Child
Protection

• The benefits of critical reflection opportunities
  for both clients and practitioners are well
  documented . . . . (Fook, Gibbs)
• Judith Gibbs notes the importance of an
  organisational culture which legitimises and
  normalises feelings of anxiety, uncertainty and
  ambivalence. (Gibbs 2009)

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The experience of Child Protection culture

• low in emotional capital and high on task
  completion and compliance (Gibbs 2009)
• I dealt with it myself I suppose Ive always
  seen it and I still do to some degree that if
  youre not coping its a sign of weakness. Thats
  how I feel and I also didnt feel supported by my
  normal supervisor at the time and I wouldnt let
  her know or see that. (CP worker quoted in Gibbs
  2009)

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Victoria
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The Victorian Context

• every child every chance reforms grew out of a
  system wide process of critical reflection
• Why the reform?

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Key data supporting the change

• It was clear (in 2001-02) that we faced a number
  of challenges in Victoria
• Growing demand in particular through child
  protection renotifications, running at 62 and
  rising
• Notifications from professionals were increasing,
  especially schools and police (doubling every 4
  years)
• Compelling evidence of increasing client
  complexity (Drug and Alcohol/Family Violence in
  particular)
• Projections based on unchanged policy settings
  indicated continued growth in front-end demand
• Even IF notifications stabilised, still looking
  at 19 of Victorian children notified to child
  protection during their childhood

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Expert Analysis

• It is not the people working in child protection
  who are at fault it is the policy framework in
  which they operate that is fatally flawed. Rarely
  is this examined. Instead, more money is poured
  into bigger child protection systems and more
  inappropriate referrals flood in.
• Professor Dorothy Scott
• The Australian
• Wednesday, 14 November 2007

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Unsinkable?
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Policy and practice changes continue to evolve
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To guide a paradigm change

• Families, communities, professionals and
  Government share responsibility for improving the
  outcomes of vulnerable children
• A Public Health Approach
• Inclusion of vulnerable children and youth in
  universal early childhood, health and education
  services
• Improved access to more intensive family support
• Promoting a whole of family focus in specialist
  adult services

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And a more therapeutic focus for child protection
interventions

• Engaging families in decision-making
• Broader focus on child development, stability and
  long term impacts of cumulative harm
• Whilst remaining forensically astute

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Child Protection Program

• Children, Youth and Families Act 2005
• Best Interests Principles
• The best interests of the child must always be
  paramount
• Child Protection decisions must protect the child
  from harm, protect his/her rights and promote
  his/her development

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Family services/Child Protection interface - now?
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Child Protection- Child FIRST interface - in the
future
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Manifestations of Trust and Reciprocity

• At the policy and planning /governance level

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Child FIRST Service Model

• 25 sub-regional or LGA Child FIRST teams
  (predominantly based on existing PCP catchments)
• Providing a consolidated intake capacity on
  behalf of all family services in the local area
• Getting the right support to vulnerable families
  earlier before more serious problems arise
• Build on learning from existing centralised
  family services intakes

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Major research findings

• Significant positive changes to child protection
  system activity
• Better case finding for hard to reach clients
• Improved co-operation between agencies working
  with at risk children and families
• Professor Shane Thomas
• Faculty of Medicine
• Monash University

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Notifications/Reports 2001/02 2006/07

• Abuse and neglect notifications increase
  nationally by 56
• Victoria increase of only 2.8

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Positive changes in Victorian child protection
system activity

• From 2001/02 to 2006/07 Victorian substantiations
  activity trended slightly downwards with a
  decrease of 6.3 compared to a national increase
  of 45.
• (Source AIHW child protection systems activity
  data)
• Professor Shane Thomas
• Faculty of Medicine
• Monash University

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Refocussing Child Protection

• Child Protection will continue to be a specialist
  service, intervening where children are at risk
  of significant harm
• Shift from an episodic focus on immediate safety
  and minimal intervention into family life to a
  broader focus on
• Child development
• Cumulative harm
• Childrens stability
• Keeping Aboriginal children connected to their
  community and culture
• New functions and processes
• Reports on unborn children
• Reports on children 10-14 exhibiting sexually
  abusive behaviour

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Childs Best Interests
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Relationship Based Practice
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The pull to polarise
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Embedding the Reform

• An Example NWMR THINK CHILD
• 140 Practitioners and Operational Managers came
  together for half a day to begin to inform and
  develop a local agreement
• Their shared visions
• Key partners working together
• Mens and womens and childrens services around
  the table.
• Police, therapists, housing, child protection,
  courts a co-ordinated approach

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Key Components of the Leadership Development
Strategy Framework

• Statewide 360 Degree Feedback for all Child
  Protection frontline and middle managers over 3
  years
• Leading Practice Resource Guide
• Leading Practice Learning Lab series
• Professional Coaching
• Workplace Mentoring
• E-Learning Web based/Self Directed Learning

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Key Components of the Leadership Development
Strategy Framework

• Graduate Certificate in Child and Family Practice
  (30 places per year)
• Graduate Diploma in Child and Family Leadership
  (30 places per year)

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Child Protection Operating Model Demonstration
Project - Eastern Metropolitan Region

• The Demonstration Project tests the integrated
  elements of a new Child Protection Operating
  Model in the Eastern Metropolitan Region
• Through reform to roles, practice, structure and
  multidisciplinary approaches, we want to have a
  positive impact on
• attracting and retaining Child Protection
  practitioners
• enhancing and sustaining outcomes for children
  and families
• working in partnership across agencies and in
  multi disciplinary teams to benefit children and
  families

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Trial activities to enhance the staff experience
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The challenge of demand
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Holding our nerve

• About 12 in the two years after CYFA was
  introduced, but most growth was in the first
  year. Currently reports are increasing at about
  5 per year.
• Still a lot lower than other Australian
  jurisdictions

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Best Interests Case Practice Model accepted
across sectors in Victoria
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Principal Practitioner role

• Reports to Executive Director Children Youth and
  Families Division of DHS
• Initial Brief
• Build a culture of reflective practice
• Bridge policy, research and practice
• Conduct reviews of practice for Minister,
  Executive, Ombudsman, Regional mngs
• Strengthen partnerships with external
  stakeholders
• Develop innovative practice

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Critical Reflection

• System wide focus on developing leadership
  capabilities and critical reflection in
  supervision
• Most offices/teams across the state monthly
  session in addition to ongoing supervision
• Case presentations

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Contd

• Themes
• engaging children
• Strength based approaches
• Integrating research on trauma, sexual abuse
• Engaging men with a history of violence

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Process of Critical Reflection

• Establishing a Learning Culture creating a
  supportive safe space
• Prior planning of case presentation
• Facilitator overts need to manage time and
  process seeks permission to interrupt valuing
  intuitive knowledge, practice wisdom and the
  theory and research
• Commitment to overting the presence/impact of
  vicarious trauma

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Process of Critical Reflection

• Practitioner prepares history, geneogram, ecogram
• Clarifies particular expectations, purposes
• Facilitator If this session was really useful
  to you what would you want to walk away with?
• OR

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Process of Critical Reflection

• If this ended up being a really unhelpful,
  negative experience for you, what would we as a
  group have done?
• Facilitator asks each group member to listen
  through the eyes, ears and hearts of each child,
  parent, significant others, practitioner

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Process of Critical Reflection

• Case presentation 10 mins
• Clarifying questions 10 mins
• Presenters sit back and listen
• Group then responds to facilitators questions
  about their role eg
• Whats it like for you being James in this
  family?
• What do you need now?

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Process of Critical Reflection

• Through the lens of trauma theory
• Through the lens of research on family violence
  (opportunity for teaching)
• Presenter gives feedback on the reflections

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Process of Critical Reflection

• Facilitator asks each group member to comment on
  aspects of the practice they have valued. Notice
  the strengths
• Where to from here? Case planning
• Check in how each member is feeling before
  leaving