Keeping Kids Central: Building capacity to support children from families with complex problems

Investigators:

Tania McKenna – Professional Development Coordinator

Jacqui Stewart – Project Manager

Funding source:

Australian Department of Social Services

Aim:

Keeping Kids Central is an initiative to build the capacity of workers, in specialist and mainstream services, to engage with and support children from families experiencing complex problems. Family and domestic violence is a particular focus. The initiative also considers how parental substance misuse and mental health problems place children at risk.

The aims of the project are to develop or enhance direct service practitioners’:

• Understanding of why child-safe and child-centred practices are important
• Appreciation of children’s perspectives of how their families’ complex problems affect their lives
• Ability to engage with and enable children to talk about sensitive issues and what they need from support services
• Comprehension of and compliance with relevant legal and other requirements.

The project also aims to equip program managers/leaders with the knowledge and skills to develop governance processes, policies and procedures that support child-safe and child-centred practice.

For more information about the project, contact Jacqui Stewart.