Developing a Trauma-Informed Therapeutic Service in the Australian Capital Territory for Children and Young People Affected by Abuse and Neglect
|
|  Yüklə 0.69 Mb.
|
Child Protection: The Australian ContextIn Australia, child protection is the responsibility of State and Territory governments. Each state and territory has their own legislative framework to protect vulnerable children who have or are at risk of suffering abuse and neglect. Each year, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) releases a report entitled Child Protection Australia, which provides statistical analysis on state and territory child protection and support services as well as some of the key characteristics and demographics of the children who come in contact with the statutory child protection system. The report also explores statistics in relation to the prevalence of types of abuse — physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse or neglect. Data relating to child protection and OoHC is also available in the 2014 Australian Productivity Commissions’ Report of Government Services (APC Report). In 2012-13; 184,284 children aged 0–17 years were the subject of child protection notifications at a rate of 35.2 per 1000 children in Australia. Of the notifications, 40,685 were substantiated. As of 30 June 2013; 42,652 children aged 0–17 years were on care and protection orders (APC Report, 2014). Nationally, the most common type of substantiated abuse was emotional (36%), followed by neglect (31%). However, neglect was the most common type of substantiated abuse for New South Wales (NSW), Queensland, South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory (AIHW, 2013:11). Total recurrent expenditure on child protection and OoHC services was approximately $3.2 billion nationally in 2012–13. This is an increase of $177.5 million (5.8%) from 2011–12 (APC Report, 2014). Children in Out of Home Care (OoHC)Australia’s OoHC population is large and growing. It is well documented that the system is currently dealing with a population of children and young people with increasingly complex and challenging emotional and behavioural difficulties (Osborn & Bromfield, 2007). In recent years this has led to the development of a range of foster care options that incorporate a therapeutic component. As of 30 June 2013; 40,624 children were placed in OoHC (APC Report, 2014). Of these children, 13,914 were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and 26,454 were non–Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Comparably, on 30 June 2012 there were 39,621 children and young people living in OoHC placements in Australia of which 13,299 were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Of the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in OoHC as of June 2013, 52.5% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were placed with relatives/kin (APC Report, 2014). The AIHW 2012/13 Child Protection Australia report has not yet been released. However as there has only been a slight increase (approximately 1000) in the number of children in OoHC from 2012 to 2013, the following age-related data, remains relevant, if only from the perspective of providing a demographic snapshot of children in care. 12,240 children were admitted to OoHC during 2011–12, of which 5,286 (43%) were less than five years old (AIHW, 2013:36). Of the total number of children in OoHC (39,621), almost one-third (32%) were aged five to nine and a similar proportion (30%) were aged 10 to 14 (AIHW, 2013: 41). The 2011–12 recurrent expenditure for children in OoHC was $1.9 billion. With respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, on 30 June 2012, there were 13,299 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in OoHC, a rate of 55.1 per 1,000 children. Nationally, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in OoHC was 10 times the rate for non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. In all jurisdictions, the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in OoHC was higher than for non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, with rate ratios ranging from 3.4:1 in Tasmania to 15.8:1 in Victoria (AIHW, 2013:41). As has been highlighted throughout this paper, there is an increasing body of evidence which documents the detrimental impact neglect and child abuse has on the developing brain and on the formation of secure attachments between a child and their caregiver(s). Children involved in the child protection system are exposed to a number of situations that increase their risk of experiencing not only trauma and disrupted attachments, but also developing mental health problems. By the time a child has entered the care system, they may have already been exposed to multiple traumatic experiences including abuse, neglect, domestic violence, a family history of mental health, drug and alcohol abuse and family involvement with the criminal justice system. The ability of a child to make sense of these traumatic experiences and develop meaningful relationships or attachments that may assist them to overcome the trauma is hindered by the ‘separation that is inextricably created when a child enters care and the associated loss of family, culture, community, peers and, frequently, school environments’ (McLung, 2007:6). Negative outcomes can include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, attachment problems, sexual behaviour problems, hyperactivity, anger and aggression, suicidal behaviour and other serious mental health issues (Briere et al., 2001; Oswald, Heil, & Goldbeck, 2010; Tilbury, Osmond, Wilson, & Clark, 2007). As per attachment theory, the presence of caring and supportive adults is integral to a child’s sense of stability and safety as well as their ability to understand and recover from a traumatic experience. Therefore, the greater the level of support and care a child can experience following a traumatic event, the greater capacity for a child to overcome the incident(s). Conversely, for children who experience persistent trauma and where adults are either the source of trauma (e.g. abusive parent) or who have a limited capacity to support the child (e.g. family violence, homelessness, parental mental health concerns), the greater the likelihood the trauma will have a lasting impact on the child’s social and emotional wellbeing and development. For children in care, their experience is made even more difficult by multiple placement breakdowns, instability and/or changes which further hinder their capacity to resolve trauma. Therapeutic interventions therefore need to provide a sense of stability and safety and should ‘incorporate consistency, repetition, nurturing and predictability’ (DeGregorio & McLean, 2013:31). |