Where do the Children Fit

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• Where do the Children Fit?

Victorian Statewide Childrens Resource Program
5th National Homelessness Conference Adelaide
2008
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COMPLEXITY

• Reasons for homelessness are complex
• Two schools of thought Neil Fopp 1994
• 1. Structural and systemic
• Economic, social and political conditions
• 2. Individual
• Mental health issues
• Drug and alcohol
• Poor socialisation
• Violence
• Do the causes of homelessness lie in the deficits
  of the individual or in the broader structures of
  society? Sykes 1993

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CHILDRENS RESOURCE PROGRAM

• Eastern Metropolitan Region first to establish a
  Regional Childrens Resource Program.
• Following the success of this initiative
• in 2001 State Government
• funds were made available to
• roll-out the initiative to each
• region across the state.
• Regional CRP models
• developed to regional
• specific needs.

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FUNCTIONS

• Statewide functions can consist of
• Secondary consultations
• Support to SAAP workers
• Resource distribution
• Training provision coordination
• Advocacy
• Brokerage
• Community education
• Service system development
• Networking
• Direct support

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CHILDRENS RESOURCE PROGRAM

• Developments and Activities
• Resources / Booklets
• Parity articles
• Reports
• Research Collaborations
• Group work
• Conference Presentations
• Statewide Assessment Tools

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ACCOMPANYING CHILDREN

• Accompanying child/ren a person under 18 years
  of age receives support, accommodation or
  assistance from a SAAP agency and has a parent
  or guardian who is a client of a SAAP agency.
  SAAP Coordination and Development Committee
• SAAP services focused on the interests of the
  adults,
• important to understand childrens
  perspectives and
• experiences
• How do we think about children?
• Do we value them for what they will
• become or for their intrinsic worth now?

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CHILDREN IN SAAP

• Accompanying Children represent
• 1 in 3
• (36)
• of people accessing the homelessness service
  system across Australia
• (AIHW, 2006a)

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HOMELESSNESS A CHILDS EXPERIENCE

• The impacts of homelessness can impact on
• Physical Health
• Mental Health
• Emotional Health
• Social Development
• Educational Outcomes
• Transience
• Grief and Loss
• Future potential

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WHY WORK WITH CHILDREN?

• Rights Based Approach
• Australia signatory - United Nations Convention
  on the Rights of the Child
• The Victorian Charter of Human Rights and
  Responsibilities (civil and political)
• Systems Changes
• Homelessness Assistance Services Standards
• Children, Youth Families Act - Victoria 2005
• Childs Best Interest Principle

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WHY WORK WITH CHILDREN?

• For Children
• Validating
• Respecting
• Provides opportunity
• Age, stage, personality
• Timely and appropriate support to address serious
  and entrenched issues are the best intervention.
• Adults
• Relationships hurt relationships can heal
• Children are dependent on adults
• Experience of the child held by others
• Child enjoyed and respected

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RESEARCH

• Matsakiss (1996) concept of secondary wounding
• Not just the initial trauma that harms but the
  responses of others that can be minimising,
  disbelieving, blaming or stigmatising.
• Vicarious Trauma, or Figley (1995) calls
  compassion fatigue
• Children who have witnessed violence or parents
  who have seen the impact of abuse on their
  children can compromise the healing of the
  primary victim.
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Continual reliving of the event even without any
  obvious stimulus
• Van der Kolk conceptualising new diagnosis
  developmental trauma disorder
• Self Concept theory Seligman (1995)
• Emphasises importance of a sense of self worth
  and self esteem is built on real achievements
• Attachment Theory Bowlby (1969)
• Emphasizes a need to form close affectional bonds
  and evolves
• over time as infants interacts with
  caregivers
• Trauma Theory Perry (2004)
• Affects thinking, cognition, perception and
  behaviour

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ROLE OF SAAP WORKER

• Assessing
• Identifying
• Early intervention
• Providing positive role models and interactions
• Talking to children
• Validating childrens experiences
• Sharing information with the primary
• caregiver regarding effects of
• homelessness on children
• Continuously attend training to enhance
  skills and knowledge
• Promoting the importance of play in a
  childs normal development

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HOW DO I HELP THE HEALING PROCESS?

• Shared meaning
• Introduce yourself and explained your role
• Use age appropriate words, sentences, phrases
• Check if the child can speak and/or read the
  language
• Offer activities that are age and/or
  developmentally appropriate
• Environment
• Create a space safe for children
• Create a space that is child friendly
• Keep the child informed of what is going on
  around them
• Show child where the nearest toilets are
• Provide a variety of toys/activities
• Encouragement
• Encourage the child to play with the
  toys/activities
• Invite the child to talk and ask questions
• Identify the childs strengths and complement
  them
• Feed back to primary caregiver the childs
  strengths
• Be conscious of your body language

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Safety Hands
WORKER
SISTER

TEACHER
MUM
UNCLE
PET GODTEDDY
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Relationship Map
DAD
POSTMAN
TEACHER
SISTER
UNCLE/ AUNTY
MUM
BROTHER
FRIENDS
WORKER
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WHAT ELSE CAN I USE?

• Textas/Crayons Coloured paper Glitter
• Colouring sheets Beads Soft Toys
• Child Safe Scissors Straws Stickers
• Trucks/cars/trains Stars Glue
• Story Books Toy phone Paper shapes
• Kitchen settings Dress Ups Clay/Play Doh
• Cars, trucks Blocks Fabric
• Games Puppets Dolls
• Colouring books Animal toys Jigsaws
• Drawing/painting Journal Bubbles
• Paper plates Music Jewels
• Crayons Face paint Boxes

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• We worry about what a child will become
  tomorrow, yet we forget he/she is someone today.
• (Stacia Staucher cited in Children and Young
  People as Citizens Partners for Social Change,
  Save the Children, 2003).
• We are a product of our childhoods. The health
  and creativity of a community is renewed each
  generation through its children. The family,
  community, or society that understands and values
  its children thrives the society that does not
  is destined to fail. To truly help our children
  meet their potential, we must adapt and change
  our world.
• (Bruce D. Perry M.D., PhD. 2004)

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If you think you are too small to make a
difference try sleeping with a
mosquito   Dalai Lama