How are children from refugee backgrounds faring in terms of their social and emotional wellbeing? Tune into this conversation with Dr. Sonia Terhaag to find out what the Building a New Life in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Humanitarian Migrants can tell us about this. Sonia has worked in research for more than ten years in Canada and Australia and currently works on various national longitudinal research studies at the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

In this episode you will learn:

• What the BNLA study can tell us about social and emotional wellbeing in refugee children (6:07)
• Experience of trauma in refugee families (07:56)
• Impact of parent experiences on children’s mental health (10:11)
• Implications of study findings for practitioners (17:00)

Further information and resources:

• Building a New Life in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Humanitarian Migrants
  https://aifs.gov.au/projects/building-new-life-australia
• Adjustment of refugee children and adolescents in Australia: outcomes from wave three of the Building a New Life in Australia study
• Cohort Profile: Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA): the longitudinal study of humanitarian migrants

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What can the body’s signals tell us about how to respond to trauma? In this conversation with psychologist, Chris Cussen, we draw on polyvagal theory to understand how the nervous system is affected by trauma and what is supportive when working with children who have abuse-related trauma histories. Chris draws on her many years of experience working with the Australian Childhood Foundation to give a rich description of how a neurobiological perspective informs her practice.

In this episode you will learn:

• How to explain polyvagal concepts to a child (05:28)
• What the body needs to move through a mobilsed state (08:54)
• The importance of facial expressions and tone of voice for social engagement (11:49)
• Practices to support a child in a mobilised state (20:43)

Further information and resources:

• Australian Childhood Foundation Discussion Paper 18: Polyvagal Theory and its implications for traumatised students:   https://professionals.childhood.org.au/app/uploads/2018/08/SMART-Discussion-Paper-18.pdf
• Stephen Porges’ website: https://www.stephenporges.com/articles

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In this episode we talk to Michelle Roberts, a psychologist and expert in the areas of child and adolescent trauma, loss and grief, and children’s disaster recovery. She has decades of experience as an educator and psychologist supporting school communities, and discusses with us the ongoing psychosocial needs of children following a disaster or community trauma and how schools and families can work together to help prioritise and support children’s needs.

In this episode you will learn:

• Why it is important to consider the needs of children after a disaster (00:43)
• How children experience trauma differently to adults (2:14)
• The main impacts of disaster on children (03:58)
• The impacts of trauma on parenting and how to support parents (07:46)

Further information and resources:

Trauma sensitive behaviour management

How educators can support children in the short term following a disaster or community trauma
Community Trauma Toolkit

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In this episode, we talk to Kate Brady, a Churchill Fellow and National Recovery Advisor at Australian Red Cross, about what happens in a community during and after a traumatic event. She discusses the difference between natural disasters and community traumas, what communities might experience, and how families, communities, and first responders can all respond to and support children in their recovery.

In this episode you will learn:

• What characterises a community trauma (01:05)
• What families and communities might experience (11:18)
• How to support families and children in affected communities (15:30)

Further information and resources:

A guide for first responders: supporting children immediately following a disaster

Community Trauma Toolkit

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In this episode you will learn:

• The importance of bushfire planning (2:20)
• The survive and thrive program for primary schools (10:39)
• Children’s involvement in their own preparedness (18:27)

How Educators can prepare their students for a natural disaster

How parents and caregivers can prepare for a natural disaster

Community Trauma Toolkit

How do you create a family environment for young people in residential out-of-home care? Service Manager, Paula May, talks us through her experience of setting up and managing a therapeutic youth residential care program in South Australia called ‘Jo’s’. She explains how the program was designed, drawing heavily on recommendations from the report of the Child Protection Systems Royal Commission in SA, and how it works to support young people to shift from trauma to transformation.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Creating a sense of family in residential care (05:14)
• Using a self-organising approach to support the youth work team (09:40)
• The importance of staff being able to engage in normal parental responses (12:38)
• Five stages of the therapeutic framework (20:34)

Further information and resources:

Jo’s Therapeutic Youth Residential Care (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qppfc4ZdeVo&feature=youtu.be

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What is it like to work in one of the country’s main services providing care to trans and gender diverse children and adolescents?

Paediatrician, Dr Michelle Telfer, is the Head of Department of Adolescent Medicine at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Melbourne and Director of the RCH Gender Service. In addition to improving medical and mental health services for the transgender population, Michelle played a major role in successfully advocating for legal reform, with transgender young people now able to access hormone and surgical treatment without the need for approval by the Family Court of Australia.

Michelle shares her experience leading the Gender Service at the RCH, why she loves the work, and how practitioners can best support trans and gender diverse children and their families. 

Visit https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/podcast/working-with-trans-and-gender-diverse-children/ for all links and further information.

What can be done to protect children’s health in an environment where digital devices are everywhere? In this episode, host Sophie Guy talks with Dr. Anthea Rhodes, a paediatrician and expert on the health impacts of digital technology from the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. The conversation covers a range of issues including the challenges families are facing in managing the impacts of technology, the effects of screen use on children’s health and development, and how to work with families to address problems with the amount of screen time for children.

In this episode you will learn:

• Challenges that technology presents in families (02:08)
• Impact of screen use on sleep (06:48)
• Impact of screen use on language development (09:11)
• How to work with families to address problems related to screen use (16:12)
• Key messages for practitioners around children and screen use (28:46)

Further information and resources:

• RCH National Child Health Poll on Screen Time
• e-safety Commissioner
• Department of Health’s Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines and the Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines
• Common Sense Media
• Australian Council on Children and Media
  

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Mentalising is the act of trying to think about what’s happening in people’s minds in order to make sense of their actions. In this episode, host Dom Kleinig talks to Perth-based psychologist, Dr Matthew Ruggiero about mentalising and mentalisation-based therapy (MBT).  Dom and Matt talk about the skill of mentalising; its importance in human relationships; and how its development can strengthen parent-child relationships in situations where they are under strain.

Dr Matt Ruggiero is a Counselling Psychologist in Perth, Australia. He runs MBT for individuals and groups at Lifespan Psychology Centre, with a focus on treating both adolescents with emerging personality disorder and parents/children engaging with Child Protection services. He is lead consultant for the implementation of MBT as a model of practice at the Perth Children’s Hospital Mental Health Inpatient unit as well as teaching and conducting research into developmental psychology at Curtin University.

In this episode you will learn:

• What is mentalising and how is it different to things like empathy? (01:52)
• Marked mirroring as a building block for developing secure parent-infant relationships (06:13)
• The importance of self-determination in the therapeutic process (14:08)
• How to look beyond behaviour to see what’s going on underneath (24:36)

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What are the impacts of gambling and how does it affect parents and children’s mental health? Host Dan Moss speaks with Monya Murch, a psychotherapist who works for the Gambling Help Service at Relationships Australia in Adelaide. Monya has specialist training in addiction, trauma-informed practice, and perinatal mental health, which she brings to her work in supporting families affected by gambling. In this episode we explore how to build trust and use a strengths-based perspective when working with parents facing this issue, and ways to support parenting to further improve outcomes for children.

In this episode you will learn:

• A definition of gambling harm (02:04)
• What leads people to engage in problematic gambling (04:08)
• Role of stigma and shame in working with parents who gamble (12:55)
• What child-focused, parent-sensitive practice looks like in gambling services (15:28)

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In this episode, host Sophie Guy sits down with Gill Munro, social worker and workforce development officer at Emerging Minds to discuss child-focused practice in the AOD (alcohol and other drugs) sector. Before joining Emerging Minds, Gill managed a large specialist drug and alcohol service in South Australia. She draws on this experience as well as her recent involvement in developing a suite of e-learning resources, describing the importance of understanding trauma and how stigma and shame can prevent parents from engaging in services.

In this episode you will learn:

• How using a trauma-informed approach is important for responding helpfully to challenging behaviour (03:00)
• What child-focused practice looks like in the AOD sector (07:48)
• The challenge of strengthening parent-child relationships when shame and stigma are present (13:16)
• What policy changes could increase child-focused practice to support child mental health (25:29)
• Promising practice in the AOD sector (27:50)

Further information and resources:

• The Impact of Parental Substance Use on the Child e-learning course: https://emergingminds.com.au/online-course/the-impact-of-parental-substance-use-on-the-child-foundation/

• Parental Substance Use and Child-Aware Practice e-learning course: https://emergingminds.com.au/online-course/parental-substance-use-and-child-aware-practice-principles-and-practices/

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In this episode you will learn: 

• Important aspects of attracting and supporting staff through clear understandings of child-focused practice (2:47)
• How specific screening for children can help practitioners to have conversations with parents about their concerns for children (9:55)
• An understanding of the importance of asking parents direct questions about the wellbeing of their children (11:54)
• How to support staff to ask parents questions about their children without reinforcing stigma (15:35)

• Six ways to support child-focused practice in adult services

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In this episode you will learn: 

• Prevalence of FASD and the reason for its increase in recent years (06:10)
• How is FASD diagnosed? (12:28)
• What does effective therapeutic intervention look like for children with FASD? (18:33)
• What is helpful for practitioners to know about working with children with FASD? (25:46)

• What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)?: https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/what-is-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-fasd

• Understanding the impacts of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) on child mental health

• How to support children living with FASD

• How to support caregivers and families living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

• Systems and service supports for children and families living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

• NOFASD

• FASD HUB

Visit https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/podcast/fasd-podcast/ for all links and further information.

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In this episode, we talk with Nicola Palfrey about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs); what they are and how they can be of use to practitioners who work with children and families. Nicola is a clinical psychologist and researcher who has worked extensively with children, adolescents and adults who have experienced significant adversity and trauma. She is responsible for leading the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health’s approach to trauma, grief and loss along with its impacts on child mental health.

Further information and resources:

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In this episode, we talk with David Tully about engaging men who use violence and its role in supporting children’s social and emotional wellbeing. David has worked in the area of domestic violence and childhood sexual assault for over 20 years and is currently Practice Manager for the Specialised Family Violence Services at Relationships Australia SA.

In this episode you will learn:
– The role of support services for men who use violence (07:54)
– The importance of engaging fathers for child social and emotional wellbeing (04:25)
– How to keep the needs of children visible in work with men who use violence (14:54)
– Can men who use violence change? (26:13)

Further information and resources

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In this episode, Dan Moss introduces us to six practice positions that can help practitioners to build positive working relationships with parents and create a foundation of safety to explore child social and emotional wellbeing. Dan worked as a practitioner and manager at Uniting Communities for more than 15 years and is currently the Workforce Development Manager at Emerging Minds.

In this episode you will learn:

• Child aware and parent sensitive practice as a foundation for supporting wellbeing (06:39)
• Importance of exploring the child’s ecology (8:49)
• How busy practitioners can use the practice positions (12:46)
• What helps practitioners feel confident discussing child social and emotional wellbeing (16:55) 

Further information and resources:

• Children of Parents with a Mental Illness 
• Six Practice Positions 
• Engaging Parents – an Introduction
• Supporting Children’s Resilience in General Practice

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In this episode, we talk with Ruth Tulloch about her experience in creating culturally authentic services for Aboriginal families and children. Ruth has worked in the community services and teaching sectors for 20 years. During the last five years, she has been involved in delivering the Aboriginal Community Connect program at Uniting Communities, working alongside elders and community members to co-design services that take a holistic approach to social and emotional wellbeing for Aboriginal families and communities.

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In this episode, we speak with Dr Nick Kowalenko, a child and adolescent psychiatrist based in Sydney. Nick has been practicing as a psychiatrist for more than 25 years and is President of the Tresillian Family Care Services Council as well as Deputy Chair of Emerging Minds. We talk infant and child mental health; what it looks like when things are going well and when things are not going so well; and the importance of the early years.
 

In this episode you will learn:

• What is infant mental health?  (06:10)
• What places infant’s mental health at risk? (11:59)
• How to start conversations about child mental health with parents who are facing adversity (18:08)
• What specialist mental health services are available to infants and children?  (24:49)

Further information and resources:
Let’s Talk About Children 
Zero to Three website
Australian Association for Infant Mental Health
Early Childhood Australia
Raising Children Network
Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health

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