Infant and child-led therapeutic approaches following family violence

Join us for an engaging webinar where researchers present the main findings from recent Australian research exploring an infant and child-led therapeutic approach delivered in situ alongside key workers supporting families identified as at risk.

The session will draw on the article The impact of using an infant and child-led therapeutic approach in providing in situ consultations and transferable learnings to key workers working with families identified as at risk: A retrospective Australian study by Wendy Bunston, Maureen Long, Margarita Frederico, Samantha Ware and Ania O’Brien. Read the article here.

About the webinar

In this webinar, the research team will present a case study illustrating the child-led therapeutic approach and reflect on the implications for practitioners and services working with families. The session will also consider how the model supports learning transfer to frontline workers and why child-centred, relationship-based practice matters in everyday service contexts.

Why this research matters

Infants and young children are often the reason services become involved with families experiencing risk (e.g. family violence, child protection concerns), yet their voices are frequently overlooked in everyday practice. This research shows that centering infants and children, explicitly and practically, improves family engagement, deepens worker empathy, and strengthens practice, even when time and resources are limited.

Core practice message: You do not need to be a therapist to work therapeutically.
Frontline workers can bring a powerful infant‑ and child‑led lens into everyday interactions by slowing down, observing, wondering, and keeping the child’s perspective central—with or without a specialist present.

What “infant‑ and child‑led” means in practice

An infant‑ and child‑led approach complements (rather than replaces) safety, case planning and statutory responsibilities. The approach:

• Treats infants and children as subjects with agency, not just dependents.
• Actively invites their presence into conversations—in the room and “in all participants’ minds”.
• Uses behaviour, play, movement and emotion as communication.
• Positions children as powerful motivators for hope and change within families.

This webinar will be relevant to:

• practitioners
• program managers
• researchers, policymakers
• anyone interested in infant mental health, family support, child-centred practice, and service responses for families.

Register to hear directly from the researchers and practitioners about the study’s findings, practical implications, and opportunities for strengthening infant and child-led work across family and early years services.

Register here