Supporting children and young people to heal from the trauma of family violence | ACF

Children and young people do not escape family violence unaffected. It destabilises the foundations of their development and undermines the strengths of relationships around them. The work with these children and their families is complex and requires a focus on hope and relational strength as central to recovery. This workshop is grounded in the extensive practice and work within the Australian Childhood Foundation, which is long acknowledged and respected in the family violence sector.

Children experience family violence deep in their mind and body – they see it, often hear it and their bodies react to it as a threat to their survival. Experiences of family violence define what children can say when and to whom. It determines how they react and it sometimes makes the truth a secret.
For many children family violence disconnects them from their family, their community and their place in the world. It forces their routines to be less certain, less predictable.  Children experience loss as a result of family violence. They sometimes have to leave behind their home, pets, neighbourhood, school – everything that is familiar.

This workshop explores all of these elements and supports practitioners to work in a child focused and relationally reparative context with parents and children following experiences of family violence. The Safe and Secure Practice Framework is explored and provides a map for supporting children to heal from family violence. The foundation of the framework ensures addressing the dynamics of family violence, cultural integration, and collaboration. Outcomes include strengthening connections, enabling meaning making, and promoting growth and recovery.

The workshop builds on the framework of the neurobiology of trauma, specifically exploring the impact of family violence trauma within families, and on children. The workshop offers a hope-based recovery model for engaging   children and families to begin the process of healing from family violence. This model considers the diversity of the experience of family violence and acknowledges and builds on relational strengths with a key focus on relational safety. This workshop is suitable for all practitioners working with families who have experienced family violence.

Facilitator
This training is delivered by experienced professional trainers with expertise and experience in trauma informed intervention and practice. Our trainers have a strong understanding of trauma and its impact on children and families, translating this knowledge into practice in a range of professional contexts. A focus on application to practice via discussion and strategy is a core component of the workshop.
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