Fish Workshop Outcomes - LWB Building a Better Life Conference

1. FAMILY INCLUSIVE
PRACTICE
WORKSHOP OUTCOMES
Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter
www.finclusionh.org / contact@finclusionh.org
Document is considered uncontrolled once printed
Date of last review – 10 May 2016 1
Family Inclusive Practice Workshop Outcomes.
Outcome report prepared by Jessica Cocks with Teegan Bain, Felicity Kime and Tammy Prince
Doyle.
Introduction
This paper includes a range of practice ideas and activities that were generated by LWB casework
staff following a presentation from Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter (FISH) at the LWB
case management conference in April, 2016. The documentation of these ideas was a commitment
made by FISH to follow the presentation.
Many ideas are able to be implemented immediately from the “bottom up” by caseworkers and
care teams. They don’t require any change in the law, LWB or government policy. Nor do they
need direction or resource allocation from senior management.
Some ideas do require resources to be used differently. For example, the resources currently used
to supervise family contact in a conventional way could be redirected to support family inclusion
and family relationships. Other ideas will require some support from LWB as an organisation such
as policy and procedure development and reduced caseloads.
The ideas and activities are divided into sections concerned with casework practice, carer
recruitment training and support, family relationships and organisational issues. They do not
represent an exhaustive list of family inclusive practice strategies and should be seen as a starting
point only.
The workshop questions that generated these ideas are an annexure.
Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter (FISH).
FISH is a collaboration of agencies, individuals and family members who are concerned with
building and promoting family inclusion in the lives of children and young people in the child
protection and out of home care systems. The collaborative approach taken by FISH is role
modelling a partnership approach between workers, carers and family members. Our presentations
and workshops amplify the voices and lived experience of parents and family and give workers and
carers the opportunity to learn from the expertise of parents and family.
Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter
Family Inclusive Practice Strategies,
Life Without Barriers Conference 2016

2. FAMILY INCLUSIVE
PRACTICE
WORKSHOP OUTCOMES
Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter
www.finclusionh.org / contact@finclusionh.org
Document is considered uncontrolled once printed
Date of last review – 10 May 2016 2
The goals of FISH are to improve outcomes for children and young people in care or subject to
child protection intervention. Family inclusion is an evidence based pathway to better outcomes.
For more information about the research in support of family inclusion and about FISH please go to
our website at www.finclusionh.org.
What is family inclusive practice?
“Family inclusion is the active & meaningful participation of parents and family in the lives of
children. It requires open, warm, professional relationships aimed at building equity with workers &
carers. It is underpinned by respect & trust.”
(Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter, 2015)
Practice ideas and activities for LWB
These ideas are divided into several categories:
 Casework practice
 Recruitment, training and support of carers
 Family relationships
 Organisational issues
These areas overlap somewhat. Many of them can be implemented immediately without the need
for extra resources, approval from senior management or law /policy changes from government.
These ideas are not intended to be exhaustive. Family inclusive practice is an evolving term and
we recognise that it is best developed and grown from your work with families themselves.
Casework practice by individual case managers and staff
This was a key area for change identified by participants.
Case managers can build relationships of trust and respect directly with parents
and family.
The case manager role was described as a linking role with the potential to build relationships
between parents, carers, children and young people. This linking or facilitating role is different from
the traditional role that has been focused on management, control and making decisions. A family
inclusive case manager facilitates and enables relationship building rather than trying to control or
manage them. In the longer term case managers who adopt this approach will “do” less as family
members and carers will take on more and more decision making. Case managers can only do this
when they have good relationships with family.

3. FAMILY INCLUSIVE
PRACTICE
WORKSHOP OUTCOMES
Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter
www.finclusionh.org / contact@finclusionh.org
Document is considered uncontrolled once printed
Date of last review – 10 May 2016 3
Build professional relationships – not professional boundaries.
Like most of us, parents and family value relationships of trust, warmth and positive regard. Case
managers recognised that parents and family may have every reason not to trust workers. Being
honest and transparent about the power differential that exists between LWB and other
stakeholders including parents and family is important as is ensuring that when power is used it is
explicit and accountable. The case manager role is to try and reduce the power differential
between parents, family, LWB, carers, children and young people as it is much easier to work
productively in the best interests of children within relationships of greater equity.
Get to know the histories and current life circumstances of family and parents.
Getting curious about the stories and experiences of parents and family is a good way to do family
inclusive practice. Many children and young people in care have experienced complex trauma and
this is often mirrored in the experience of their parents. Many parents and family have a care
history including abuse in care. They may worry deeply about their children also being abused.
Gathering information and stories may take time and needs a professional relationship. Trust and
respect is needed before we can expect parents and family to openly share information and
stories. Case managers expressed a readiness to get to know parents and family better and
understand their backgrounds and current experiences.
Build genograms and involve family in life story work.
Case managers discussed that life story work does not begin and end in a photo album or box of
memorabilia collected by carers or held on a file. Life story work is a process of stories and
relationships including stories about great grandparents who we may never meet and family origins
from long ago. They are frequently stories of adversity and diversity. Parents and family are the
starting point for positive life story work.
Practical and financial support
Parents and family of children in care are almost always on very low incomes. Parenting while in
poverty is always difficult. Parenting your children in care while in poverty is even more
challenging. Practical and financial support is a vital part of family inclusive practice and should be
part of our relationship with all parents and family. Parents and family will often avoid asking for
help for fear they will be judged or that their need for assistance will be used as evidence of their
lack of ability to parent well. Case managers had a range of ideas for practical help including the
following:
 Transport to contact, meetings, school events
 Paying for activities at contact
 Travel, accommodation and other costs for family to attend special events, meetings or for
contact
 Support letters and references to support parent and family access to basic needs including
housing, workforce participation etc
 Referral and linking to support services including counselling and parenting programs
 Providing information and advocacy when needed including referring parents and family to
the FISH website

4. FAMILY INCLUSIVE
PRACTICE
WORKSHOP OUTCOMES
Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter
www.finclusionh.org / contact@finclusionh.org
Document is considered uncontrolled once printed
Date of last review – 10 May 2016 4
These things are often not expensive or time consuming but can make a big difference for parents
and family who are struggling to manage and get the support services they need. Your discussions
indicated that you saw a disparity in the way carers families receive ongoing support and our
approach to work with first families and a recognition that this disparity needs to change.
Recruitment training and support of carers
This was a key theme that emerged from the presentation and from discussions.
Introduce family inclusion expectations early in recruitment.
It is important to recruit, train and induct new carers with strong and explicit expectations about
family inclusion. This will require changes in the way LWB currently works with carers and there
was clear acknowledgement of this in your discussions.
 Be family inclusive in our publication material, training material and on our website
 Ensure family inclusion is part of early discussions with carers
 Make sure carers know they are normally expected to meet and form relationships with
family – the “doing” of family inclusion.
 Change language and challenge the beliefs and assumptions that carers (and other LWB
staff) may hold about families
 Provide training to new and existing carers about the importance of first family and family
inclusion
 Include first families in recruitment, training, induction and support activities as consultants
and trainers. This will role model a family inclusive and power sharing approach
Make sure families and carers have the opportunity to meet and form relationships
This was a strong theme and there were some great ideas. Case managers seemed keen to begin
to change the “mindset” of carers AND the organisation and to move away from an organisational
and practice culture where carers may have been seen to need “protecting” from family.
 Case managers to encourage and support meetings between carers and family in all
situations unless there are clear reasons for people not to meet. Case managers can
negotiate what this support looks like with family, carers, children and young people. Good
case planning happens in relationships so it is important that opportunities for relationship
building happen in their own right and are not just combined with particular events such as
annual meetings
 Find opportunities for relationship building in day to day life such as school and sporting
events, birthday parties and family occasions
 LWB can begin to host events that are inclusive of family such as family fun days, picnics
and Christmas parties.

5. FAMILY INCLUSIVE
PRACTICE
WORKSHOP OUTCOMES
Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter
www.finclusionh.org / contact@finclusionh.org
Document is considered uncontrolled once printed
Date of last review – 10 May 2016 5
Family relationships and family time together.
There was discussion that current “casework as usual” tended to focus on arranging and
“managing” family contact events and not on supporting meaningful and sustainable family
relationships. Family inclusion is about a lot more than contact arrangements.
“I definitely think it comes from the
caseworker…. If they have a relationship
with the family, if this is trusting, then this
will mean a better culture, a better
relationship with the family..”
(Parent with children in care, Newcastle, 2015)
The way family contact, including time together, is arranged and supported is very important. It is
through seeing and interacting with each other that children and families maintain and develop
their relationships. LWB needs to move towards a practice culture of support and facilitation and
away from management and control when it comes to family relationships. Some of the ideas in
the above section on carer recruitment, training and support are also very relevant here.
The case manager as role model and leader
Many of the barriers to family inclusion are concerned with values, attitudes and beliefs. Family
members are a part of this as are carers and workers. Stigmatisation is very powerful. However, as
the quote above illustrates when caseworkers role model a respectful and inclusive approach then
this impacts positively on all other parties, especially children and young people who see their
family, and therefore themselves, being respectfully included.
Review and reconsider the need and purpose of paid workers in family contact.
The role and purpose of the “supervisor” or other worker in contact arrangements should always be
explicit and understood by everyone. In the experience of FISH there is rarely a need for formal
supervision for safety reasons. However at times there may be a need for support to assist family
relationships to grow and thrive. Be clear about the purpose of any worker, aim to reduce the
structure and formality of family time as much as possible and consistently with the needs of the
family, children and young people.
Respectful attitudes and behaviour from paid workers and carers
Family time for children and young people in care is often stressful. Getting prepared for visits,
taking part in them and then recovering from them can be emotionally draining and difficult. If a
worker or carer is present for any period of this visit then disrespectful attitudes and behaviour
makes them even harder. Conversely if workers and carers behave respectfully and display non
judgemental attitudes and beliefs then parents, family, children and young people are likely to
experience more positive outcomes.
It is important not to blame families for the stressful nature of family time.

6. FAMILY INCLUSIVE
PRACTICE
WORKSHOP OUTCOMES
Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter
www.finclusionh.org / contact@finclusionh.org
Document is considered uncontrolled once printed
Date of last review – 10 May 2016 6
The role of carers in family time
There was a suggestion from the LWB conference that carers take the role of “supervisor” of family
contact. This is also something that may be being encouraged by Family and Community Services.
While this is well intentioned, FISH cautions against this. It may be detrimental to positive
relationships between carers and family. If supervision is needed, this should come from elsewhere
with clear roles and purpose as described above.
Carers can play a very productive role during family time but this role should be concerned with
relationship building, partnership with parents and family and be child focused. There should be no
absolute requirement that carers be present throughout a child’s time with their family. Family
members often feel under scrutiny by carers and a “supervisor” role, real or perceived, is likely to
make this worse.
Concerns regarding carers “supervising” family time together also applies to phone and other non-
direct contact.
Less formulaic and more “natural” family relationships.
“Treat me like I’m normal… because I am normal. Treat me like a normal parent”
“Because children need their parents in their lives…. One way or the other”
“If a child can live in a family and love mum and dad, as well as loving their extended family, then a
child can live in a foster family and have a love for their parents as well. There doesn’t need to be
such segregation. There should be room to bring families together”
Parents with children in care, various FISH events, 2014 - 16
“Family relationships are a process, a journey, just like in other families. They aren’t a series of
family contact events.”
OOHC Worker, Newcastle, 2015
When thinking about family inclusion it is useful to think about how “normal” families function and
what we mean by a “normal” family anyway. Families in Australia are as diverse as our society and
it is just as possible to “do family” when your children are in out of home care as it is when parents
are living away from their children in any other situation.
Parents, family and children and young people in care do not want to be stigmatised or marked out
as different by rules and procedures that are unnatural and formulaic. These are some of the ideas
that emerged from your discussions:
 Get to know one another and have shared family time (carers, parents, children and young
people)
 Include extended family in activities and events, along with the carers extended family
 Find out what kids want and try and get it for them. This should include overnight stays with
grandparents, parents, siblings and more, school holiday trips and restoration after long
term orders if this is what kids want and need.

7. FAMILY INCLUSIVE
PRACTICE
WORKSHOP OUTCOMES
Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter
www.finclusionh.org / contact@finclusionh.org
Document is considered uncontrolled once printed
Date of last review – 10 May 2016 7
 Treat kids in care like normal kids who see their family often and when they want and need
to.
 Include parents in decision making and make sure they know what’s going on
 Be flexible and realistic about section 149 information. Make sure parents and family have
the information they need and that their kids need them to have. Kids shouldn’t have to
keep secrets from their parents.
Organisational issues
There were a number of suggestions about opportunities for LWB to make organisational changes
and improvements to build family inclusive practice. Case managers felt there were organisational
barriers to family inclusive practice.
Policy and procedure development
Case managers argued for the development of an organisational position on family inclusion
including practice guidelines. FISH supports the development of an overall organisational policy
position, practice support resources and the implementation of a family inclusive practice
framework. The NSW Child and Family strategy has made family inclusion a key platform in the
LWB approach to permanency. This is an important step towards an overall organisational position
on family inclusive practice.
Care should be taken in the development of practice guidelines that are very prescriptive and
formulaic. Prescriptive and formulaic practice is counter to relationship based practice and to family
inclusion. Children and young people need us to respond to them and their families and carers in
ways that are individualised and appropriate to their unique circumstances. Case managers need
both autonomy and support to practice in ways that are different and family inclusive.
Caseloads and resource allocation
Case managers have argued for lower caseloads that will allow them to spend time developing
relationships with family and to work more inclusively. Realistic caseloads are a very important part
of family inclusion. Resource allocation in LWB should make direct casework practice a priority as
it is through day to day casework and case management that change will be achieved.
Support from management to work differently
This was a significant theme from conference discussions. Case managers are concerned that
their managers and colleagues, including those in clinical roles, may not support a more family
inclusive approach.
As stated earlier a family inclusive approach gives case managers autonomy and support to work
differently. A very risk averse organisational culture runs counter to family inclusive practice and
there was some feedback from case managers that LWB may be working in risk averse, rule
dominated ways. Managers and clinicians may also need support and training to empower teams
to work in more family inclusive ways.

8. FAMILY INCLUSIVE
PRACTICE
WORKSHOP OUTCOMES
Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter
www.finclusionh.org / contact@finclusionh.org
Document is considered uncontrolled once printed
Date of last review – 10 May 2016 8
Training in family engagement and relationship based practice
Although much of the discussion about training was concerned with carers there was also a need
expressed for ongoing training for case managers and other direct service staff such as family
contact workers. Case managers clearly appreciated the opportunity to learn from parents who
have children placed in out of home care as well as from others with lived experience of the child
protection and out of home care system and expressed a willingness to continue to learn in these
ways.
Case managers overall expressed a need for more skill development to work more productively
and respectfully with everyone affected by the out of home care system including children, young
people, their families and their carers. They clearly understood the complexity and the importance
of their work.
To contact FISH and arrange training, a speaker for your event or consultation please email
contact@finclusionh.org.
Annexure – Workshop questions – April 11th
, 2016.
Pick two questions to work on in your group – make sure you keep good
notes so we can write up your ideas. If you have time then choose another
question to work on.
1. What can I and my team do to build better relationships with parents and family of
children in our care?
2. What can I and my team do to build meaningful connections between carers and
parents?
3. What can I and my team do to make family contact better (with a refocus on
relationships) for children, parents and family?
4. How will I know that my relationships with children and their families are respectful
and positive for them? How can I check this?
5. What can LWB do as an organisation to support me and my team to be more family
inclusive?