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Strong 6 – Building a community of change
- 1. Strong 6 Project Buildinga Community of Care & Safety for Children Acknowledgements: Centacare North Queensland Smith Family and Communities for Children Townsville West Heatley, Vincent, Garbutt, Aitkenvale, Currajong and Tsv West schools Kirsty Taifalos – our Project worker
- 2. Conceptual Framework It Takesa Village The Philosophical Stance A child does not exist as a singular and isolated being. They are at the centre of our community. Our children deserve to be safe and nurtured to reach their full potential
- 3. Conceptual Framework –it takes a village cont.. Protective Behaviours – the Foundation of Strong 6 Protective Behaviours, a safety awareness program for children, aimed at building self-esteem, personal boundaries, problem-solving and assertiveness in children. Key messages: “We all have the right to feel safe all of the time” “Nothing is so awful that we can’t talk about it with someone” Strong 6 teaches this to children, and educates teachers and parents about the key messages so the learnings can be reinforced and supported into the future. Benefits of Protective Behaviours education: the development of a safety network of trusted adults to talk to is identified increased communication skills and capacity to talk about personal safety and boundaries an understanding of healthy, respectful relationships Increased safety = reduced vulnerability Albanway.org.uk
- 4. The Sobering Reality TheStrong 6 Project aims to reach children at the earliest point possible. It seeks to create continuity between schools and homes, by educating parents and teachers around the same concepts. Strong 6 also offers evidence based parenting programs a part of the project to further increase the capacity of parents to act protectively. Between 2009 and 2014, substantiated notifications of child protection concerns rose by a 30%. Of these children, 42% were from areas of the lowest socioeconomic status. Girls were more likely that boys to experience sexual harm, and boys were more likely than girls to experience physical harm (AIHW, 2015). Dependent on the descriptor of abuse; up to 62 % of women and 19% of men have experienced some form of childhood sexual abuse on at least one occasion (Sanderson, 2004) Children who have been sexually abused are more vulnerable to further sexual abuse or exploitation. (Forde Inquiry. 1999) Research suggests that perpetrators of sexual abuse are less likely to choose victims who demonstrate knowledge of self protection skills. (Daro, 1991 cited in O’Connor, 1991) Children taught PB strategies are more likely to identify safety risks in general and subsequent strategies to use (Johnson, 1985) Familiesfeelingsafe.co.uk
- 5. Strong 6 –The Theoretical and Evidence Foundations Developmental and Social Learning Theories to develop education sessions for children and adults (Bandura, 1977, Erikson, Piaget) Neuroscientific approaches to understanding physiological and behavioural responses to fear / early warning signs around safety (Perry et. al) Research and inclusion of Best Practice approaches to safety within families (Fletcher, 2009)
- 6. Why Townsville, Why Communitiesfor Children? Funding through local Communities for Children Facilitating Partner (Smith Family) Target group is 6 schools in the Townsville West Region. Identified as ‘Developmentally Vulnerable (AEDI 2012) A discrete target community, with a 2 year intervention, working with children aged 4-6 and their family Collaboration through CfC gateway to school engagement and support
- 7. Strong 6, HowWe Roll (it out) Strong 6 Program Roll Out in each school we are linked in with has 3 phases, Teacher Education, Parent Education and Child Education. These are focused on Protective Behaviours, delivered in a group setting. Based on best practices outlined by Sanderson (2004) they are highly interactive and clear, standardised language is used across each group as are the resources provided Teacher Education Session Teachers of target classes attend on-site education session (2 hrs) that covers information about protective behaviours and practical strategies and exercises they can implement with students Built in sustainability through supporting teachers to make this part of everyday class room environment
- 8. Strong 6, HowWe Roll (it out) Parent Education Session: Key messages of Protective Behaviours Take home resources including practical strategies they can implement at home Message of PB that it also applies to parents – their own ‘early warning signs’ around safety, and who is part of their own safety network Along with the Parent Information Session, additional programs such as 123 Magic, Circle of Security and Engaging Adolescents are offered to further reinforce key messages of safety as well as further develop parenting strategies for parents. Empowered, informed parents are best placed to meet their child’s developmental and safety needs.
- 9. Strong 6, HowWe Roll (it out) Children participate in the Safety Circus (Child’s Education Session) Why a Circus? Because…..Clowns are involved PB is effective when interactive and child friendly approaches, are used (Briggs,1988). With this in mind, Centacare North Queensland has developed a ‘Safety Circus’, designed to be engaging, interactive and thought provoking for children. Follow up session to revisit key themes and create ‘Safety Network’
- 11. The Children’s SafetyCircus
- 14. Wisdom – What’sgood to knowHollywood was right about working with Children and Pets Parents: - Its not a circus, it’s a tool for teaching children the importance of feeling safe - Parents must understand the importance and intention of Strong 6 so that language and supports for the Child are sustained and they are equipped to deal with potential questions from their child Having a highly motivated school principal is invaluable - Teachers need the support of the Principal and vice versa to accommodate another demand on their schedule - Teachers being on board with understanding and implementing key themes & strategies - Use existing relationships, they are often a ‘foot in the door’ that expedites the process
- 15. Wisdom – What’sgood to know (Part 2) Contract negotiations for a Circus Troupe will never appear in a Job Description Creativity and innovation are a must in the current service and funding landscape, embrace it ! No one remembers Maths class last Wednesday….but a circus with a giant fluffy dog and clowns……. Information is retained when presented to children in a dynamic and FUN way and reinforced over time (Briggs, 1988, Sanderson, 2004) Risk management – the Circus Troupe, if not existing Staff, need to undergo safety checks! Specialised Training for the Clowns – really! Upskilling Presenters to deal appropriately with potential disclosures
- 16. Where are weup to now? We are 3 months in: We have established links with all schools Developed the program fully and several associated resources One school is ready for the rollout of all 3 phases
- 17. A View tothe Future Evaluation & Review: Use of DEX for data entry Score adaption Feedback sought from all stakeholders to inform the development of Strong 6 over time Case Studies will be written to ‘tell the story’ behind the data Anecdotal feedback will have significance in the Evaluation Strong 6 – A complete package Strong 6 will be developed into a complete ‘Kit’ that can be used by other services/communities
Editor's Notes
- #2 Townsville West, Garbutt, Aitkenvale, Currajong, Vincent, Heatley
- #3 Good afternoon, welcome to you all and thank you for your interest. I have spent the past day reflecting on our MC Jane Caro’s invitation to partake of some poetry or interpretive dance and its fair to say that we should all be grateful I have chosen to refrain from interpretive dance on this fine afternoon. In the interests of preserving your collective sanity I have also chosen to reject the temptation to redevelop this presentation into a series of clever limericks. Instead, to stave off the afternoon slump I will talk to you about a circus and an exciting new Project that Centacare North Queensland has launched. I shall save the interpretive dance, my personal favourite, for another time. The Strong 6 Project is an innovative, evidence based approach to working with a community to make it a safer place for families and children. The Project, funded through the Townsville West Communities for Children Program works with 6 schools in a particular target area (Hence ‘Strong 6’) is predicated on several assumptions and an ethos that speaks to the individual and organisational values of those associated with the project. Quite simply, Strong 6 Project is a whole of community approach to educate and upskill families to increase communication skills and safety. It is underpinned by the belief that a child does not exist as a singular and isolated being. Children are our most vulnerable members of the community and most in need of our care, unconditional regard and protection to reach their full potential. This cannot happen without participation from those who are within the Child’s immediate environment. For children aged 4-6, their world is largely made up of immediate family, teachers and perhaps a small social circle of other children and parents. These people are the target audience of the Project. Strong 6 unapologetically targets this small world and aims to upskill all in it, including the child to maximise the chances of the child being safe, able to articulate concern and use a language to do so that those around them understand. The challenge for those in the child’s world is that discussions around ‘personal safety’ and protecting children, automatically draw a link to the very real fear parents have that there exists in the world a possibility, however remote, that their child is vulnerable. Our role, as professionals, parents, teachers and citizens is to reduce this vulnerability through educating children and giving them the language and confidence to speak out when they are feeling unsafe
- #4 The foundation of Strong 6 Project is the development of Protective Behaviours in children, to equip them to understand what is safe and unsafe, and how they can use their support network to tell someone if they don’t feel safe. We want to support children to identify and act upon concerns at the earliest possible point to reduce the risk of harm. The challenge that comes with supporting this in children is that we must ensure their immediate environment, and people within it are also equipped to ‘HEAR’ and understand the experience of the child so they can respond appropriately. The Key messages of Strong 6 are: “We all have the right to feel safe all of the time” “Nothing is so awful that we can’t talk about it with someone” Evidence tells us that this early identification of safety concerns and subsequent behaviours to increase safety are the most powerful measure we have to keep children safe. Because early intervention is good, but prevention is even better. As you can see, the benefits to the child and the family are immense. But lets challenge ourselves to think further into the future, if in a 2 year period we reduce the vulnerability of say even 300 children, and maybe 100 adults, what does this mean 10 or even 15 years from now? Those 300 children who understand and can use skills and language to keep them safe may teach this to their children, possibly those 300 children will produce 500 children who will undoubtedly benefit from their parent’s capacity to identify and respond effectively to feeling unsafe……….and that’s why we do this work
- #5 The Strong 6 Project aims to reach children at the earliest possible point. It seeks to create continuity and synergy between schools and homes, those areas that make up the child’s world through education, problem-solving skills and practical examples to promote confidence in children AND adults that they are able to identify, discuss and respond confidently to potentially unsafe situations. Let me repeat – confidence in children AND adults…this is not a program that upskills children so they carry the sole responsibility of their safety – we must equip their parents and carers as well. Although this may seem pedestrian, the reality is that we STILL have children and families in every community who encounter barriers such as fear, discomfort and quite simply a lack of knowledge about how to ‘hear’ and respond to a child who discloses risk or an experience of abuse that we continue to lose opportunities to keep children safe. Harm of any kind, including self-harm is a discussion that doesn’t happen easily – it requires the cultivation of an environment where the child or person feels their story, and themselves, will be safe accepted and protected. Further, that the person they tell will understand and believe their words and experience. While “Stranger Danger” has historically been taught as the program of choice in Australia, Protective Behaviours recognises that perpertrators of harm may not necessarily be strangers, and instead offers a comprehensive range of themes and concepts that can help children to identify for themselves if they are feeling unsafe (as well as options for follow up action). Johnson (1985) found that children who were taught PB strategies were more able to identify safety risks, and more able to identify practical strategies that they could use in comparison with children who had not been educated in PB. The Strong 6 project aims to reach children at the earliest point possible to begin to introduce PB education around the themes and core concepts as a preventative measure. Strong 6 Project is an opportunity for education and skills building for children and those around them to have a common language around safety. Lastly, the project offers evidenced based parenting programs such as 123 magic and Circle of Security as an added early intervention measure, to further increase the capacity of parents to act and parent protectively.
- #6 All programs at Centacare North Queensland have a fully articulated Theoretical foundation and evidence base that speaks to WHY we have the particular intervention, WHAT it is we actually deliver and HOW we go about providing a particular service to an individual, group or family. This framework provides for a robust and cohesive approach to all services and programs delivered by the organisation. The Strong 6 Project is no exception. The development of the Service Model, writing of the material included in the Model, the planning of services and subsequent delivery reflects a commitment to this approach. The decision to focus on Child safety and well-being speaks directly to the Department of Social Services Outcome Domains of increased family functioning, improved safety, and increased participation. The choice Of Protective Behaviours delivered across the spectrum of the child’s world (to the child themselves, their family and their school) speaks to a holistic approach that incorporates the Developmental and Learning needs of each group and the value of learning that can occur in a group setting. This particular learning approach was favoured because it enables the individual to hear and test information they have taken in. This interaction in a group setting assists consolidation of knowledge through peer interaction and supports critical analysis and assimilation of new learnings Along with Strong 6 fostering a shared and cohesive understanding around keeping children safe, it also allows opportunity for children and parents to better understand how humans identify, respond to and manage a range of experiences and emotions. For example how the body reacts to feeling unsafe and why this is something important for children and adults to pay attention to – it is often the first indicator of a potentially unsafe situation. Research suggests that competency in being able to do this early on is a crucial preventative measure that significantly reduces vulnerability
- #7 Centacare Townsville applied for funding for a period of 2 years through the Townsville West Communities for Children Program in early 2015. We were successful in securing this funding and began in July to consolidate the development of the Project in preparation for implementation in the 4th term of the Queensland school year. The process of securing the funding involved consultation with 6 target schools in the Townsville West region (The Vincent, Garbutt, Heatley, Aitkenvale, Townsville West and Currajong State Schools) and gaining their support for the program. They were and ARE key stakeholders in the success of Strong 6 Project. We also consulted extensively with program Staff within Centacare NQ. Although perhaps common practice in organisations, I believe its important to acknowledge the process of involving staff in new initiatives and ideas. We invest heavily in the professional and skills development of Staff and rely on their expertise to deliver quality services to the community – they are an incredibly important resource in the realisation of new initiatives. The Strong 6 Project is the culmination of many discussions and iterations of ideas, and collegial interaction. It is truly a collaborative effort, I am presenting today as a representative of that collaboration only…and possibly because it is the universe’s way of demonstrating irony; The Strong 6 Project has a circus theme as you will soon hear about and I have a strong and unfortunate personal aversion to clowns.
- #8 Key to the Strong 6 Project’s robustness as a model of intervention is ensuring all involved with the child are ‘on the same page’ sustainability of these skills is built into the program through up-skilling teachers and encouraging them in incorporate the key messages and learnings into their everyday classroom activities and functioning. Teachers have a pivotal role in supporting the ongoing relevance of Personal safety by referencing this as part of daily interactions with children and using the same language with children and parents around safety and boundaries. Along with an information session, teachers are provided with resources and the opportunity for ongoing contact with the Project Worker to assist in the consolidation of all new learnings, and subsequent implementation into the classroom environment The one off two hour session that they complete is based on practical activities that they will complete in session, which can then be used to teach children about protective behaviours. We also provide a Take Home Resources book full of practical activities. We actually ask teachers to experience the activities for themselves so they are practiced at how this can be used with children, an example of which includes having the teacher create their own safety network map, identify their own early warning signs, and identify their rights as individuals and the matching responsibilities.
- #9 As part of a wrap-around approach, we also conduct a parent information session. This closes the loop so to speak, it means all people in the child’s immediate environment have the same information, skills and language around safety. Like the Teachers session, we encourage parents to reflect on safety in relation to their own personal safety as well as that of their children. As part of consolidating the key messages of the session, we ask parents to participate in activities that they will later use with their children such as identifying who is part of their own safety network and what early warning signs they have that tells them something is potentially unsafe. Parents and Carers are also provided with a resource and activity book that they can use with their children. Centacare NQ also offers parents who participate in the Strong 6 program the opportunity to be part of one of our evidence based parenting groups such as 123 Magic and Circle of Security at no cost.
- #10 The follow on from ensuring we have teachers and parents on board with personal safety and protective behaviours is to then focus on the children. Research tells us children learn best when highly interactive ‘child friendly’ approaches are adopted. In layman’s terms, education around personal safety needs to feel ‘safe’ for children and the best way to achieve this is through bright, interesting, interactive, fun approaches Hence the ‘Safety Circus’ concept. The use of highly energetic, brightly costumed clowns and other ‘Circus Folk’ has a HIGH level of engagement by children. Whilst my personal response to clowns involves hearing the theme song of JAWS in my head, children experience quite the opposite! Centacare NQ has utilised the ‘Children’s Safety Circus’ in schools for several years with incredible success, Children identify readily with the characters and the themes and experiences of the characters, with the only concern noted being when the Circus characters must leave the school grounds. As part of ensuring the integration of these new skills, and key themes of the Circus, a follow up session is conducted a few weeks later. Our experience with the circus as a stand-alone activity is that the retention of knowledge and themes is high among students at the follow up visit. At this visit, we also hand out child-friendly resources that reflect some of the ideas in the Circus, for example a whistle that they could have whilst travelling to school alone, a shoelace they could write a phone number on or other visible reminder of the themes The session is also used to encourage children to develop their own ‘Safety network’ which they can share with parents. Through Strong 6 Project we hope to measure this impact in a more formalised and rigorous way.
- #11 The Strong 6 Service Model what it looks like for each school we work with.
- #12 Here we have an action shot of the circus – holding the undivided attention of a group of little people
- #13 Some people drive to their office, some go by train….some fly to a tropical island to deliver protective behaviours. I had to include this shot because it represents so much. It takes a lot of creativity and imagination to ensure services respond to the needs of communities. …including taking a ‘circus’ to an island
- #14 Again with the clowns… the planes destination was Palm Island which was one of the first locations that we delivered just the Circus aspect.
- #15 I have charitably referred here to ‘Wisdom’ and what’s good to know. Because it’s a more optimistic and articulate was of expressing what we have learned through controlled trial and error. The frame of Strong 6 – delivering protective behaviour training is rock solid, we’re very experienced at this and confident our ability to get this right with children and families. However extending this to part of an overall intervention in a discreet cohort with the intention of ‘measuring impact’ is not dissimilar to taking a beachside stroll in preparation for a marathon. There are the extraneous bits that are not always easy to anticipate The notion of using a circus or interactive ‘play’ to communicate messages of safety to children in a positive way as we’ve said is paramount to the success of the program. Ensuring parents understand the fundamental intention and importance of the circus is critical – this isn’t just a play that on at school one day – its an opportunity for their children to be given vital personal safety strategies. The Parents role after this is to reinforce and ENACT these learnings Know the Principal and ensure they are engaged with the program – they are a key stakeholder in the process, you need their support to both be on-site and to engage teachers and make this a priority for the school and families. Teachers need to be encouraged and ‘buy in’ to the commitment to protective behaviours and personal safety – because they are the PERPETUATORS of the common language and providing one forum for children to be able to speak up if they are unsafe…and children only have a limited ‘world’ We have had greatest progress with schools where we already have connections. Never underestimate the benefits that this social capital can bring. Strong community relationships are vital Please don’t misunderstand, connecting with schools is hard work, but rewarding and certainly there are sometimes reciprocated enthusiasm – certainly we have already heard the anticipated benefits to families and requests for ongoing support after the rollout. Very heartening
- #16 Through the contribution of countless people, the Strong 6 Project has become a reality. It truly is a creative way to create a difference in a community in a positive, cost effective and meaningful way. Creativity and innovation are now a necessity and fundamental when it comes to service delivery so we must embrace it. The old wisdom about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results remains a truism. Dynamic approaches such as a ‘circus theme’ create lasting impressions that children do remember. Anecdotal feedback provided us with a number of examples where children have enacted the learnings from the circus hours, days and weeks afterward. The other side of this is that it also provides a safer environment for children to disclose…which brings me to the next point. We have had to implement training for our circus troupe around managing disclosures if they occur during the circus presentation. We have a duty of care both to the children and performers to ensure they are equipped to safely and respectfully support a child who discloses a safety concern. Along with training for the Troupe, we have an experienced Staff member in attendance at all sessions to act as a support for such situations. We also ensure that all people associated with the Strong 6 project have undergone appropriate checks and hold Blue Cards. For me, this represents an integrity of commitment to safety – we need to ensure ALL aspects of the Strong 6 Project are supported by safety measures.
- #17 Kirsty? We are courageous optimists and heroic enthusiasts. The Strong 6 Project is underway, albeit in the early implementation stages. One might say the big stripey tent is up and quite literally the Circus Folk are ready. We are around 4 months into the process with linkages to all schools firmly in place and 1 school ready for roll out of the complete 3 phases SCHOOLS have identified the need for there to be continuing education from service providers – one off interventions that are not reinforced are still worth the while but don’t plant a solid foundation or follow up of what is being taught
- #18 The Strong 6 Project, although grounded in a solid theoretical and research base, will undergo review and evaluation as part of best practice development. Under the Communities for Children Townsville West program, data will be entered onto the DSS Data Exchange. Developing evaluation and feedback tools, and use of SCORE is not without challenge. I shall pause here for a moment and draw a bracing breath. We are presently in the developmental phase of adapting the SCORE tool – Strong 6 provides us with a unique challenge (I’m being kind) in relation to the complexity and diversity of our particular client group – we need feedback from parents, children and professionals. Whilst not necessarily a criticism of SCORE itself, more so a reflection of the complexity of what we are trying to achieve. The adaptation of the tool to our needs is somewhat akin to jumping out of an aeroplane…with a substandard parachute……in a cyclone…….wearing roller skates. In other words its been an interesting journey so far and we are hoping for safe landing some time soon. All of this data is precious – it informs what we do, as well as the difference we are making. Our intention into the future is to have the DSS expert Panel Review this training package. We also intend to offer this as a complete Kit for other services and organisations to use Thank you all so very much for your time. I have Kirsty, the Strong 6 Project Worker with me so please feel free to ask questions.