‘keeping young people safe and connected’ outreach on-call save the children wricsi
TRANSCRIPT
‘Keeping Young People Safe and Connected’
Outreach On-call Save the Children
WRICSI
Location
WRICSI
Wynnum RedlandsQueensland
Wynnum – Child SafetyService Centre
Cleveland – Child SafetyService Centre
Silky Oaks Children’s Haven
o Alexander Cottageo Bay Cottageo Gumdale Cottageo Redlands Cottage
Spiritus - TRACC South
o Specialist Foster Care
o Foster and Kinship Care
Save the Children
o Auralao Supported Independent Living
Program (SILP) - Supported Accommodation - Life Skills Program
Outreach / On CallOutreach / On Call
WRICSI - Wynnum and Redlands Integrated Care and Support Initiative
Management Management TeamTeam
Operational Operational TeamTeam
• Individual Therapeutic Intervention and Support • Complex Case Clinic
Placement Services Unit
South East
Extended partners - Housing - Education- Youth Justice - BABI - Child Youth Mental Health
Placement Services Unit
Brisbane
WRICSI
WRICSI Partnership Principles
• needs based, respectful, inclusive, individualised, flexible and culturally appropriate
• involvement of young people and their families
• access to resources and services
• intensive case management
• integration and therapeutic approach
• shared responsibility of the partners WRICSI
Operational Team
WRICSI
Save the ChildrenAlternative Care Program (QLD)
WRICSI
Outreach /On call
Provide a range of out of home care and support services as part of the Wynnum Redlands Integrated Care and Support Initiative (WRICSI).
AuralaSupported Independent Living Program
Living Skills Program
Outreach On-Call
Currently servicing up to 23 YP across the WRICSI Partnership
WRICSI
Services provided
• After hours crisis support to young people and direct carers and
• Planned outreach support to young people and direct carers
WRICSI
Purpose
Primary• contribute to the stability of young people and
prevent placement breakdown
Secondary • support young people’s transition to other
placement and support services or to supported independent living.
WRICSI
Target Group
Young people aged 12-17 who:
• are subject to child protection orders
• have challenging behaviours and intensive support needs (complex or extreme)
• are placed in one of the participating WRICSI services or
• are between placements
WRICSI
Operating hours and
staffing
• 24/7 On Call• Mon-Fri Outreach worker/s on 1pm-11pm • Weekends, 2 Outreach Shifts: 10am-6pm and
10am-8pm• Hours are adjusted as need arises
• Program Coordinator
• 3 Support workers (2 full time/1 part time)
WRICSI
Referral and Planning
1. Referral Information Circulated
2. WRICSI Placement Meeting- Plan the transition into placement- Plan therapeutic support- Plan outreach support
3. WRICSI on going Meetings - monthly case reviews- crisis response meetings- complex case clinic
4. Outreach On-Call Team - Weekly Team meetings - Monthly Individual Supervision - 6 weekly Team Supervision with external supervisor
WRICSI Care Team Members•Child Safety Officer (CSO)•Placement Service Coordinator•WRICSI Coordinator•Outreach-On Call Coordinator•WRICSI Therapist•Other Relevant Professionals
Planned Support
Recreational Activities
Facilitating Family Contact
Counselling
Life SkillsWhere to go
for help?Group Activities
WRICSI
Socialising
Crisis ResponseIn the moment
WRICSI
Phone support to•Young people and•Direct Carers
Liaise with Child Safety After Hours
Transport ResponseTaking the young person out for some time out
Emergency hospital support
Post Crisis Response
WRICSI
Crisis Debriefing
Post Crisis Communication
Reporting and documenting
External Evaluation
• Commissioned Paul Testro to externally evaluate the program.
• Using the results based accountability framework (RBA) (Friedman, 1995)
• Interviews of young people, direct carers, program coordinators, managers and departmental staff
• Analysed program data
WRICSI
Are Young People Better off?
What Professionals Say:• 100% indicated that the assistance provided
– decreased the number and intensity of crisis– helps maintain young people in their placement – supports young people in their transition
• Overall helpfulness to young people– 94% indicated the service was very helpful– 6% indicated it was helpful
WRICSI
• Establishing safety
• Ability to be there and provide immediate support
• Deals with situations that might otherwise lead to placement breakdown
• Decreases pressure and assists everyone to cope better
• Resource to young people – extended support network
• Relationships with young people and continuity
• Staff knowledge of young people and what is happening – predictive capacity at an individual and service level
• Provide a 24 hour support system.
WRICSI
Factors contributing to stability of placements:
Factors underpinning effective assistance:
• Outreach On-Call workers are independent
• Outreach On-Call workers develop relationships with young people that enable them to intervene and provide assistance during a crisis – planned outreach provides the foundation for crisis response
• Young people accept Outreach On-Call workers and respect their authority
• Young people have a sense that Outreach On-Call is a team of people looking after them.
WRICSI
What Young People Say:
• They help to diffuse the situation – take you out for half an hour to settle down
• Gives you a break from your carers so that you are not at each other and in each other’s faces all the time
• They involve me in activities that step you out of your comfort zone – but they are there with you so you don’t feel insecure
• Learn to socialise and open up life skills – not being stuck at home playing on the computer
WRICSI
What Young People Say:
• If they weren’t there you would just keep on making the same mistakes
• They help you plan and work out options (school, work, and living situation)
• They help to sort out issues with school teachers and counsellors
• They don’t let you get away with things
WRICSI
What Young People Say:
• Knowing someone is there to talk to and lend an ear
• Get you out of the house
• Extremely supportive
• They are like an older sibling or an adult, professional friend
WRICSI
Ongoing Challenges
• Managing Partnerships– Communication– Equity across all services– Understanding and Managing the Dynamics
• Delivering the Service– Target Group– Collaborative Care Planning…Outreach being
involved– Competing Priorities
WRICSI
“Research is clear that an integrated approach to a young person’s care is imperative. The system cannot rely upon one person, worker or carer, to adequately meet the needs of young people with high-risk behaviours. ....workers must build a ‘care team’ for each ‘high-risk’ adolescent, that takes responsibility for planning and implementing intervention and can ensure a timely response to the young person when they are in crisis or reach out for help.”
Practice Paper Dept of Child Safety A framework for practice with ‘high-risk’ young people (12-17 years) December 2008
WRICSI
In Conclusion
For Further Information
Outreach On-Call Service
Acting Coordinator
Megan Brown
WRICSI Coordinator
Shirley Duckett
WRICSI