News

Communities of Practice: Working with Men

June 20, 2025

Please note we’ve updated our enrolment process. To complete your enrolment and receive the calendar invite, please fill out the Teams Webinar registration form that appears after you click Submit on this page. This step is required to receive your session link.

Communities of Practice aims to improve the lives and outcomes of children and families by creating a space for practitioners to come together and explore difficult practice issues within the Permanency Support Program.

In this Communities of Practice (CoP), participants will explore how fathers can positively influence their children’s upbringing and become the nurturing caregivers and role models they always intended to be. The focus will be on practical strategies for engaging men in meaningful change, helping them foster healthy, supportive relationships with their children. Additionally, the CoP will address the critical issue of working with fathers who use violence, offering practice approaches that practitioners can learn from. Key elements include:

– Supporting fathers in becoming the positive influence they aspire to be
– Identifying and managing family violence
– Ensuring safety for both professionals and families
– Using effective communication to facilitate meaningful interactions.

Online Training: Making Family Time Meaningful

June 20, 2025

Making family time meaningful

This training provides PSP casework staff and leaders with information, tools, and resources to support them in helping families and children get the most out of their family time. It will also resource practitioners to support carers in gaining skills and confidence in managing family time where it is safe for them to do so. The training explores:

• The differences between supervising, supporting, or monitoring family time
• Engaging children, families, and carers in decision-making around family time using the Sonya Parker Safe Contact Tool
• Tools, resources, and tricks of the trade to create opportunities for successful family time
• Linking the FAP-C to family time:  Family time is an opportunity for parents to demonstrate their parenting and new skills

Webinar: Session 2 – Aboriginal Child Protection History

June 20, 2025

Please note we’ve updated our enrolment process. To complete your enrolment and receive the calendar invite, please fill out the Teams Webinar registration form that appears after you click Submit on this page. This step is required to receive your session link.

“Aboriginal Child Protection History provides information and strategies for PSP casework staff to better understand and support Aboriginal children, families, and communities. This webinar focuses on understanding Australia’s history of Aboriginal child protection, intergenerational trauma, and discusses the realities for Aboriginal children today.

Though not mandatory, we recommend enrolling in Session 1 Aboriginal Cultures and History (12 February) and Session 3 Working with Aboriginal Families and Communities (26 February) to enhance your understanding and effectiveness in supporting Aboriginal children and families.”

Online Training: Difficult Conversations in PSP

June 20, 2025

Overview

Difficult conversations will explore knowledge and skills for responding to situations when important, yet difficult conversations are needed in the context of working with clients across the range of permanency support programs. The course will:

• identify the purpose and foundations for engaging in difficult conversations as well as how to address barriers to having meaningful conversations about difficult issues
• provide opportunities to explore strategies and tools that enhance outcomes in partnering with families in difficult conversations that are important to positive outcomes for children and young people.

Online Training: Family Finding

June 20, 2025

This Online session is for all PSP Casework Staff and Leaders.

The session will provide a more detailed, intimate reflective practice space about the challenges you experience around family finding. The PSP Learning Hub training is based on the GROW model.

This training will provide you with practical skills that assists you to reflect on your practice with set goals to reach changes in your day-to-day work that is in line with organizational objectives to increase your knowledge, understanding, and skills in working with children, young people, and families.

Webinar: Session 1- Aboriginal Culture and History

June 20, 2025

Please note we’ve updated our enrolment process. To complete your enrolment and receive the calendar invite, please fill out the Teams Webinar registration form that appears after you click Submit on this page. This step is required to receive your session link.

“Aboriginal Cultures and Histories provide information and strategies for PSP casework staff to better understand and support Aboriginal children, families, and communities. This webinar focuses on exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and the history of Australia and legislation from an Aboriginal perspective.

Though not mandatory, we recommend attending the next two sessions, held on 19 February and 26 February, Aboriginal Child Protection History and Working with Aboriginal Families and Communities to enhance your understanding and effectiveness in supporting Aboriginal children and families.”

Online Training: Working with Parents

June 20, 2025

Please note we’ve updated our enrolment process. To complete your enrolment and receive the calendar invite, please fill out the Teams Webinar registration form that appears after you click Submit on this page. This step is required to receive your session link.

Working with Parents

Get ready for an exciting session co-facilitated by a PSP LH facilitator and a parent with lived experience who will share her story and key learnings for practitioners! This session will delve into the pivotal role that parents, extended family, and significant people play in a child’s life, even when the child is in care. We will explore why engaging with these key individuals is often both challenging and critical. Discover the importance of enduring engagement, the processes of rupture and repair, and practical techniques for effective communication. Learn conversation styles that emphasis honesty and transparency, even when difficult, and the essential roles of kindness and empathy. This session also covers creative ways to keep parents and extended family safely connected with their children, fostering lifelong bonds and positive relationships.

Online Training: The Six Steps of Guardianship and Open Adoption

June 20, 2025

Please note we’ve updated our enrolment process. To complete your enrolment and receive the calendar invite, please fill out the Teams Webinar registration form that appears after you click Submit on this page. This step is required to receive your session link.

This foundation training for inexperienced or new staff will explore permanency planning for children and young people who can’t be restored home. Topics we will cover include:

• Understanding permanency
• Considering Guardianship or Open Adoption
• Parallel Planning
• The six steps of Guardianship and Open Adoption

The session is co-facilitated by DCJ and also provides practical advice on how to approach conversations with children, young people, families and caregivers to help guide them through the permanency process.

Webinar: Talking with Children and Young People about Permanency

June 20, 2025

Talking with Children and Young People about Permanency:

This training provides PSP casework staff and leaders with skills, resources, and practice approaches to strengthen their confidence in talking with CYP about permanency. The training explores:

• Child development, language, the impact of trauma, and the role of play
• The importance of capturing and respecting a child’s voice and navigating the pursuit of a permanency goal that a CYP has concerns about
• The impact and management of torn loyalties
• Tools, resources, and toys: how to get the best out of your toolkit

Online Training: S149-BK and S163

June 20, 2025

This Coaching session aims to improve the lives and outcomes of children and families by creating a space for practitioners to come together and explore difficult practice issues within the Permanency Support Program.

s149-bk
Participants will discuss how to apply s149-bk of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998, how to gather relevant evidence when assessing risk, and how to approach difficult conversations when information levels change.

s163
Participants will discuss how to make the information shared under section 163 of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 meaningful for the important people in a child’s life.