Family connections are crucial for children or young people who can’t live with their parents, providing a sense of belonging and stability. Living away from parents can be traumatic, especially when transitioning between caregivers. This disruption can lead to overwhelm, emotional distress, anxiety, and fear. Approaching these transitions with sensitivity and providing appropriate support is crucial for the child’s or young person’s well-being.
Even if family members can’t offer primary placement, maintaining connections can help address trauma responses. However, what can be challenging at times to find and keep family connected, requires a flexible and creative approach. For some community groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the challenges can be quite complex and require cultural knowledge and understanding of intergenerational trauma. Kummara Limited and Infinity Community Solutions Ltd (KICS) are dedicated to overcoming barriers for First Nation’s children and young people in out-of-home care to stay connected to family.
These barriers include:
Finding and Identifying Family –
Family may not realize a child can’t live with their parents, contributing to challenges in locating family members. Strained family relationships, lack of information on extended family connections and geographical distance between family groups can contribute to challenges in locating kin. KICS staff work to overcome this by opening lines of communication using social media and other channels while maintaining confidentiality for everyone involved.
Past Experiences of Navigating Departmental Complexities –
Past experiences impact future interactions, requiring empathy, compassion, and trust-building through open communication. By sharing in the stories of the families through active listening and respect, we are able to form foundations on which to grow a working relationship built on understanding. In doing this, KICS staff can support the families to navigate Departmental complexities such as Blue Cards and ensure they are involved in decision making processes that affect the family and child.
Inconsistent Communication Channels –
In times of uncertainty, consistent communication is crucial for positive outcomes. KICS staff act as intermediaries, maintaining critical information to ensure consistent communication, especially in situations where staff turnover may lead to miscommunication. With persistence, KICS Support Workers keep open communication channels for all parties involved.
Fostering wellbeing for the child or young person takes more than finding family, it requires building foundations of trust and respect to overcome the barriers to keep kids kinnected.
If you believe you have been contacted by a KICS Support Workers through the Family Care Finder program but wish to check they are working to connect a child or young person to family, you can contact the KICS Family Care Finder Senior Support Worker on email