Speak Out August 2017 low res

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August 2017 Speak Out 39
Northern
Territory
NT 52
members
as at July 2017
THERE ARE 43,000 children in Australia’s
Out of Home Care (OOHC) system (commonly
known as foster care). In the Northern Territory
(NT), there are almost 1000 children in care; they
are predominantly Aboriginal, and have often
been removed from their home community as
well as their families. In 2016 I went through the
NT Department of Child and Family Services
Carer process, which gave me an opportunity
to consider what I did and did not know about
OOHC, as both a future carer and speech
pathologist.
Here I share some learnings that I apply to my
clinical work:
1. Be considerate to the sensitive nature
of children’s histories. If possible, gather
clinical information when the child is not
present. We must respect that these
stories often include revisiting traumatic
experiences for the child.
2. Many Aboriginal families are still reeling
from the long-term impact of the Stolen
Generations. Sometimes carers will share
harrowing events from the child’s life
embedded with their own commentary.
Children are watching and listening to these
interactions and need a team of adults all
working together for their well-being.
3. Children in OOHC can be shy and reticent
with unfamiliar adults. Slow down your rate
of speech and activity. Give the carer and
child the time and space to feel comfortable
in the therapy room. I have seen children
in OOHC make significant “gains”
between sessions as they warm up to the
environment and me (their clinician). I have
also seen those children revert to silence
when a student has joined the session.
4. If the child is in a new placement you might
expect to see notable changes around
language, toileting and feeding as the child
becomes comfortable with their new home
and carers. If your service offers limited
sessions per family it may be optimal to wait
some time before providing your services.
5. In the NT, many carers speak English at
home. The same is not true for Aboriginal
children. We must always remember that
young children in OOHC may be in an
English-speaking language environment for
the first time.
6. Always stay in contact with a child’s case
manager. There is a charter of rights for
children and young people in care in the
Northern Territory
assets/pdf_file/0017/263105/information-
for-staff.pdf). Communicate any concerns
if you suspect a child’s rights are not being
upheld.
7. Copies of assessments, treatment plans,
and reports can be emailed to the case
manager directly, so that this paperwork
can be part of the child’s permanent record.
In the NT, children in OOHC experience
more placements and less placement
stability than in other parts of Australia.
For adults looking back on their childhood
in OOHC, you can help make sure these
snapshots of their development are not
“lost.”
8. If the child presents with significant speech
and language concerns that warrant speech
therapy, yet the child is without a funding
package, with the carer’s permission you
may wish to advocate for these services
directly with the case manager.
Bea Staley
Charles Darwin University
Eight things to consider when working
with children in out-of-home care