Linking Up for Kids Conference 2014 Sustaining Collaborative Partnership Between Health, Education and the Childhood Trauma Therapy Program “Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the ‘me’ for the ‘we’.” Phillip Jackson Presenters contact details: Debra Doherty Michelle Bond ACT for Kids Regional Director Principal RCH School [email protected] mbond8@ eq.edu.au Act for Kids is an Australian charity that works to: • • • • • • Prevent and treat child abuse and neglect Provide family coaches and early support services to at risk children and young people and their families Provide multi-disciplinary intensive therapy and sexual abuse counselling for children and young people who have experienced trauma Operate 5 Safe Houses in remote Indigenous communities in the NW Cape Deliver youth mentoring, support and cadetships to indigenous young people, in FNQ Operate a preschool designed for abused and neglected children with developmental needs to ensure they are set up for success at school. Establishment and Growth • • • • • • • • • Act for Kids began life as the Abused Child Trust in 1986 by Paediatrician, Dr David Wood The partnership between health, education and the organisation was formalised in 1991 Allocation of FTE Early Childhood Teacher & Aide Teaching staff attached to RCH supervision and support Education Qld provides subsidy toward OT & SLP services 2008 re-branding campaign to Act for Kids 2012 & 2013 RCH school twice receives Qld Excellence in Education award Centre for Excellence and second EEP opens in Townsville 2014/15 Act for Kids expands services into NSW, SA and CQ 2014/15 Who are the Partners ▪ Act for Kids: Multi-disciplinary team inclusive of Psychologist, Speech Language Pathologist; Occupational Therapist; Social Workers(ITP & EEP) ▪ Education Queensland: Early Education Teacher and Teacher Aide with line Management by School Principal ▪ Qld Health: RCH School operating within hospital precinct ▪ Qld Health: Child Advocacy Service (CAS) cross referral to non-statutory therapy program ▪ All parties involved in co-presentation of community education to education, health, non-government sector personnel Act for Kids EEP - A Unique Education Program? • A component of a broader therapeutic intervention by a multi-disciplinary team • Children and who have sustained trauma from abuse and/or neglect, resulting in... • Delayed milestone attainment and struggle to achieve the skills necessary to start school. • Engagement with families, carers, child care & schools • Children aged 2-5 years • Referred by the statutory child protection services. Program Delivery • An eligible child is allocated to one of two groups Tadpoles (2-3yrs) or Frogs (4-5yrs) groups. • Maximum of 5/6 children and operate over two days each, with varying hours dependent on age groupings. • Each child will have an Act for Kids primary therapist • Assessment of need and scope of intervention plan developed in collaboration with our EEP teacher/s • Child specific education / therapy plans geared towards an integrated curriculum © ACT for Kids 2008 The Synergy of Integrated Practice Tsasis et al found that despite two decades of research, integrated systems have not developed widely. Harris et al research found that processes that enable and promote improved scope of collaboration, understanding and awareness of self and others results in synergetic energy. Dan et al concluded that integration requires collaboration as a precondition, but collaboration does not require integration. Stephen Covey on synergy: ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts….that the relationship the parts have to each other is a part in and of itself – the most catalytic, empowering, unifying an exciting part. © ACT for Kids 2008 Synergy toward the Integrated Team Philosophical: Beliefs and values about what children need to thrive and how trauma impedes healthy development and learning Theoretical: Attachment; Trauma; Development; Systems; Neuro-biology; Grief & Loss Communication: Processes that generate reflective, informed exchange; respect for discipline speciality; shared celebration Measures: evaluation of outcomes; continuous improvement and professional development; requests for training and advice Leaders who understand governance systems, appreciate boundaries and ‘get on’..... © ACT for Kids 2008 Sustaining Collaborative Partnership Between Health, Education and the Childhood Trauma Therapy Program 2012 and 2013 Showcase Awards Excellence in Early Years and Inclusive Education Empowering Kids to Fly What makes this program unique? Thomas Sergiovanni The Principle of Maximisation The Principle of Continuous Learning The Principle of Dispersion © ACT for Kids 2008 The Principle of Craft Knowledge The Principle of Expansion The Principle of Collaboration The Principle of Professionalism © ACT for Kids 2008 Essential to team success is ✓ A sense of trust ✓ A sense of group identity ✓ A sense of group efficacy (Druskat and Wolff, 2001) © ACT for Kids 2008 A Place to Flourish The greatest asset any organisation has is its collective intelligence. Leaders have to figure out how to harness this intelligence, to grow it and to use it to help achieve the organisation’s purposes. Too often this intelligence is divided among individuals, diluting its effectiveness. Leadership should not be just about making individuals smarter for their own sake. It should be about making the organisation smarter. This happens when individual intelligences are aggregated. (Sergiovanni, 2005) © ACT for Kids 2008 Our 3 Essential messages 1. 2. 3. 4. A team becomes integrated when there is aligned synergy between: Beliefs and values Governance tolerance and flexibility Proactive communication systems between practitioners 2. Integration must exist for the purpose it was intended 3. Exchange of wisdom and discipline specialty occurs within a culture of reflective teamwork that holds the child at it’s centre Thank you © ACT for Kids 2008