Communities and Justice

July 2023: Trauma-informed psychological treatment for young children and their caregivers: An evaluation of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy

Webinar

Missed the live webinar? A captioned recording is available to view now.

Note: Unfortunately the slides used in Jessica Warren's presentation did not click through during the recording due to a technical glitch. Please find the link to her slide pack below to download the slides. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Details

Young children are at greatest risk of the negative impacts of abuse and neglect due to their age and dependence on their caregivers to meet their physical and emotional needs. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is used by DCJ Psychological & Specialist Services with children aged between two and seven years and their caregivers. Psychological Services staff have recently evaluated PCIT treatment outcomes as well as clinician attitudes as part of their PhD and Masters projects at the University of Newcastle. This webinar reported on the findings of this evaluation, provided practical case study examples and discussed implications for practice.

The webinar was chaired by Dr Jessica Stewart (Executive Director, FACSIAR). Research findings and case studies were presented by Jessica Warren (Assistant Director, Psychological & Specialist Services) and Rebecca Atkins (Psychologist, Hunter and Central Coast Region) and Elizabeth Hagarty (Director, Psychological & Specialist Services) provided details about the implications of these findings for DCJ Psychological & Specialist Services.

Presentation materials

Maximizing Treatment Outcomes for Young Children and their Families in the Statutory Child Protection System with a Therapeutic Intervention

Jessica Warren, Assistant Director, Psychological & Specialist Services, Office of the Senior Practitioner, Department of Communities and Justice.

Download slides used for presentation (PDF, 1.9 MB)

Psychologists Perspectives on Trauma Treatments: Improving understandings of barriers and strengths of trauma treatments used in a child protection setting

Rebecca Atkins, Psychologist, Hunter and Central Coast Region, Department of Communities and Justice.

Download slides used for presentation (PDF, 1.2 MB)

Question and Answer 

Elizabeth Hagarty, Director, Psychological & Specialist Services, Department of Communities and Justice.

Additional resources

Case study (as discussed in Jessica Warren's presentation)

PCIT International

PCIT International was created to promote fidelity in the practice of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy through well-conducted research, training, and continuing education of therapists and trainers. By creating an interface between the scholarly activities of PCIT researchers and the expertise of front-line clinicians, PCIT International promotes healthy family functioning.

Visit the PCIT International homepage.

LINKS Trauma Healing Service

Find information on the referral process at LINKS Trauma Healing Service

iCARE Collaborative

The International CARE (iCARE) Collaborative is a group of experts to share the power of Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE) with others. CARE is an evidence-based universal approach to help any adult interacting with children or teens. It uses skills designed to enhance child-adult relationships and to reduce mild to moderate behavior problems. CARE is a trauma-informed training model for caregivers and professionals, paraprofessionals, and lay public who interact and work with children.

Visit the iCARE Collaborative homepage.

My Forever Family

Resources, practical guidance and support for carers caring for children and young people in out-of-home care.

Karitane

Not-for-profit organisation and registered charity supporting families to navigate parenting in the first 2,000 days of their child's life.

Visit the Karitane homepage.

Additional information

Additional information about carer support

Contact us

Contact: ResearchPartnerships@facs.nsw.gov.au

Last updated:

22 Jul 2024