Trauma-informed Care

The Out of Home Care team will do a series of items in the newsletter on ‘trauma informed care’.
These will appear over the next few newsletters. We hope this will be informative and assist carers and others.
 
Trauma-informed care is an understanding of the responsiveness to the impact of trauma in a child’s life. It is care that has an emphasises on physical, psychological and emotional safety.
 
Every child or young person will experience and respond to trauma differently. This will depend on many things such as their developmental age, the type of trauma and the response they get from those close to them. For a child in out-of-home care, their experiences of trauma are often complex, ongoing and have begun when they have been very young. Stop for a moment… to reflect on those reasons why a child is placed into care. Those behaviours they have witnessed or personally experienced which has led them to being unsafe. Once we understand these factors we can better respond, therefore we are trauma informed.

Understanding the impact of trauma can allow you to better understand those moments when a child’s behaviour is not what you would normally expect. Trauma impact can be seen in many areas of a child or young person’s life functioning such as their sleep patterns, physical

health, emotional regulation, relationships and education learning outcomes. When we understand a child through a trauma lens, the challenging or risky behaviour is seen as the young person’s best efforts to deal with that situation at that time. The behaviour might be something they have used in the past that has worked for them, for example aggressive behaviour or; it may be protective for them to withdraw, for example dissociating during stressful situations.
 
A lot of the support a child or young person who has experienced trauma needs is probably things you are already doing in your relationship with them. Part of your caring role is; to know what trauma is and help them feel safe and secure, modelling a positive relationship and create coping strategies, being available and supportive when they need, encouraging their strengths and reducing their exposure to future unsafe experiences.

Household Safety Checks

Ngunya Jarjum Case Workers, Carer Assessment & Review team or other designated staff are required to carry out annual Household Safety Checks on Carer households or if you relocate to a new address. In the coming weeks you may be contacted by one of the team to book your annual check.

The Case Worker or designated staff member will check the inside of your home to ensure there are no hazards and your home is safe for our Jarjum’s. The outside of your home is checked to ensure proper storage of equipment, chemicals, play equipment is safe and that there is adequate space and fencing safe for play. If you are in a rural location you may be asked if you have town or tank water, this is so we are aware that extra support may be required in times of drought or that a bush fire safety plan may be advisable for your household.

If you have a pool or spa on your property you can do a self-assessment on the NSW Government Swimming Pool Register website by clicking the link below and locating the checklist from the information provided on their web page. Ngunya Jarjum is required to monitor Carer households who have a swimming pool or spa installed on the property you reside, all swimming pools must be registered and have a current Compliance Certificate. For further information:
 https://www.swimmingpoolregister.nsw.gov.au/checklists

Smoke alarms are critical life-saving devices that provide early warning to sleeping occupants of the presence of fire. This is why smoke alarms are compulsory in all homes, units, rental properties, relocatable homes, caravans, moveable dwellings or any other residential building where people sleep.  Landlords and agents must check smoke alarms every year to ensure they are working.  If you are a homeowner or have a private rental arrangement it is vital that you have working smoke detectors installed in the home. For further information:
https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/housing/living/health-safety-savings/fire-safety-and-smoke-alarms
https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-property/key-changes-to-smoke-alarm-requirements-for-rented-homes

When to contact us...

• Moved to a new address?
• Changed or have a new contact number?
• Changed or have a new email address?
• Change in personal circumstances and household movements?