Child-aware practice

Using a ‘Child Aware’ approach to ensure that parenting roles and the needs of children are considered in all interventions

‘Child Aware’ practice is an emerging concept in Australia. It involves building an organisational and workplace culture that embraces a range of practices and attitudes that aim to keep the ‘child in mind’. This practice needs to occur from a client’s first contact with a service through to their follow-up.

This course aims to enhance understanding about the impact that adult problems may have on children and to support practitioners to think about children early in any contact with a parent. It ensures that families are supported to make and sustain changes so that they can better meet the needs of their children.

The course is interactive and features high-quality video scenarios that are partnered with a useful workbook. The workbook contains exercises, discussion starters and reflective questions that can be used in a range of settings (e.g. staff meetings, professional development, team and management meetings) by practitioners, team leaders, managers and organisations.

Production of this course brought together national initiatives with a shared interest in vulnerable children. The COPMI national initiative partnered with the Australian Centre for Child Protection and drew on collaboration with the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction. The course received funding by the Australian Government through the Protecting and Nurturing Children: Building Capacity Building Bridges initiative.

• Raise awareness about how adult issues can potentially impact on children
• Reflect on and work towards ways of talking with adults about these potential impacts
• Extend practitioner’s thinking so that both children and the parenting role are considered when working with adult clients who are parents.

Child Aware Practice is for professionals, practitioners, team leaders and managers, or those who want to explore ways to implement Child Aware practice in their organisation or services.

Professionals in:

• adult mental health settings
• primary health care
• non-government organisations
• child mental health
• child and youth services.

• Adult needs and views can often dominate an intervention. Attending to the experience of adults as parents and to the needs of their children requires deliberate attention and effort at every stage – a focus of this course.
• The focus is on early intervention and supporting parents to meet the care needs of their children.
• It supports healthy parent-child relationships, promoting protective factors for the child’s wellbeing.

What else?

• The course includes demonstrations that show what Child Aware practice looks like in different settings.
• It is interactive, practical and engaging – making learning easier.
• It includes links to practical resources that can be used in the workplace.
• It’s FREE.

It is estimated that this course will take you between 90 – 120 minutes to view (including watching videos and completing assessments). However, you can complete the course in several sessions at your own pace. The last page you visit will be bookmarked so that you can jump straight back to where you left off – whenever it suits you, 24/7.

Course extension for supervisors

This course is extended for supervisors (or those who want to explore supervision in this area) – through the Child Aware Supervision eLearning course.

Learn more about Child Aware Supervision training.