Addressing Family Violence Programs
- Awards
- AFVP Program Handbook
- Manuals
- Posters
- BuBs (Building Up Bonds) On Board
- Publications
- Training and Professional Development
- Further Information
- The Peek a Boo Club Page
Introduction
The Royal Children's Hospital Integrated Mental Health Program (RCH IMHP) Addressing Family Violence Programs (AFVP) operates specific specialist interventions to infants, children and families affected by severe family violence. The programs consists of groupwork interventions, the production of educational products and the delivery of specific training and workshops to welfare professionals.
The Addressing Family Violence Programs operates at three levels. The first is our foundation layer, which provides a range of specialist group work programs to families predominantly within Western and North Western Metropolitan Melbourne. These include programs for:
- Infants and mothers (The Peek a Boo Club)
- Children and mothers (Parents Accepting Responsibility Kids Are Safe - parkas)
- Children (jUST fOR kIDS - JFK)
- And our bridging children's anger management program developed by the RCH IMHP Community Group Program (Feeling is Thinking FisT)
The second layer, based on our direct service experience combined with our knowledge of the latest research and training as mental health professionals involves the provision of professional development training across Victoria and Interstate and includes:
- parkas (parents accepting responsibility kids are safe) two-day experiential training
- Where are the Children? Placing children in the picture of Family Violence one-day workshop
- Cycle of Violence: How it effects Families and Schools one-day workshop
- Out of the Mouth of Babes: What Children have taught us about their experience of living with Family Violence - half or full day workshop.
The third layer provides consultation to other services and endeavours to enhance awareness in the community about the lasting and damaging impact of family violence on infants, children and young people. This is done through our involvement in community projects and committees and in part through the educational products we have produced such as the:
- Children Do Mind Family Violence poster
- Child Sensitive Practice poster
- The parkas manual a professionally produced 130-page program manual.
- The FisT manual - a professionally produced 85-page children's anger management group work manual, poster and story book.
- Newly released Addressing Family Violence Programs: Groupwork interventions for infants children and their parents - a 15 chaptered book dedicated to the work of the AFVP.
Service Delivery Model
Awards
The work of the AFVP has been acknowledged publicly in these ways:
- HIGHLY COMMENDED 2005 - National Child Abuse Awards for Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect
- GOLD AWARD 2004 - Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent & Family Mental Health Association and The Mental Health Services in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Provision
- CERTIFICATE OF MERIT 2003 - Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards
- ROSEMARY DERHAM SCHOLARSHIP 2003 RCH Travelling Scholarship & RCH Medallion. To present our work at an international conference & visit DV organisations in Canada.
- GOLD AWARD 2002 Mental Health Promotion or Mental Illness Prevention for the Community Group Program, awarded by The Mental Health Services Conference Inc. of Australia and New Zealand (TheMHS).
- MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD 2000 awarded by Djerriwarrah Health Services.
Program Handbook
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View a sample of our newly released book on groupwork interventions for infants, children and their parents or order a copy the book here - AFVP Book Order Form.
Please Note: For anyone who purchased a copy of our AFVP Book on 24th August at the Infant Mental Health & the Impact of Family Violence workshop, Figure 5.4 on page 68 was not properly printed.
The AFVP Handbook showcases both programs and training opportunties available through the RCH Mental Health Program.
Addressing Family Violence Programs Handbook.
For US buyers please use this AFVP Book & Games Manual Order Form: $US Order Form.
Manuals
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Feeling is Thinking Training & Manual
Community Group Program also launched the manual on Feeling is Thinking groupwork model. It is a group work program designed for children (aged between 8 to 11 years) who have difficulty managing strong emotions (either by over internalising or over externalising emotions), and who struggle to successfully resolve conflict.
Order a copy of the FiST manual or view the FiST Contents page.
The Therapeutic Use of Games in Groupwork Manual
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The RCH Mental Health Program - Community Group Program is also excited to announce its newest manual "The Therapeutic Use of Games in Groupwork - When to use them, Why to use then and How to use them". This terrific manual includes a special chapter on 'Training Games for Professionals'. Order a copy of the Games Manual or view a Games Manual sample copy.
Note: Any monies raised by the sale of this book are immediately fed back into the service delivery programs of The Royal Children's Hospital Integrated Mental Health Program.
For US buyers please use this AFVP Book & Games Manual Order Form: $US Order Form.
Posters
Children Do Mind Family Violence
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Children Do Mind Family Violence is a black and white A2 poster, which is straightforward in its message. The soulful faces (five in all) of a child from infancy to primary age captures the deeper impact and consequences of being exposed to and/or a direct victim of family violence. Program Manager Wendy Bunston comments this is a picture that speaks louder than words and has a profound impact on all who view it.
Copies of the poster can be purchased for $5 (per poster plus postage & handling) by contacting Katherine Crooks on (03) 9312 7204. All monies raised from the proceeds of this poster go into the running of the Community Group Programs PARKAS (Parents Accepting Responsibility Kids Are Safe) groups.
BuBs (Building Up Bonds) On Board
BuBs (Building Up Bonds) On Board was a pilot mother/infant group work intervention trialed in five Tasmanian women's shelters in the first half of 2008. The intervention was aimed at building up the mother/infant bond where it had been affected by family violence, whilst 'skilling up' shelter workers in both the delivery of the model and an appreciation of the potential mental health needs of infants. The report of this pilot gives an overview of the participants, the intervention and the outcomes. It also includes an example of the process notes written up after one particular session as well as the feedback from co-facilitating shelter staff and materials given to participants. Data collected during the intervention found there were an alarming number of mother/infant relationships in severe distress, with the majority of infants observed to be suffering from significant developmental delays. This report concludes that shelters are in an ideal position to do important and urgent work with infants affected by family violence and enhance mother/infant bonds. It also suggests that it is important for specialist children's services and child and adolescent mental health services support this work.
To read the full report of the BuBs On Board program, please click here (PDF 3.8 MB).
Publications
"Baby lead the way: Mental health group work for infants, children and mothers affected by family violence." An article by Wendy Bunston, published in the Journal of Family Studies, Volume 14, Issue 2-3: pp 334-341, October 2008. (PDF 105 KB)
"Family violence program treats babies" article by Carol Nader in The Age - 19th June, 2008.
The Peek-A-Boo Club: Group Work for Infants and Mothers Affected by Family Violence (article published in the DVIRC quarterly, 2006).
In 2005 a comprehensive evaluation was undertaken into the effectiveness of the Feeling is Thinking (FisT) Program. Please click here for the FisT report (PDF 314 KB).
Soon to be released:
Therapeutic group work for infants and mothers affected by family violence: A reflective practice guide.
This guide accompanies the 2 day experiential training package Infant Mental Health & The Impact of Family Violence which looks at the Peek a Boo Club Group Work Model. For more information contact Wendy Bunston (wendy.bunston@rch.org.au) or Susannah Duncan (susannah.duncan@rch.org.au) on (03) 9312 7204.
Training and Professional Development
The Royal Children's Hospital Addressing Family Violence Programs (AFVP) provides professional development and training events periodically. These include:
Infant Mental Health and Family Violence Training
The Infant Mental Health and Family Violence 2-day Experiential Training (for mothers and infants affected by family violence) looks at the Peek a Boo Club model, the impact of Family Violence on Infant Mental Health and Infant led Work. It provides participants with an introduction to groupwork with infants and mothers affected by family violence.
PARKAS 2-day Experiential Training
The PARKAS (Parents Accepting Responsibility Kids Are Safe) 2-day Experiential Training explores the dynamics of violence, the neurological impact of violence and theoretical perspectives useful in understanding this area of work (for children and parents affected by family violence).
Information on training dates, relevant registration forms and contact details.
Further Information
For further information or enquiries regarding the Addressing Family Violence Programs please contact Wendy Bunston:
Telephone: (03) 9312 7204
Fax: (03) 9312 7147
Email: wendy.bunston@rch.org.au