Pilot study evaluating the Every Moment program for foster and kinship carers of children with challenging behavioural and/or mental health needs

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In 2013-14 18,950 children and young people were in out-of-home care (OOHC) in NSW. A substantial proportion of those in foster or kinship care arrangements are, or have been in foster or kinship care arrangements that have broken down. Approximately 60 per cent of those placed in foster care placements are placed with two or more foster families following their removal from their birth parents, a portion were placed with significantly more (FACS, 2013-14). A significant proportion of children in foster and kinship care arrangements have experienced some form of maltreatment. Reviews differ but some find children in foster care have social and emotional problems at between three and ten times those of children in the general population (Dorsey, Burns, Southerland, Cox, Wagner, & Farmer, 2012).Fisher, Gunnar, Dozier, Bruce & Pears, 2006; Nilsen, 2007). Their behaviour has significant implications for their social, emotional and academic development, and the stability of their living arrangements (Cook et al, 2005; Nilsen, 2007). Children who have suffered abuse &/or neglect present with a cluster of symptoms currently known as Complex Trauma (Cook et al, 2005, van der Kolk, Bessel,2005). The outcomes for these children include social, emotional behavioural and cognitive challenges. This is important as childhood behavioural and emotional difficulties are among the best predictors of mental health difficulties in adolescence and adulthood. Foster and kinship care arrangements provide an immensely important opportunity to change the trajectories of children who have had their development impacted by early maltreatment (Fisher et al, 2006; Nilsen, 2007). Given the emotional and behavioural challenges that children in foster and kinship care can display, this potential can be very difficult and foster and kinship care placements often break down as a result of these pressures (Nilsen, 2007). Currently neurodevelopmental science and clinical psychological treatment evidence identifies a range of treatment components that has the potential to both inform foster and kinship carer training and allow foster and kinship carers an opportunity to understand and engage characteristics of presentation of children in their care. UTS: familychildbehaviour has developed Every Moment, an innovative program of trauma informed Foster and Kinship Care for carers looking after children with challenging behavioural &/or mental health needs. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the Every Moment program can contribute to reductions in difficulties experienced by foster and kinship carers in looking after children who have experienced early maltreatment and also whether Every Moment can contribute reducing difficulties for children that commonly follow early maltreatment.

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