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Team ParentingTM

The Team Parenting™ approach to foster care is based upon a foundation of ‘Making a positive and lasting difference’.

Team Parenting™ is a holistic approach that promotes the partnership of families, government bodies, non-government bodies and community service providers to ensure the best outcomes for children and young people with complex needs.

The application of the Team Parenting™ approach is based on its worldwide success through the Core Assets Group. Providing quality care in a family setting around the world, Team Parenting™ has positively impacted on the lives and outcomes of children and young people who have experienced trauma.

The role of the foster carer

As a central figure in a foster care placement, the foster carer is considered the agent of change for children and young people. Through Team Parenting™, the foster carer has the extended responsibility of delivering therapeutic foster care to the child or young person in placement.

Team Parenting™ support services are designed to extend and enhance the existing responsibilities of foster carers.

Team Parenting™ support services

The Team Parenting™ team is made up of a multidisciplinary group of support service workers:

  • Supervising Social Workers who offer frequent contact, support and supervision.
  • Support Workers who work with children and young people in placement.
  • Education Liaison Officers who promote the child’s or young person’s educational needs.
  • Psychologists who provide therapeutic support to foster carers and young people.
  • Cultural Consultants who work with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander placements.

The global success of the Team Parenting™ approach has demonstrated the potential of any of these professional specialist interventions to make a positive and lasting difference to the outcome of a child or young person.

Team Parenting™ and complex needs

Team Parenting™ is often referred to as ‘therapeutic foster care’. This describes the joint approach of foster carers and support staff in addressing the therapeutic needs of children and young people in a family environment.

A qualified Psychologist directs the Key Assets Fostering team to support children and young people in foster care. This team is made up of the foster carer and a multidisciplinary workforce who provide specialist input from a variety of backgrounds. The Psychologist will hold Team Parenting™ meetings to discuss the individual needs of a particular child or young person before the commencement of a foster care placement.