Supporting Children In Care: Understanding Vicarious Trauma And Best Practices

Explaining Placement to Children

All assessment tasks will adhere to the principles and rules related to the training package.

Assessment will be valid. Assessments will be reliable that is they will have instructions for both Students and Trainers/trainers to promote consistent results.

Assessments will be such that they are sufficient to assess competence. All assessment will be fair and reasonable allowing for adjustment on supported request.

Assessment tasks will be authentic and able to be proven it is your own work and will be based on current performance.

Assessment methods

See all assessments for this Cluster below.  

There are two assessment books for the Cluster Two modules.  

• Knowledge Assessment Book (tasks 1 – 3, book 1 of 2)
• Workplace Assessment Book (tasks 4 – 7, book 2 of 2)

Once you complete this book move on to the Workplace Assessment Book provided.  

Learner Assessment Book Task 1 1.Understanding Vicarious Trauma.  Applying Self-Care Strategies in managing re-traumatization and vicarious trauma

Assignment

Learner Assessment Book Task 2 2.Outlining the terms of placement for the child/young person in care Assignment

Learner Assessment Book Task 3 3.Australian Childhood Foundation SMART Online Training Online Test

Workplace Assessment Book Task 4 4.Developing a support plan Assignment

Workplace Assessment Book Task 5 5.Positive Behaviour Support Plan Assignment

Workplace Assessment

Book Task 6 6.Reflective questions post training Assignment

Name of assessment Assessment Task 1: Understanding Vicarious Trauma.Applying Self-Care Strategies in managing re-traumatization and vicarious trauma

Resources required Provided learner resource books

Access to a computer (if submitting electronically)

Pen and paper (if submitting in handwritten format)

Assessment Instructions ·You are required to answer all question on this document

• Answer each question and avoid one-word answer response
• You can type directly into this electronic assessment or print off this task and write in your responses in blue or black pen

Vicarious trauma can be categorized into emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and physical/physiological signs and symptoms.  In reflecting on vicarious trauma, answer the following questions.  

1.In a paragraph describe three potential signs or symptoms that may indicate that you or a co-worker are experiencing vicarious trauma.   

1.When an individual experiences irresistible information in volume and this information holds the emotional charge. This implies that it will have a positive or negative impact on the minds, bodies, and spirit through which the patient can cope. Few a times, the help must be available at the moment but can have serious negative long-term results. The three symptoms are as follows-

1.Constant tiredness

2.Headaches, wrist pain and back pains

3.Excessive sleeping or difficulty in resting.

Every individual will be coping with these problems in a different way.

2.For each of the three potential signs or symptoms explain how they may impact your or your co-worker’s ability to complete the role of a Care Worker.

House Rules and Consequences

The humanitarian workers will assist the people who are victimized. Working with the communities and devastated through natural conflict or forces. People are likely to experience spiritual and psychological changes. There are a few changes which can increase the sufferings and leaving the problematic scars. Humanitarian workers also provide a relevance details on how the people feel numb. Few people lose faith in spiritual grounding, and these are the results of diseases. Vicarious trauma is a sign of weakness. People who are experiencing abuse and trauma need empathic engagements.

Vicarious Trauma is the negative alteration in a helping person that results into empathetic engagement with the survivors of trauma and stress material, which is combined with responsibility or commitment to help the patients. The greater is contact with the traumatic material; the risk perceived is higher in vicarious trauma. People who are working with patients having the traumatic histories must seek help and needs to understand the particular risk. This includes people working with law enforcement, emergency services, legal, family services and health and mental services. Vicarious trauma cannot be considered as the weakness sign. It is the working cost for those patients who are experiencing the abuse and trauma. This is due to the empathic engagements with people who are affected. A significant differentiation must be made for vicarious trauma, burnout, and fatigue. These are often confusing terms. The vicarious trauma has been accepted in the whole world, and it is challenging to recognize and deal with the treatment procedures. The ripple effects and dynamics are pervasive, complex and damaging.

The response to vicarious trauma is different for every person. There are few key people who are affected and experience the different range of symptoms. These fall into the following categories.

1.Behavioral Symptoms- These include complete isolation, the very high increase is noticed in substance or alcohol consumption, changed eating habits and difficulty in the sleeping process. People who are undergoing the vicarious trauma behavioral symptoms are engaged in risky behavior and avoid the tasks and find it difficult for carrying the work and this may have an impact on personal life too.  This can increase the workload.

2.Emotional Symptoms- These include lasting feelings of anxiety, sadness or grief. The person can become angry or irritable and may get distracted frequently. The patient may experience the mood changes and may generally face unsafe.

3.Spiritual Symptoms- This can include the complete hope loss and no sense of mission and vision in life. People feel disconnected from the world. People may lose the life purpose and may feel unworthy of being loved.

Supporting Children’s Education

4.Physiological Symptoms-This can affect the well-being of a person, and this will appear in the form of rashes, heartburn, ulcers, and headaches.

5.Cognitive Symptoms-This appears in the form of negativity and cynicism and difficulty can arise in the form of concentrating, making decisions or remembering in daily life. The helping professional can find it difficult to end thinking process regarding the experiences trauma and even when not working.

3.In a paragraph describe how these impacts could affect the children or YPs you work with?

Children who are undergoing through the secondary trauma will display the same symptoms. Trauma can have a lot of negative impact on the children emotionally, educationally and socially. The children may experience problems with sleeping or experience nightmares. The trouble with managing the emotions and have difficulties. The children may become upset or hyper and find difficulties in concentrating on education. The children may experience the problems with memory and may withdraw from the physical activities. The children may be more sad, anxious or worried. A child may lose its sense of safety and show difficulties in separation and may have regression behaviors.

The Vicarious Trauma is also known as the Compassion Fatigue. This is the latest term which is associated with the caring cost. Secondary traumatic depression or stress is also referred for the Vicarious Trauma. There is the number of instances where the counselors who work with the stress survivors experience the vicarious trauma. This is simply because of the works that are doing. Vicarious trauma can be referred to an as emotional residue of acquaintances that counselors experience with the disease patients due to the traumatic stories they have heard. The counselors can also experience the pain, fear and trauma terror. Most of the people are confused with burnout and vicarious trauma. Burnout refers to the happenings which are taking place over the due course of time and it can create a change likewise time for the new or different job and can be improvised.

Vicarious trauma is a condition of preoccupation and tension which are experienced by the people. This preoccupation and tensions can be experienced through counselors in different ways. The counselors may avoid talking and thinks about the trauma which is effected to the patients. A counselor needs to have awareness regarding the symptoms and signs of vicarious trauma and emotional affects associated with survivors of trauma.

4.For this assessment task, you will reflect on how you often you have applied self-care strategies over the past three months. Answer each of the following questions by placing a number in all of the boxes.

Identifying and Managing Vicarious Trauma

How often do you do the following?

As you read the list below, rate the items using this scale:

5 = Frequently

4 = Occasionally,

3 = Sometimes

2 = Never,

One = It never even occurred to me.

Workplace and professional self-care

Activities that contribute to your professionalism in the workplace

Engage in regular supervision or consulting with a more experienced

Have a peer-support group or team support

Seek supervision and feedback from clients and colleagues

Clearly identified boundaries between clients/students and staff

Read professional journals

Attend professional development programs

Seek and utilize support services such as EAP, counselors, natural therapists  

Activities that help you to stay well and healthy, allowing you to work through the personal and professional requirements you have each day

 Eat regularly well-balanced meals

 Exercise at least 20 minutes a day

 Seek personal wellbeing by being proactive about your health

 Rest and take time off when unwell

Undertake physical activity that is enjoyable and benefits you

Getting sufficient sleep regularly (7-9 hours each night)

Taking holidays, leave, mini trips or breaks on a regular basis

Psychological Self-care

Activities that you enjoy doing and bring pleasure and that you are intellectually engaged in.

Making time for self-reflection

Seeking support – such as counselor, therapist, etc

Creating new neural pathways such as learning a new skill or activity

Having your own goals, aspirations, and dreams

Read literature not related to work or job role

Be curious or seeking answers

Delegate or say no to some tasks

Emotional Self-care

Activities that you complete to keep your emotional state within your window of tolerance.

Allowing yourself to engage and express a full range of emotions

Spend time with others whose company I enjoy

 Congratulate me and recognize when l do things well

Express my outrage in social actions in a positive, proactive way

Spiritual Self-Care

Activities that bring a sense of peace, inspiration, and motivation

Experience mindfulness or being in the moment

Make time for reflection

Spend time in nature

Have a sense of community or spiritual connection

Identify what is meaningful to me and notice its place in my life

Meditate or do yoga

Sing

Contribute to causes in which I believe

Be inspired by inspirational others

Relationship care

How you maintain healthy, supportive relationships, and ensuring you have diversity in your relationships so that you are not only connected to work people. 

Prioritize relationships with family and friends

Referral Supports for Parents and Carers

Arrive and leave work on time

Implemented boundaries between work and life

Leaves work-related tasks at the workplace

5.In a paragraph describe a particular area of self-care does you already do well. How do you know this?

The physical self-care is the most extensive form of self-care that people hone for it. Beginning from exercising and treating the body, there are endless possibilities that can enhance the physical health.

These are enumerated below-

1.When an individual looks into the mirror, complimenting one physical attribute is the necessary aspect.

2.The people should learn to eat well and get a massage.

3.The development of the consistent exercising routine.

An important aspect is developing the associations and making an inner social circle. Connecting with others for introverts tends towards self-care.

6.Identify and describe which particular area of self-care that you need to improve on.  How do you know this? Rational thinking and self-care require participation in different activities which can sharpen the body and mind. The knowledge can be grown through different areas, and intellectual self-care is of great importance. These can be enhanced through-

1.Reading books

2.Solving puzzles or game teasers

3.Watching documentaries

4.The participation in creative activities

5.Participation in volunteer works and beginning a hobby

Indulging all the five senses to a lower level is required. This will increase mindfulness and connect with the earth.  Listening to soothing music or remembering the recent vacation can help the people a lot.

7.Complete the following table and in your response list

• Five positive activities that you can do to improve your current approach to self-care.
• Identify the best days and times to complete each of these activities.
• List the reasons why these activities will improve your self-care. a)Learn to give Forgiveness-This activity must be performed every day in the morning and evenings. A complete reflection of own is visible.

b)Taking Social media breaks-These breaks can be taken on weekends or twice in a month depending on the work pressure. A New life form emerges out of social media breaks.

c)Participation in creative activities-by participating in creative activities, an individual can gain knowledge and can be done daily,

d)Exploring Nature and Yoga-The yoga and regular exercises will make healthy and fit and must be done daily or alternate days.

e)Intellectual Self-care- Intellectual self-care requires reading books, and this must be a daily habit.

8.Identify two professional support services either in your workplace or externally that you could talk to manage re-traumatization or vicarious trauma?

The two professional support services that could manage the vicarious trauma includes-

a)Thought Patterns-A patient could undergo visualization of multiple perspectives and new solutions. An individual may reach the conclusions and needs deliberate thinking process. The professional support service involves minimizing the suffering of patients which are related to severe incidents.

b)The behavioral shifts-A patient may undergo attrition and absenteeism from work or day to day activities. The people may tend to avoid the work, responsibilities, and work. This can be effectively managed by talking to the pati8ents and taking a proper sleep is the mus

c)Explain how you would go about engaging these services. These activities can be managed by separating the professional and personal time. Spending time with those people who are from the different fields and ease must be developed in relating the day to day situations with others. The person must develop the personal life which is outside the work. The person should be exposed to limited coverage of social media. A person may go in complete isolation and interact with people who can change the mind system and open new opportunities. The safety aspect is of great concern and society must have awareness about it.

Declaration: read, tick and sign below

Please read, tick and sign below

declare that the attached assessment I have submitted is my own original work and any contributions from and references to other authors are clearly acknowledged and noted.

This document has been created for this assessment only and has not been submitted as another form of assessment at Melbourne Polytechnic or any other tertiary institute.

have retained a copy of this work for my reference in the event that this application is lost or damaged.

give permission for Melbourne Polytechnic to keep, make copies of and communicate my work for the purpose of investigating plagiarism and/or review by internal and external assessors.

understand that plagiarism is the act of using another person’s idea or work and presenting it as my own. This is a serious offense, and I will accept that penalties will be imposed on me should I breach Melbourne Polytechnic’s plagiarism policy.

Student Signature Date

Please note that your assignment will not be accepted unless you have:

• completed all sections of the assignment
• acknowledged all sources of other people’s contributions including references and Students’ names for group work assessments
• filled in all areas of this Student assignment cover sheet.

The Student has identified services and resources available to manage themselves and how to access those services.  Yes   No

Instructions Before you complete this assessment, it is important that you understand the broader context of the Education you are undertaking.  

Please access this file and read the requirements of these minimum qualifications and why they are important to building capacity in this sector.

https://providers.dhhs.vic.gov.au/sites/dhhsproviders/files/2017-08/Minimum-qualification-strategy-for-residential-care-workers-in-Victoria.docx

Access the Department of Health and Human Services – Out-of-home care support services

For this assessment task, you will research and document how your organization outlines the terms of placement to the child/young person in care

You are required to answer the following questions by explaining how you and your organization meet these requirements.

Please include the document name of the supporting documents that you use within your organization.

Oster assessment Questions

Responses to questions with an explanation of the organization’s process/policies and how you enact those processes/policies.

Explain why this information or policy is important to the success of the placement. Refer to supporting documents, legislation and policies that apply for each question

Coming into care

How do you and the organization:

a)explain to the child what they can expect from their placement

b)The support they will receive from the staff.

c)How you ensure this information is communicated in a way that the child understands?

The check-in progress is for the children who are feeling unhappy or unsatisfied. The staff members will accurately observe the notions of children and provide them with effective medicines. The information can be communicated through the specialists or experts(Hernandez-Wolfe et al., 2014).

A Warning system is developed within the organization which can track physical depletion and emotional depression.

Compassion fatigue courses and workbooks.

What information is provided to a child about:

a)House rules

b)Consequences for behavior

c)Client responsibilities

d)Client rights in reporting if they feel unsafe

e)Staff rostering

f)Their privacy and confidentiality

g)Staff reporting requirements

h)Your duty of care

i)Access the grievance process

For each one, provide an example(quote what you say and how you say it) of how you explain each piece of information.

a)House Rules-By beliefs and values

b)Consequences For Behaviour- Treat everyone with respect

c)Client Responsibilities-Safety rules and politeness

d)Client rights in reporting if they feel unsafe-The standards for daily routines and follow up.

e)Staff rostering-Diminishing of a conflict

f)Their Privacy and Confidentiality-Making everyone on the same page.

g)Staff reporting requirements-Respect everyone and treat equally

h)Your Duty of Care-Learning experiences on a daily basis

i)Access the grievances process-Feedback and reporting on a daily basis

a)Defining the house priorities.

b)Disciplinary issues must be addressed.

c)Practicing realistic rules

d)Being consistent

e)‘Reminding the child whatever is necessary

f)Resolving the differences

g)Building trust with children

h)Intellectual training

i)Cultivating the conscience.

Toddler Elementary policies, Basic Manners, teaching children self-control, Speaking the Mind, Bedtime Routines and Morning Routines.

Child Safety

What does your organization policy say to children about the Child Safety Standards?

Does your organization empower children and YPs to speak up if they

feel unsafe?  If so how?

If not, what do you think you should do?

The child safety standards prevent child abuse and ensure effective processes are in place. All the allegations are responded with time.

The organization empowers children by having their say in the important issues.

Organizations must embed the cultural safety and promote the children with disability. Department for Training education, quality education to children.

Personal Belongings

What is the process or strategies for ensuring that the child’s personal possessions are looked after and maintained as well as what to do if the possessions need to be disposed of?

The organizations must embed strategies for child safety and personal belongings. Human resource practices may involve training for the child.

Strategies for promotion and empowerment of children and reporting any suspecting issues.

Child safe standards, compliance monitoring framework, general resources for safety standards.

Support for Parents and Carers

Does your organization provide referral supports to parents or carers?

When you encounter parents or carers that require support services or assistance what do you?

What organizations or services are available for parents or carers that you can refer them to?

Research and identify two support services in your local area:

One for Trauma

One for AOD issues.

Include all contact details. The Organization provides referral supports to parents in the way through which child stress can be eradicated.

The presence of child care organizations is big support available for parenting and reframing of mind.

1.Child Safe standards- Ph-03-96504511

2.Australian Human Rights Commission

Creating the organizational culture which can foster child growth.

Local playgroups can engage volunteers. National Principles for child safety.

National Office for Child safety.

What is your organisations policy and procedures to support children or young people recommence and attend school or vocational education?

Provide three examples of how you have supported the child/ young person with their education.

Explain how each of these has helped to keep the YP engaged in education.

1.Good Governance and leadership. Example1-Leadership programs were encouraging the participation of children.

2.Self-Audit tools-Example 2- The description of individual personality within the child as diagnosed by the parents.

3.Child safe statement of commitment-

Example 3-A commitment made by different child care organizations to protect child abuse.

Building an organizational culture which can engage leadership in the child.

A code of conduct for approximate behavior with children. Strategies for the empowerment of children.

Strategies for removing child abuse risks.

Trauma Informed Practice

Referencing your education material, how do you and your organization demonstrate Trauma Informed practice when working with Clients?  

Provide three examples.

Name at least two of the trauma-informed concepts or brain physiology and knowledge that you have learned from this course?

Explain how you apply them in your practice.   

Trauma is mainly exposure accumulation and emotional duress which results after hand first trauma of other patients.

1.Behavioural disorders

2.Intellectual disorders

The transformation of a worker from empathetic engagements and the countertransference which is resulted through stimulation (Cohen and Collens, 2013).

Organizational contributors must be recognized for reducing the stress and trauma.

Substantial risk factors and in traumatized children must be recognized through observations.

Understanding and addressing Trauma,

 Defining Traumatic Stress.

Psychologicaltherapeuticsupports

What is the organization’s process for referrals to support the recovery of trauma and engage in psychological therapy for the child or young person?

Provide one example of where you have supported a child or YP with helping them to resolve their trauma.  

a)What was the YPs trauma background

b)How did you identify the triggers?

c)How did you engage the YP?

d)What services did you engage?

e)What was the outcome?

f)What would you do differently next time?

Vicarious trauma is a cumulative trauma effect that can create stress disorder and change in the reference of mind.

a)The healthy boundaries were ignored, and substantial risk factors developed to Work place violence.

b)Violence caseloads and difference in the frame of mind.

c)By searching the history of traumatic experiences

d)Terror Management principles

e)Experiencing positive clinical outcomes

The high experienced therapist can provide the social support

Professional and personal strategies can be developed for bringing the change in key areas.

Preventive strategies for environmental approaches are used.

1.Emotional Management Principles

2.Organizational Learning Theories

What is your organization’s policy on the age that children or YP leave care?

What is the policy on the appropriate level of contact with the child or YP once they are out of the care of the organization?

What are your view on your organisation’s policy about leaving care age and post care contact?

Do you think the leaving care age in Victoria should be extended from 18 to 21years of age?  Why?  Why not?

Explain your answers referencing recent social policy and new reports about the appropriateness of leaving care at the age of 18 years.

1.There is a high percentage of children who are traumatized, and this includes from 5 years to 16 years of age group.

2.The personal strategies are developed for bringing the change and further evolution.

3.The environmental and individual approaches encompass the personal behavior of a child.

4.The leaving care age must be extended from 18 to 21 years of age as it can evolve a process that can be of help in the psychological and physical aspects of a child.

1.Clear and empathetic communication can promote social support.

2.Recognizing the secondary stress and providing continuous social support.

1.Healing and Recovery for children.

2.Shared values, Shared systems and organizational learning abilities.

declare that the attached assessment I have submitted is my own original work and any contributions from and references to other authors are clearly acknowledged and noted.

This document has been created for this assessment only and has not been submitted as another form of assessment at Melbourne Polytechnic or any other tertiary institute.

have retained a copy of this work for my reference if this application is lost or damaged.

Permit for Melbourne Polytechnic to keep, make copies of and communicate my work for the purpose of investigating plagiarism and review by internal and external assessors.

understand that plagiarism is the act of using another person’s idea or work and presenting it as my own. This is a serious offense, and I will accept that penalties will be imposed on me should I breach Melbourne Polytechnic’s plagiarism policy.

Student Signature Date

Please note that your assignment will not be accepted unless you have:

• completed all sections of the assignment
• acknowledged all sources of other people’s contributions including references and Students’ names for group work assessments
• filled in all areas of this Student assignment cover sheet.

Trainer / Assessor to complete the following:

The Student has provided evidence of having outlined terms of placement with at least one client in care, including expectations, rules, consequences for behavior and client rights and responsibilities

The Student identified the appropriatestrategies for continued use, maintenance and disposal of client’s personal possessions and consumables by referring to the organization’s Policy and procedures

The Student provided three examples of how they have supported the child/ young person with their education and why this is important

The Student provided three examples of how they integrate Trauma-Informed Practices into their approach.

The Student has provided at least two (2) examples of trauma-informed concepts or brain physiology knowledge and how they apply them.

The Student has provided commentary about the appropriateness or otherwise of the leaving care age of 18 years.

The Student has identified the steps they take to engage a traumatized child or YP into psychological therapeutic supports.

The Student has identified the organization’s approach to informing children of the Child Safety standards and how they can speak up if they feel unsafe.

The Student has identified organizations or services available for parents and or carers in their local area.

The Student has identified appropriate resettlement needs and levels of contact with the client once out of care by referring to th

Instructions This assessment task you are completed online after you have to undertake the Australian Childhood Foundation Smart Online training program.

1.Access the Australian Childhood Foundation Smart Online training by going to https://professionals.childhood.org.au/smart-online-training

(Australian Childhood Foundation – Professional Community – Smart Online Training)

2.Read the information page about and then sign up by completing the online registration.

3.Upon successful registration, you are to complete the ten modules.

4.Upon successful completion of the modules download a copy of your certificate

5.Document to submit:

1 Certificate with name and date.

Declaration: read, tick and sign below

Please read, tick and sign below

declare that the attached assessment I have submitted is my own original work and any contributions from and references to other authors are clearly acknowledged and noted.

This document has been created for this assessment only and has not been submitted as another form of assessment at Melbourne Polytechnic or any other tertiary institute.

have retained a copy of this work for my reference if this application is lost or damaged.

permit for Melbourne Polytechnic to keep, make copies of and communicate my work for the purpose of investigating plagiarism and review by internal and external assessors.

understand that plagiarism is the act of using another person’s idea or work and presenting it as my own. This is a serious offense, and I will accept that penalties will be imposed on me should I breach Melbourne Polytechnic’s plagiarism policy.

Student Signature Date

Please note that your assignment will not be accepted unless you have:

• completed all sections of the assignment
• acknowledged all sources of other people’s contributions including references and Students’ names for group work assessments
• filled in all areas of this Student assignment cover sheet.

The Student has completed and passed the Childhood Foundation Smart Online training test.  Yes   No

The Student has submitted a copy of their certificate which shows name and date of completion.  Yes   No

References

Cohen, K. and Collens, P. (2013). The impact of trauma work on trauma workers: A metasynthesis on vicarious trauma and vicarious posttraumatic growth. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 5(6), pp.570-580.

Hernandez-Wolfe, P., Killian, K., Engstrom, D. and Gangsei, D. (2014). Vicarious Resilience, Vicarious Trauma, and Awareness of Equity in Trauma Work. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 55(2), pp.153-172.