Treatment Services
Following the completion of the assessment and the development of a case plan, SAIFF may provide ongoing counselling and consultation.
If further intervention is sought following assessment, a treatment plan will be developed in consultation with the child/young person and family and any other relevant services involved with the family.
SAIFF draws upon evidence based practice models in providing service to children and young people with an emphasis on family intervention, cognitive behavioural therapy and systemic/multidisciplinary intervention. Treatment is provided in a risk management and health promotion framework, which focuses on both reducing risk and increasing children’s health and functioning.
What issues will be addressed in treatment?
Treatment with children and young people with sexual behaviour problems involves addressing a range of issues and concerns, including but not limited to children’s sexual behaviour. Relevant treatment issues may include addressing the impact of the detection of sexual abuse, developing an understanding of the emergence of problematic sexual behaviour, education around healthy sexuality, addressing childhood trauma, family functioning, social skill development and other behavioural and mental health concerns.
What is involved in treatment?
Helping children to stop and understand their sexually abusive behaviour and to lead safe and healthy lives requires not only for children to learn about their behaviour, but for their families or caregivers to also learn and support them in making these changes.
Consequently, therapy usually (if not always) involves not only seeing the child, but also talking with parents or caregivers.
Communication with other professionals and support persons involved with the child and family is also an important aspect of intervention. Who SAIFF will communicate with will e decided in consultation with the child and family, and depending upon the child’s circumstances, this may involve communicating with Family and Community Services, Out of Home Care agencies (for children placed in care), sexual assault services (if involved with the victim/s), the Department of Education and other mental health, psychological or pediatric services who may be involved with the child and family.
Working within a multi-agency framework enhances treatment efficacy and accountability and helps ensure the continued safety of the child who is engaging in problematic behaviour, and continued protection of others from harm. The need for transparency and limited confidentially is discussed openly with children/young people, carers and families and SAIFF will only provide information with services and professionals for whom the child or guardian has provided consent to do so.
How long will treatment take ?
Treatment intensity and duration are guided by assessment of risk and need, not by time.
Given that children and adolescents are in a stage of rapid growth and development, their risk and needs can vary considerably over short periods of time. Further, children’s treatment needs can also change as the result of external factors and changes in their lifestyle and circumstances. Consequently, SAIFF does not specify fixed timeframes of treatment and it does not recommend lengthy or open ended treatment contracts. Rather, SAIFF recommends regular reviews of risk and need, and modification of the treatment plan in response to this. If assessment supports further treatment or variations in the intensity or nature of intervention, a treatment plan (and contract) will be developed to reflect this.
Not withstanding this, we aim to have children and families in therapy the shortest period required for children and families to be safe and healthy.