Laurenza Buglisi specialises in supporting families affected by sexual violence, intergenerational trauma, and family estrangement. She also provides training and consultancy in child safeguarding practices for organisations and social work professionals.
Are you a social worker or other allied health professional working with children or young people in a counselling or casework role? Do you sometimes struggle with knowing how much involvement parents or caregivers should have when you are working with their child? If so, read on to learn about why including the family is often necessary to provide a better outcome and how you can manage possible privacy concerns.
Holistic care involves family work
Modern-day approaches to working therapeutically with children and young people are underpinned by a holistic, intersectional approach. This means that the various aspects of a child or young person are considered fundamental when seeking to understand the difficulties they are facing and what might improve their wellbeing. This includes understanding their membership in what is arguably the most significant social group they will ever be part of—their own family of origin. Gaining a deep appreciation of the complexity of these relationships is nearly impossible without involving the family in your work.
A child is not an island
Regardless of individual circumstances, even for those living in out-of-home care or who have conflicted (or even estranged) relationships with their parents, all children and young people come from a family. Many of the children and young people you work with directly may still have contact with their parents and/or be living at home. It can be difficult to get a clear sense of what is going on for the child if you do not include the parents. Even an uncooperative parent can provide insight into their child’s home life, as a lack of engagement with the school or support services is relevant information in itself.
Family work means transparency and collaboration
There is a general understanding in Australian social work that young people aged fourteen and above can access counselling and support services without parental permission. Unless there are concerns about risk of harm, it is common practice for social workers to respect a young person’s decision around including their family. It is important to be aware of any legal rights that parents or caregivers might have in relation to the healthcare or social support their child receives (either at school or elsewhere). For example, the Australian National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and the Victorian Child Safe Standards refer to families and communities being informed and involved in the promotion of child safety and wellbeing. This means that every parent and caregiver has the right to understand how an organisation working with their child has implemented policies and procedures to keep children and young people safe from harm—and how they will respond to disclosures of harm. Families are often invited to participate in decisions affecting their child, unless doing so would put the child at risk of harm.
Navigating concerns of confidentiality breaches
It is understandable that you might be reluctant to include the family in your work with children or young people due to concerns that you may inadvertently breach confidentiality. Firstly, it is important to be guided by your organisation’s policies and procedures around family involvement, and these should always be overseen by your supervisor(s). It is useful to have clarity around precisely what information is considered private and under what circumstances consent from the child or young person is required. Your supervisor will also help guide you regarding the level of detail you provide to parents or caregivers on issues their child is experiencing. Be mindful not to reveal identifying details of sensitive information regarding other children or young people your primary client may have shared with you. Additionally, take care with how such information is recorded in case notes
Inviting the family to participate in their child’s care
Once you have decided to include the family in your work with their child, you must then choose how to proceed. Family work can take many forms, such as providing the parents or caregivers with a verbal summary of your role, general themes of the issues their child is facing, and the strategies you are implementing during your work to support the child or young person. This is an excellent way to hold social workers accountable for their direct practice.
Family work can also include inviting the family to meet with you, either independently or as part of a family session. The purpose of meeting parents or caregivers without their child present is primarily to gather useful information to help with your assessment and to provide an overview of the parameters of your work, such as the frequency of sessions, duration, and location.
If you proceed with inviting parents or caregivers to a session with their child, you can determine the appropriateness of their involvement by having a clear understanding of the purpose their participation serves. For example, it might be more appropriate to invite the parents or caregivers to attend the first fifteen minutes of the session with the young person to have them present as you introduce yourself to their child and explain your role.
For younger children, it is generally ideal to meet with the parents or caregivers prior to meeting the child. However, this may not be appropriate in a school setting, where you may be expected to see the child individually.
If you intend to facilitate a family session, it is highly recommended that you are closely supervised by a supervisor who is experienced and skilled in this type of work.
Keep in mind that it is always possible to work with the family even if they are unable, unwilling, or it is inappropriate to invite them to attend in-person. This might mean actively exploring family dynamics and relationships with the child or young person in the course of your work with them. Ultimately, keeping the family in mind is always the best approach when working with children and young people. For more online resources on social work practice with children and families, visit this website.
Read more from Laurenza Buglisi
Laurenza Buglisi, Social Worker & Family Therapist
Laurenza Buglisi is a qualified Social Worker and Family Therapist who specialises in child sexual abuse. She was the founder of Juno’s Circle: Counselling, Training and Consulting, supporting families with complex trauma. Laurenza is committed to ensuring all families are equipped with the necessary tools and resources to parent protectively. As a mother to three young children herself, she understands the challenges of raising children in a digital age with an increased prevalence of child sexual exploitation. Laurenza is passionate about working with organisations and social work professionals to ensure a clearer understanding of compliance with child safe practice standards and reporting obligations.
