When she first went to live with her foster care family, Claire could only get to sleep with a little baby bottle under each arm and her special blanket.
She would cry for hours. It was the sort of cry that told everyone that she was in so much pain. She would become so distressed that she would bang her head against the side of the cot. She would push her foster parents away when they tried to comfort her.
The only thing that seemed to help her was her small red blanket. It was crumpled. It was torn in so many places. It had a particular smell and could never be washed. It was a symbol of safety for Clare. It helped her to calm down sometimes.
Claire was nine months old when she was removed from her mother for her own protection. Claire’s mother had abused heroin and alcohol during her pregnancy. When Claire was born, Claire’s mother was the target of violence by her partner. Claire’s first months of life were filled with stress, neglect and disruption.
By the time she came into care, Claire was a long way behind in her development. She could not roll over or sit up like you would expect babies to be able to do by this age. She had no eye contact with people. She showed little emotional expression. It was like she had permanent blank look on her face.
Claire had been left to go without food for up to 13 hours. She had lost the ability to show when she was hungry. She had been left without stimulation, care or nurture every day.
Imagine you are a baby. You are lying on your back. You are still too young to be able to roll over or move much. Different faces keep appearing in front of you. It is never the same face. You keep looking for your mum, someone to connect with. Instead, you are left on your own for hours at a time. Your nappy is wet, but you know that crying doesn’t attract anyone’s attention. You stop crying. In fact you give up crying because nobody ever comes. Then there is noise and yelling. There are frightening sounds that make you jump. You feel unsettled all the time. That feeling just stays with you.
Left in her cot, Claire’s tender early days were spent in this kind of turmoil.
The difference that Therapeutic Foster Care makes
By the time Claire came into the Australian Childhood Foundation’s Therapeutic Foster Care Program, she was 18 months old. She still could not crawl or walk. She was withdrawn and fearful.
In December last year, Claire was placed with a loving foster care family - Heather, Gary and their four children. They were experienced foster carers, but they needed extra support to know how to care for a little girl like Claire with so many unmet needs.
The support and training that the Foundation gave Heather and Gary helped them to embrace Claire into their family. They all got on their knees to help her to learn to crawl. And as a result, she has recently taken her first steps. They have taught her how to eat and swallow solids. When she first arrived she would fill her mouth with food but did not know how to eat.
Heather takes Claire to play group, toddler gym and story time group. At first, she would just sit and watch. Now she regularly joins in the fun activities, and while she is still easily frightened by loud voices, she will readily go to Heather for comfort.
We have helped to establish a Care Team for Claire. The Care Team involves the foster parents, counsellors from the Foundation, workers from the foster care agency and other professionals. The Care Team recognises the fact that looking after children who have experienced such high degrees of trauma really need collective support. Everyone in the team helps to develop the plan about how to support Claire to reach her developmental milestones.
It also means that communication between all the adults in Claire’s life is clear and consistent. There are no surprises for Heather and Gary. Their relationship with Claire is the best form of treatment for Claire. It supports her to feel love and trust it. It gives her a chance to experience stability. It provides Claire with all the stimulation that is helping her brain to catch up to where it should be.
Never alone anymore, Claire has started going to sleep now without her baby bottles. With the help of a trained and attuned foster family, Claire’s life is back on track.
What is Therapeutic Foster Care?
Therapeutic Foster Care has been pioneered by the Australian Childhood Foundation. It is a specialised form of foster care that stabilises and transforms the trauma experienced by abused children. The Foundation provides expert training and support to foster carers to help them know how to better respond to the complex needs of children who have had to be removed from their own family for their own protection. The Foundation also is responsible for leading the Care Team established for each child. Our therapists also provide counselling to these children directly.
Therapeutic Foster Care is being recognised as an important way of improving the lives of traumatised children. The Foundation runs 16 therapeutic care programs in partnership with other agencies like the Salvation Army, Anglicare, Barnados and Uniting Care right around the country.
Last year, there were more children living away from their family for their own protection than ever before. The number of children in care has almost tripled from 13,979 in 1996 to 34,069 in 2009.
There is a real and urgent need to expand the therapeutic care programs of the Australian Childhood Foundation so more of these children, like Claire, can be supported to recover from the neglect and abuse that have scarred their short lives.
