The Aboriginal Therapeutic Home Based Care (ATHBC) program is an innovative model in Victoria, to support enhancing the capacity of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) foster/kinship staff and carers to provide a trauma-informed therapeutic response to children in out of home care. The Victorian DHHS funded ACCOs to employ a therapeutic clinician in order to build the capacity of carers and staff in the ACCO to provide a therapeutic response to children in out of home care (foster and kinship care). The Therapeutic Clinicians employed by the ACCOs are supported by a Statewide ATHBC Clinician. Importantly, the program guidelines are flexible so that each ACCO has been able to develop a model that is appropriate for their particular community.
In this presentation, the authors will present the aims/objectives, strengths and challenges of the program at a statewide level. Then they will present some examples of the work of the local therapeutic clinicians to enhance the therapeutic capacity of staff and carers, and to respond to the needs of their local community. This presentation will illustrate the diversity of approaches, including clinical and supportive work with foster/kinship carers, training approaches with staff and carers, and community development activities such as drumming workshops, mentoring programs, community forums.
