LBI Foundation have developed, refined and tested the system implementation of the IMPACT Program for “care communities”, or teams and programs who care and support children living in out-of-home care (including alternative care, residential care, foster care and correctional care). This is captured through the Care IMPACT Community Development Stream.
Care IMPACT is designed to activate the “thriving” capacity of children and young people with backgrounds of disadvantage or trauma. In other words:
To rise above their circumstances and enter adulthood as productive and resilient community members who can make a positive impact in their life.
Care IMPACT does this by
1. Building the Skills to Navigate and Thrive Within the Community
Children and young people situated within a care context (e.g., residential care, foster care, relative care, correctional care, risk of family separation) often present with complex behaviours and needs. These children require stable and skilled supporting relationships who not only can meet the child’s healing and growth needs, but build their capacity to thrive. There are a range of challenges that impact on this healing, growth and capacity building process, including: (1) complexity of child and youth needs (2) fragmentation of care and support and (3) focus on ‘managing’ child behaviour or risk factors (see video below for details).
Subsequently, many children in care enter adulthood without the skills to cope and function productively within the community.
2. Offering an Innovative, Scientifically Grounded and Personalised Approach
Care IMPACT offers an innovative, scientifically grounded and personalised approach that employs intentional processes and the IMPACT skill development modules for children to thrive.
Care IMPACT does this by:
- Honouring children’s diversity, complexity and individual circumstance.
- Embracing the strengths and wisdom of caregivers, supporting adults and agencies.
- Empowering a “care community’s” potential to ‘respond’ (rather than react) to individual child healing and growth needs and context (as opposed to replacing what is being done).
- Systematically building a child’s internal capacity (or their awareness, skills and mindsets) to heal and grow, and achieve their best, through a personalised and targeted approach.
3. Bringing Ongoing Focus to Two Key Growth Drivers
Care IMPACT grows child and youth capacity through two key drivers:
- Responding to Growth and Healing Needs – this is about activating the capacity of the “care community” (caregivers, supporting adults, professionals) to understand and intentionally “respond” (rather than react) to the diverse healing and growth needs of children through intentional caregiving, coaching conversations and shared growth planning.
- Building Child and Youth Capacity – in this community, key adults are trained and empowered to coach, mentor and support children to acquire the awareness, skills and mindsets to overcome their circumstances, and have a positive impact in their life, as matched to their needs and context. In action, this brings focus to the delivery of targeted learning modules, mapped to social-emotional domains, best-practice wellbeing and resilience content (including IMPACT-6 Wellbeing and Resilience Skills Modules), and delivered through intentional coaching conversations and the IMPACT skill development modules (www.lblearninghub.org).
4. Side-By-Side Implementation of IMPACT Components
Care IMPACT is individually tailored (or personalised) to the specific care community. This includes, but is not limited to:
- An entire agency.
- Case management site or work group.
- A residential or correctional care program (or specific home).
- Foster care agency or program site.
- Care team around a child or family.
Care IMPACT integrates a care community’s local wisdom with best practice evidence, and by doing so, empowers care communities to activate the thriving capacity of children and young people. This integration is supported by the scientific methodology of intentional practice. Care IMPACT is designed to dovetail into and strengthen existing services, therapeutic components or systems (not replace what is being done).
The implementation of Care IMPACT is co-designed with the care community, drawing upon the following key components:
- IMPACT Respond Rather Than React Workshop – this 2-day workshop provides foundational content knowledge and skills to caregivers and care teams.
- IMPACT Trauma-Informed Clinical Practice Modules and Care IMPACT Specialist Modules – online modules and workshops that support school personnel (and families) respond (rather than react) to student wellbeing, trauma, growth or developmental needs.
- What-What-How Coaching – LBI Foundation accredited psychologists who provide coaching to caregivers and care teams (and young people where indicated) to respond to the complex child and youth needs and behaviour.
- IMPACT Coaches – Trained, accredited and coached local IMPACT Coaches who champion, support and coach care teams embed and sustain the work.
- IMPACT-6 Wellbeing and Resilience Skills Modules – IMPACT-6 are six core skills (or competencies) that have been scientifically shown to be predictive of higher wellbeing and resilience.
5. Intentional Implementation
The implementation of Care IMPACT occurs through a co-design process between LBI Foundation and the care community that brings focus to 7 key implementation components.
Further Information
If you would like further information on the Care IMPACT program please contact Dr Ivan Raymond: ivan.raymond@lbi.org.au