Restoring Childhood

A stepped-care model of trauma-informed mental health support for children and young people exposed to family violence

What the study is about?

Restoring Childhood is a stepped-care model of care providing therapeutic support to children and families who have been exposed to violence between adult family members. Developed and delivered by Berry Street, the program comprised 3 core components 1) intake and triage, 2) the Brief Relational Intervention and Screening (BRISC), and 3) longer term therapeutic support including Child Parent Psychotherapy or EMDR therapy.

In 2018, MCRI partnered with Berry Street to conduct a pilot evaluation of the Restoring Childhood’s BRISC. This evaluation was extended in 2020 to capture the experiences of clinicians and families taking part in the Restoring Childhood program via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is already known

1 in 3 Australian Children are exposed to family violence, with exposure associated with the development of mental health difficulties. Despite this, there are few evidence-based interventions delivered within Australia to support the healing and recovery of children following incidents of family violence.

What the study adds

This project provides preliminary support for the Restoring Childhood Program in promoting the wellbeing of mothers and children following exposure to family violence. Mothers perceived that the program assisted them to improve their relationship with their child, led to a decrease in their children’s emotional-behavioural functioning, and provided important support for themselves in regard to their mental health and parenting.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Berry Street rapidly transitioned their Restoring Childhood program online, delivering sessions via telehealth across metropolitan and regional Victoria. This enabled the continued provision of this important therapeutic support for families who had experienced family violence during the pandemic and associated lockdowns. Interviews conducted by MCRI with Berry Street clinicians and mothers who took part in the program highlighted many strengths of Restoring Childhood delivered via telehealth. These included the increased comfort and accessibility of the service for some clients and the creative approaches used to engage children and young people in therapeutic processes. It also highlighted several considerations for the broader field including processes to ensure client safety and clinician wellbeing.

What’s next

We are currently seeking funding to extend our evaluation of the Restoring Childhood Program. An important component of further evaluation will be to capture the voices of the young people who have participated in the program.

Where can I read more?

  • Capturing the experiences of clinicians implementing a new brief intervention for parents and children who have experienced family violence in Australia

    Giallo B, Fogarty A, Savopoulos P et al. 2021. Health & Social Care in the Community. Doi: 10.1111/hsc.13587.

    Read more

  • Providing therapeutic services to women and children who have experienced intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and learnings

    Fogarty A, Savopoulos P, Seymour M… Giallo R. 2022. Child Abuse & Neglect, 130, 105365. Doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105365

    Read more

  • Facilitators to engagement in a mother-child therapeutic intervention following Intimate Partner Violence

    Fogarty A, Treyvaud K, Savopoulos P, Jones A, Cox A, Toone E, Giallo R. 2022. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(3-4), 1796-1824. Doi: 10.1177/0886260520926316.

    Read more

Who can I contact for more information?

Ali Fogarty
Rebecca Giallo