Family time contact during COVID-19



Family time contact during COVID-19supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, famlies and carersIn this document: Information about changes to how family time contact happens for children in care during COVID-19, and tips to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to stay connected.The COVID-19 pandemic is having a big impact on all our lives and how services are delivered. At CYPS, we want to make sure the children, families and carers we work with, and our staff, stay healthy and safe during this time. We are following ACT Health advice and have made changes to some of the ways we work with you so together we can stop the spread of COVID-19. This includes how we organise family time contact for children in care. But be assured, family time is important and we will talk with you about what these changes mean for you.Will family time contact still happen if there is a restoration plan in place? Yes, but it might happen in a different way. A key part of any restoration plan is children and parents seeing and spending time together on a regular basis. This is still very important despite the challenges of COVID-19. For families where restoration is the goal, we will do our best to find ways to maintain family time contact. If face-to-face cannot happen, we will make other arrangements so children and parents can still connect and stay in touch. Your case manager will talk with you about the arrangements for your situation. Will there be changes to family time contact visits? Yes. Family time contact visits will still go ahead with some changes. It is important we all play our part in social distancing to stop the spread of COVID-19. This means face-to-face contact may happen differently or move to other ways of staying connected for now, including phone and video calls. Your case manager will talk with you about your specific contact arrangements. We are in regular communication with our contact service providers about face-to-face contact and will continue to review these arrangements in line with current health and government advice. Once the lockdown restriction in the ACT no longer apply, face-to-face contact may occur but safety measures will be put in place, such as social distancing, applying suitable hygiene standards and temperature checks to protect the safety of everyone involved. If someone is unwell or has been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case, face-to-face contact will be cancelled, and alternative arrangements made.Family time contact between children and their birth families is as important now as it always was. We know we are asking you to support contact in new ways and we thank you for your cooperation. We are particularly motivated to make sure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care continue to connect with their cultural values and beliefs through connection with their family and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. If you would like support with your family time contact arrangements or want ideas for making them run more smoothly, please contact you case manager. You can also contact our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Services team for creative ways cultural connection can be achieved during COVID-19. You can reach them on 6207 2228 or CST@.au. How can I make the most of ‘video’ family time contact? We know it is very important for families and children to stay connected. Some children though may find it hard to stay engaged with a video call for too long, especially if they are very young. Children can also sense the changes happening to their routine and daily lives just as much as we do. So, it is not surprising children might find video calls foreign or ‘a bit weird’. There will be an adjustment period for everyone, just like with anything new and different. This is why it is a good idea for parents and carers to be prepared with pre-planned activities you know the child will like. Even when children are young, video calls can still be a good way of building and maintaining relationships.Parents, it is also important to understand that if your child can’t maintain their interest in a video call for very long that this is normal and not a rejection of you as a parent. Just do your best to make the time you do have to see your child a nice opportunity for connection. Here are some ideas parents and carers can do to support family time contact:For very young children Sing nursery rhymes or tell a story.Read your child a picture book.Put on a short play or story with toys for your child.Use finger puppets.Play peek-a-boo by hiding from the camera then popping out.Play in-app games together.For carers, prepare some resources for the child to show their parent (e.g. their art and craft work, any books they have been enjoying, toys that they have been playing with) and encourage the child to show and talk to these props.For parents, don’t rely too much on talking. It is okay to simply be present over the video call and watch your child engage in play, such as doing a puzzle or craft, playing with a toy, or bouncing on a trampoline. You can say things occasionally to show your child you are taking an interest and can see what they are doing.For older childrenPlay dress-ups and do role play games.Use toys the parent has provided the child so they can engage and talk about them.Use the chat function in a video-conferencing app to write a story together, for example you could write your own dreaming story for your family.Draw and do craft together. You can search the Internet for cultural craft activity ideas.Have the child paint, play or sculpt while you ask questions about their artwork.Watch a YouTube video together, for example do online yoga or mindfulness together.Learn a new dance together or listen to a song.Invent a ‘handshake’ you can both do to say hello or goodbye. For younger children, both of you hugging a toy can work also. Online resourcesFive tips to make the most of video chats: resources/2535-five-tips-to-make-the-most-of-video-chats Tips for video chatting with young children – Staying connected while far apart: our-work/families/tips-video-chatting-young-children 50 crafty and creative FaceTime activities to do with kids: crafty-and-creative-facetime-activities-to-do-with-kids 13 no-prep games to play over FaceTime (or Skype): games-to-play-over-facetime-skype when is face-to-face a ‘priority’ during covid-19?In most cases during this period of physical distancing, you will only be able to stay connected to your children and kinship network through the use of technology, such phone and video calling.There will be some circumstances where face-to-face contact may take place if it can be managed in a way which is consistent with physical distancing. Such circumstances may include:when restoration is the child’s Care Plan goalwhen the child/ren is very young (under 3yrs) and attachment is at stakeserious health crisis or injury to the childsignificant bereavement (Sorry Business) or adverse event within the family network (noting current restrictions on funerals)if the child is experiencing significant emotional or psychological impacts as a result of separation from their parent or usual carerfollowing consultation with a maternity nurse, paediatrician or maternal and child health nurse, it is agreed maintaining breast feeding is necessary to keep baby well and this can be done safely in the context of COVID-19A decision to allow face-to-face contact with parents or kinship network members during the COVID-19 physical distancing restrictions will be made carefully and will consider if the child’s needs can be met in other ways during this time, and if there are any additional risk factors, such as chronic illness.ExpectationsThis is a difficult time for everyone, and in particular children. The changes to family time contact do not mean a change to the usual expectations around appropriate behaviour and attitudes. Family time must remain safe and focused on strengthening relationships with the child. Talk with your case manager to review the expectations around family time and raise any questions or concerns you have. This will help you be prepared and know what you can expect from family time and what is expected from you.HELPFul INformationACT Government Covid-19 information Facilitating video contact during COVID-19Keeping Our Kids Safe Online Raising Children’s Network about talking to children about CoronavirusFor up-to-date information about how CYPS is working, visit the ‘Children and Families’ tab at munityservices..au/connect-in-canberra/Community-Services-and-Support Note: The terms ‘child’ and ‘children’ also refer to ‘young person’ and ‘young people’. ................
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