CARE Practice Insight Sessions – Developmentally Focused Care
June 12 @ 10:00 am - July 1 @ 11:00 am
We are pleased to invite you to continue your CARE training journey with a new series of CARE Practice Insight Sessions, focused on deepening your understanding of developmentally focused care. These sessions are designed to offer practical tools and reflective insights that support your vital role as a foster carer.
A CARE Practice Insight Session is a focused, interactive learning opportunity that explores key principles and real-world applications of trauma-informed care. By participating, you’ll gain knowledge and strategies that can enhance your ability to create safe, supportive, and nurturing environments for the children and young people in your care.
The following sessions will cover a range of topics to help you foster developmental growth, build trusting relationships and support the neurodiversity of your children and young people in Foster Care.
All sessions will be held online through Zoom or Microsoft Teams, with a calendar invite and link to join after RSVPs are received.
Please RSVP by sending an email to OOHC.Programs@challengecommunity.org.au.
1. Why Focusing on Development Really Matters in Foster Care
Date: 12th June 2025
Time: 10am-11am
Facilitator: Brendan Rae
Overview: This CARE Practice Insight Session explores the importance of focusing on developmental needs within foster care. Drawing on the Developmentally Focused principle of the CARE model, the session will examine how understanding a child’s stage of development, not just their age, can help carers and practitioners respond more effectively to their needs. Participants will explore how trauma can interrupt typical development and how supportive relationships, consistent routines, and intentional caregiving practices can help children regain developmental momentum. The session will also highlight the practical strategies carers can use to support emotional, social, and cognitive growth, reinforcing the idea that every interaction is an opportunity to build developmental strength and resilience.
2. Fostering Developmental Growth: The Power of Trusting Relationships in Care
Date: 27th June 2025
Time: 10am-11am
Facilitator: Ebonnie Byers
Overview: This CARE Practice Insight Session focuses on the foundational role that trusting relationships play in fostering developmental growth for children and young people in care. Highlighted within the Developmentally Focused and Relationship-Based principles of the CARE model, the session explores how consistent, emotionally attuned caregiving can support recovery from trauma and reignite healthy developmental pathways. Participants will examine how trust builds the safety children need to explore, learn, and connect. How everyday moments of care can become powerful opportunities for healing and growth. Through real-life examples and reflective discussion, this session will highlight the significance of being a reliable, empathetic presence in a child’s life and how these relationships create the conditions for long-term positive outcomes.
3. Supporting Neurodiversity in Foster Care: Embracing Differences through CARE
Date: 1st July 2025
Time: 10am-11am
Facilitator: Brendan Rae
Overview: This CARE Practice Insight Session explores how we can better support neurodivergent children and young people in foster care by embracing difference through intentional, developmentally focused practice. The session will focus on understanding neurodiversity as a natural variation in how children think, feel, and experience the world. Participants will reflect on how to create environments that reduce overwhelm, build on strengths, and foster emotional safety. The session will also highlight the importance of shifting from a “what’s wrong with you?” perspective to a “what happened to you?” and “what do you need?” approach, ensuring that neurodivergent children feel seen, valued, and supported to thrive within care.
