Child Protection Counselling Service
The Child Protection Counselling Services (CPCS) work with children and young people (up to age 18 years) and their families/carers where physical and/or emotional abuse, neglect and domestic violence have occurred.
Child protection counsellors provide child-focused and trauma informed services using a family systems approach.
Trauma resolution involves only making sense of the traumatic events, but also helping a child learn to regulate their emotions, working with the family to establish a safe environment, and enhancing the child’s resiliency and social supports (Cooks et al. 2003).
CPCS is a voluntary service. Parents and carers must consent for the referral to be made and be willing to be involved in the counselling process.
We believe that it’s every child’s right to feel and be safe at all times, and to feel cared for.
We aim to assist children to cope with the effects of the abuse, to support families in keeping their children safe, and to work towards the prevention of child abuse and neglect in the community.
- Emotional and behavioural problems resulting from traumatic events.
- Attachment, family and parenting problems.
- Interventions that aim to address and stop the effects of abuse on children and young people.
- Working towards maintaining the child or young person living with their family wherever possible.
Referrals are made to CPCS by:
- Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ- formerly known as FaCS)
- Joint Referral Unit (JRU) or the Joint Child Protection Response Program (JCPRP) via the JCPRP Health clinician
- non-government organisations (NGO) providing out of home care (OOHC) case management or family preservation services (in consultation with DCJ)
- NSW Health services including Out of Home Care Health pathway program, Sexual assault services, Child and adolescent mental health services, New Street Services and other appropriate NSW Health services
- Aboriginal family wellbeing and violence prevention workers.
- Individual and family counselling/therapy and casework – CPCS can provide medium to long-term intervention (between 6 months & 18 months).
- Comprehensive assessment and progress reports.
- Advocacy and support.
- Court preparation and support.
- Therapeutic group work.
- Reparative parenting.
- Secondary consultation to NSW Health staff and other agencies in matters related to child protection issues.
- Community education and awareness-raising activities.