Whose Child Is This?

Everyone belongs in a family. Families are complex and each family has its own dynamics that affect every member of the family. When a family is troubled by instability, abuse and trauma, it still attempts to maintain its identity as a family. When children are removed into care, they do not react with relief to their newfound safety. Instead, they often long for the very environment that you are trying to protect them from.

We all know what it means to be part of a family – the joy and the pain. We know that even when we are grown and live away from our home of origin, we carry our family within ourselves and it continues to influence how we see ourselves and how we relate to others. In order to help troubled families stabilize and create a safe home for children, we must understand the fundamental dynamics of all families and how they affect children.

Children whose behaviors cause concern at school and in the community are often reflecting the effects of family dynamics. These behaviors cannot be successfully resolved in isolation. The emotional issues underlying the problem behaviors must be addressed.

In this workshop, we will discuss the "family ecosystem" and how members adapt to it. In working with troubled children and high-stress families, it is especially important to understand the ways in which family continues to exert an influence in the lives of children, even when they are no longer living with them.

In this workshop participants will:

• Learn about family structure and roles, family dynamics and influence on children.
• Practical tools – interview questions and observational techniques – will be taught to help participants assess the barriers and assets to their work within a family's way of living and relating, and to integrate this insight into their work.
• Learn how to understand a child's challenges within the context of his/her family
• Learn how to help families mobilize in support of children's needs

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