Natalie Parmenter

Articles written by

Natalie Parmenter

What do foster carers tell us about their support needs? – Research brief

Foster carers are a crucial human resource in responding to children and young people who have experienced abuse, neglect, and trauma. The design and implementation...

Trauma-informed care – Research brief

This research briefing aims to define and clarify what trauma, complex trauma and trauma informed care are. Extensive literature has now surmised that exposure to...

Vicarious trauma and secondary stress in therapeutic residential care – Research brief

It is generally accepted that child welfare professionals are at high risk of experiencing vicarious trauma: the manifestation of traumatic symptoms resulting from working with...

The essential elements of therapeutic foster care – Research brief

As far back as 2002 in the creation of the Catalyst Program, Mitchell developed what was Australia’s first therapeutic foster care program and one of...

Preventing self-harm among young people in out-of-home care – Research brief

Many young people in out-of-home care are at an elevated risk of self-harm and suicidality. The reasons range from early exposure to abuse, disconnection from...

What are the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in care? Research brief

Indigenous children and young people face unique challenges in the child welfare system. The dimensions of this problem are complex and multifaceted. Providing culturally safe...

Enabling young people’s participation in residential care decision-making – Research brief

The literature on how young people participate in decision-making in residential care identifies three main aspects of participation: being able to access information to take...

What is known about child sexual exploitation in residential care? Research brief

In 2016, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia noted that Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) was a significant issue of...

Care criminalisation: issues and current research – Research brief

Young people who are in, or have been in out-of-home care, particularly those with experience of living in residential care, are vulnerable to a number...

Working with young people with harmful sexual behaviours – Research brief

This research briefing provides an overview of the current literature reporting on young people who engage in harmful sexual behaviours. Workers at the front line...

The needs of LGBTIQ young people in out-of-home care – Research brief

Young people who are same sex attracted, trans or gender diverse – a population who will be referred to in this document as LGBTIQ (lesbian,...

What is effective therapeutic care? Research brief

This research briefing is an introduction to therapeutic care as a preferred response for children and young people who have experienced complex trauma and are...

The evidence base for therapeutic group care: A systematic scoping review – Research brief

The NSW Government has undertaken major reforms over the past two years aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care. Following...

Good practice in supporting young people leaving care – Research brief

The move to independent living is challenging for any young person, requiring the exercise of many new skills and navigation of a range of social...