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AAIMH AGM and High Risk Infants - Promoting Infant Mental Health in the Child Protection System

AAIMH WA AGM

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Presentation by Dr Raffaella Salvo

In Western Australia almost half of the children in out of home care are under the age of four.  In 2016 the Department for Communities Child Protection and Family Support identified the need for culturally sensitive, relationship-focused and infant mental health informed child protection practice. Specifically, staff required observational skills guided by a relational and developmental framework when assessing parent-child interactions in vulnerable, high risk child protection cases. A two-day training package was developed that focuses on the relational components of babies and young children’s emotional wellbeing and helps workers to embrace a sound developmental framework while observing vulnerable infants/young children in interaction with their caregivers. This paper will present details of the training package and a reflection on the journey so far.

Dr Raffi has 25 years experience as a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist specialising in working with parents in the perinatal period, parent-infants, children and adolescents. Raffi holds a doctorate from the University of Padua - Italy and completed part of her doctoral studies on attachment at the Anna Freud Centre in London - UK. She currently is a senior lecturer in Perinatal and Infant Mental Health and Clinical Psychology postgraduate courses at Edith Cowan University. She is also a Senior Consultant Psychologist with the Department of Communities - Child Protection.

Raffi continues to work with families through her private practice at Lifespan Psychology where she works within a psychodynamic, attachment and trauma-informed framework.

https://www.aaimhi.org/branches/wa/