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The Helping Community Solutions Model of Care
A therapeutic, trauma-informed model that guides how every member of our team supports each child and young person in care, every day.
Development
Built on evidence and
applied knowledge
Work towards the Helping Community Solutions Model of Care began in 2021, in line with the Delivering Community Services in Partnership Policy, which acknowledges the expertise of community sector organisations in determining the most appropriate service model for children and young people in care.
Our model reflects a concerted effort to bring together evidence-based practice and the applied knowledge our teams have gained through their work. It is under continuous development as we discover more effective ways to support children and young people in care.
Our framework
The young person at the centre
Our Model of Care keeps the child or young person at the centre of every decision. Four connected domains, wrapped around actual and felt safety, guide our practice every day.
Safety & stability
Every care arrangement begins with safety, both actual and felt. We work in small, stable, structured teams and keep calm, consistent routines, and we respond to distress with composure and empathy rather than reacting to it.
Connection & culture
Relationships are at the heart of healing. We keep children and young people connected to family, community, culture and country, uphold the identity and self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in line with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle, and work closely with schools, health services and the wider care team.
Understanding behaviour
We see behaviour as communication. Rather than managing behaviours of concern in isolation, we work to understand the unmet needs and past experiences beneath them, so we can respond to what a child is really telling us.
Growth & healing
As safety and trust grow, so does the child. We support recovery from trauma, build life skills and independence, celebrate every step of progress, and plan carefully for reunification with family, or transition from care to independence, consistent with each child’s care plan and permanency planning.
Our model is grounded in trauma and attachment theory and delivered through Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, in line with Western Australia’s therapeutic care standards, by skilled, multidisciplinary care teams working in partnership with the Department of Communities.
For other organisations
What our care arrangements demonstrate
Culturally connected care
Care that is culturally connected and competent for every young person, delivered by staff who understand their story, their community and what safety feels like to them.
Flexible and agile
Responsive to the changing needs of children and young people, adapting quickly as circumstances shift so care arrangements stay stable, consistent and genuinely lasting.
Trained, screened, clinically supported
Carers hold current Working with Children and National Police Clearances, are TCI certified and trauma-informed, and work to clinical competencies overseen by our registered nurses.