The impact of using an ‘infant and child-led’ therapeutic approach in providing ‘in situ’ consultations, and transferable learnings, to key workers working with families identified as ‘at risk’: A retrospective Australian study

This paper reports on a retrospective, qualitative evaluation of an ‘infant and child-led’ therapeutic family practice approach undertaken by an infant mental health trained family therapist from 2013 to 2023 with early years’ service providers working with families deemed to be ‘at risk’, within the Western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Direct, targeted, therapeutic consultations were delivered to families ‘in situ’ alongside their key worker, with whom they had already built trust, and who could continue to build on the ‘infant and child-led’ therapeutic approach undertaken during these sessions. This collaboration between the therapist and the key worker enabled the provision of time limited, therapeutic consultations to families ‘in their own home’ or in spaces that were familiar and felt safe.  Data collection included an anonymous survey completed by key workers, and reflections from two program managers who supervised the key workers. The key workers who completed the surveys identified they had been impacted by the experience of actively involving and inviting in the voice and perspective of infants and children into the very space that constitutes why, as early years workers, they were involved with these families in the first instance. Workers reported that the quality of services delivered to these families was enhanced through their improved ability to adopt an ‘infant and child-led’ approach in their practice.
Keywords: infant and child-led practice, infant and child mental health, intergenerational family therapy, ‘in situ’ key worker consultations, family violence.