Working with vulnerable kids and families in child protection. Liz Andrew Brake.

This Complex Life

Liz Andrew- Brake is a qualified Social Worker that is AASW registered. She has been working in the Child Protection field for the past 12+ years. She’s worked in a variety of roles in New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Australia in both government and non-government organisations (Child Protection Social Worker, Case Worker, Team Leader, and Manager) and currently works with an NGO as a Practice Lead for Child Protection and Early Intervention.

Liz is passionate about good quality practice in the child protection field and also about the professionalisation of Social Workers and Case Workers in Australia. She sees career development, reflective practice, and good quality support as key things that ensure that there are skilled workers in the child protection field which then leads to the most important thing- that we see positive outcomes for children, young people, and their families.

You come with all that history as a child protection worker when you knock on someone's doors

What are some of the misconceptions about child protection?

Working with abuse and neglect, some people assume the parents are cruel or bad people

People do things because of their own history and background. Trauma, family, people parent how they were parented.

What are some of the challenges of working in child protection?

Losing social work identity. You can be disconnected from the social worker role.

Time-poor & resource-poor.

Get into survival mode

Get caught up in that

What are some tools or resources you can recommend?

Being connected to other social workers can prevent burnout

• Make sure that you have a social work supervisor
• • In supervision tell them what you want to get out of it
  
  
• CP does raise a lot of things for people, system issues, bureaucracy, trauma, and abuse
• Self-care
• Whatever energy you're putting out, put in
• Self-care needs to be long term and at the moment
• Exercise and eating well

If there’s one piece of advice you could impart to the audience, what would it be?

Honing in on your why.

What made you become a social worker and revisiting that.

Course - The practitioner passion project

For practitioners who have lost their mojo

Starting 6th July, offering Modules and coaching

Get in touch with Liz

Link to Liz’s website:

http://lizandrewbrake.com/

Practitioner Passion Project

http://lizandrewbrake.com/the-practitioner-passion-project/

People can follow her on Instagram or facebook @LizandrewBrake.com

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