Group Supervision with Deena Cooper: Child Protection

In 2023 Educational and Developmental Psychologist Deena Cooper will be running aa 4-part Group Supervision series on Child Protection. Deena feels this is an important area for psychologists to gain confidence in, and so we thought we’d ask her more about the content of her sessions and what provisional psychologists should expect to get out of them.

•  Deena, can you tell me a bit about why this group is important?

Child protection is an area that a lot of psychologists find difficult to navigate and so engaging in supervision and support is important for psychologists’ professional development.  As psychologists, we are often subject to mandatory reporting legislation and it’s up to the psychologist to know their obligations.  My aim with this group supervision is to help people understand their obligations but also develop their confidence to make risk assessments and contribute to keeping children and young people safe in our communities.  As psychologists, we are often in a unique position to do this, so it’s an important skill to develop and gain confidence in.    

• Tell us about your background and why you work in this area?

I worked directly in Child Protection for about 7 years before I became a psychologist. Since becoming registered, I've worked for organisations as an internal consultant and in other roles related to Child Protection, including with schools and Police. I find that it’s an area of need for psychologists and other professionals to have a good understanding of child protection. It’s also an area people can find quite daunting to work in, so I love supporting people grow in their confidence and capacity to provide services that keep children safe and cared for. 

•  Are all sessions the same or do you have different topics?

Each session of the four sessions has a different topic that we rotate through each four weeks. The 4 Child Protection topics are Myths & Mistakes, Mandatory Reporting, Risk Assessment (Understanding Abuse and Harm), and Self Care. Each session usually has a presentation component and an interactive component.  I like to try and make my sessions engaging and ensure everyone has an opportunity to get what they need out of the session, so I keep a flexible format that can be tailored to the experience and needs of the supervises I am working with. Sometimes we do quizzes or discussion points, sometimes we have case studies, and I like to encourage and support my supervisees to share their own experiences as well.  Everyone has wisdom and experience to share, and this is what I love about facilitating groups is that every session can be different just because different supervisees come with different questions and experiences. 

Topic 1: Common Myths & Mistakes

•  Ethical issues
•  Roles & responsibilities
•  Determining “reasonable suspicion”

Topic 2:  Understanding Abuse & Harm

•  Attachment theory
•  Systems theory
•  Developmental cascades
•  Identifying potential abuse and harm

Topic 3: Mandatory Reporting

•  How to identify your obligations
•  Ethical issues
•  Relevant legislation & Guidelines
•  Tips and tools for decision making and assessment
•  Maintaining rapport with families

Topic 4: Assessment & Information Gathering

•  Information gathering/making an assessment
•  Talking to children & adolescents about harm and abuse
•  Identifying “red flags” and risks in context of development
•  Tips for record keeping and information sharing

• Who do you suggest attends this group?

All psychologists who are working with children and adolescents, parents, or families will find this useful. But I also find that many supervisees who’ve attended say that they find the session useful to inform their ethical decision making and risk assessment in general, so I think all participants will get something out of it that builds their confidence as a professional. 

Supervisor: Deena Cooper
Educational and Developmental Psychologist
Schedule During Daylight Savings:
Tuesdays 7.00pm QLD/ 8.00pm NSW/VIC/TAS,  5.00pm WA, 7.30pm SA, 6.30pm NT
Schedule Outside Daylight Savings:
Tuesdays 7.00pm QLD/NSW/VIC/TAS,  5.00pm WA, 6.30pm SA/ NT
Frequency: Every 4 weeks
Suitable for Reattendance: Yes

To learn more about Deena, follow the link HERE

To book group supervision follow the link HERE