People of Key Assets - Trent Bennison
Connecting a young person with family which began with a phone call
We had a very unfortunate case of a young person’s foster care placement breaking down leading them to require supported accommodation in a motel. At this time, three of our Key Assets team members came together to discuss what we could do to ensure this young person could connect with his family and broader community.
A short file review revealed many attempts to engage family with little success. At this time, our Team Manager, Trent Bennison encouraged the team to call every number listed with no prejudice of what has been noted previously. The approach was twofold – to consider potential alternative placement options and to build relationships which may simply begin with phone calls. This is a foundational principle of family finding work and is an important aspect for social workers to understand.
Team Manager, Trent Bennison encouraged the team to call every number listed with no prejudice of what has been noted previously.
This piece of work resulted in the discovery of a relationship between the young person, one of their biological parents, their partner and three half siblings! If the NSW team had made a decision based on the previous conversations, they would likely have come to the decision that this parent had no interest in pursuing or building the relationship. The bravery of the social work team to pick up the phone and ask the questions has led to an incredible outcome where a young person has been reconnected with family with a view to potential restoration.
Our Social workers are vital to building safe and healthy families and communities and are often a lifelines for children dealing with difficult situations outside of their control.
Key Assets are always looking for dedicated Social Workers to join our team. Head to our career page to submit an expression of interest