When children enter care they are often left with many questions that are challenging for adults to discuss with them: why am I in care, why do I live here, when can I go home? Left unanswered, children can have great difficulty experiencing psychological safety, adjusting to their new circumstances and accepting the care being offered to them. Dr William Coman , Ms Lynda McGill and some colleagues have developed a model for communicating with children about difficult issues such as entry to care, transitions to new placements and permanence that promotes psychological safety for the child and congruence in the caregiver network.  The model is outlined in a number of peer reviewed papers that can be accessed here.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the model is helpful for the children and all involved in their care as indicated by reductions in placement strain and feedback from carers, social workers and birth parents.

Build Bridges is an acronym for applying the Narrative Model in a procedural way.  It can be used to communicate with children about difficult issues at any point in their journey with Social Services.

There are two training options:

The Instant Access Training lasts four hours and includes handouts, a mix of slides & interactive slides, voice-overs, animations and videos to help staff remain engaged with the content.  The content includes a detailed description of the model and a work through of the model as applied in a case study.  There is a certificate of attendance for those who complete the end of training assessment.  Once completed, for an additional fee, one can access other trainings in this model and/or tutorials and supervision.

Self-paced learning means that staff can complete the training at a time of their choosing; they can also pause and revisit the training in the event they need to prioritise other work temporarily. 

The Live Training is completed online over two half-days and includes additional content. 

Narrative Model Support Session

These sessions are open to those who have completed Narrative Model Training and are seeking help with a narrative or further discussion of some aspect of the model.  They are provided by Ms. Lynda McGill (SSW) – one of the original authors of the Narrative Model.

Support Sessions can include help to:

• identify the priority narrative for the child at this time
• navigate issues to do with the caregiving network
• find developmentally sensitive words
• plan the delivery of the narrative
• reflect on the child’s response to a narrative and identify the next therapeutic steps

Support sessions typically last one hour and can be in person (at our office), by phone, or by videoconference.

Once you register, you will receive an email confirming the date of the Support Session.  You will receive a second e-mail prompting you to complete a form outlining some of the issues you wish to discuss – preserving the anonymity of your client.  This form is available to Lynda in advance of the session.  Once the session is complete, you will receive an email with a brief outline of the key issues discussed.