#1 Reunifying 1,200 Children: The Connecting Families Story with Sally Rhodes

Send us Fan MailFamily Preservation Through Trauma Informed PracticeWhat does it take to safely reunify over 1,200 children with their families? Sally Rhodes, founder of Connecting Families, takes us behind the scenes of her remarkable 20-year journey building South Australia's largest family reunification service.The conversation opens with a powerful reflection that frames everything that follows: "The decisions that we make, the things that we write, the recommendations that we make about families have long-lasting impact." This awareness shapes Sally's approach to the complex world of child protection and family preservation.Sally's path to this work began in childhood, influenced by her father's stance against injustice and early exposure to children living in institutional care. From her first position in residential care in 1985 to establishing Connecting Families in 2004, she has maintained a consistent vision – children belong with their families whenever safely possible.At the heart of successful reunification work lies a willingness to challenge conventional approaches. Through her Churchill Fellowship studying the Resolutions Approach in the UK, Sally developed expertise in working with families where traditional demands for "admissions" create barriers to progress. She offers compelling insights into how shame operates as a powerful impediment to change and how practitioners can create conditions where genuine safety planning becomes possible without forcing disclosures that trigger profound shame responses.The conversation also reveals how effective teams mirror the very therapeutic relationships they aim to build with families. Just as families need psychological safety to be vulnerable and make changes, practitioners require teams where diverse perspectives are valued while maintaining aligned values and approaches. This balance creates the collective wisdom and voice that has been crucial to Connecting Families' enduring success.Sally's Bio:Sally has a Master of Social Work, and a Graduate Diploma in Family Therapy.Sally, commenced working in residential care in 1985, then followed her passion for strengthening families through working intensively in family preservation services.  In 2004 Sally established Connecting Families, a therapeutic Reunification and Family Preservation service, which has grown to 17 practitioners. Sally is trained in Narrative Therapy, Marte Meo, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics ,and Signs of Safety.Sally was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to work in the UK with the Resolutions Approach - Working with Denied Child Abuse.  Connecting Families is now the largest Reunification Service is South Australia and, together the team has safely reunified over 1200 children, and prevented the removal of many more.  Sally provides training and consultation to Government and Non-Government organisations and remains a strong advocate for vulnerable families. Sally has been integral in leading the development of a Partnering for Safety approach to child protection through training and consulting, and is passionate about family led decision making and bringing the child’s voice into child protection work.  Links:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSecureStartPodcastPodcast Blog Site: https://thesecurestartpodcast.com/Secure Start Site: https://securestart.com.au/Disclaimer: Information reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of the podcast owner, Colby Pearce.Support the show