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

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 Join the Inside Social Work Facebook Group Join the Inside Social Work Podcast mailing list to get your free social work career guide Visit the website for the latest info and show notes https://insidesocialwork.com/ Support the show by making a contribution https://www.paypal.me/Insidesocialwork Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Mentioned in this episode:5 Days to Career Clarity in Social WorkReflect, plan, and take your next step with confidence. Feeling stuck or unsure about your next move? https://mailchi.mp/marievakakis/days-to-career-clarity-in-social-work 5 Days to Career Clarity in Social WorkReflect, plan, and take your next step with confidence. Feeling stuck or unsure about your next move? https://mailchi.mp/marievakakis/days-to-career-clarity-in-social-work