Digital Disclosures Project

Digital Disclosures: When children and young people disclose violence at home - digital mental health clinician perspectives

Child maltreatment can have significant consequences for the wellbeing of children and young people. Such experiences can be disclosed by children and young people in the process of accessing mental health services. Depending on the nature of the disclosure and state and territory legislations the attending clinician may be required to notify relevant authorities. As Digital Mental Health services grow, further research is required to better understand the experiences of clinicians in navigating disclosures and reporting requirements, and the outcomes for children and young people who make disclosures over such services.

This project will involve semi-structured qualitative interviews and focus groups with digital mental health practitioners to understand their perspectives on supporting children and young people who are disclosing violence at home, specifically:

  1. What aspects facilitate the process of disclosure and mandatory reporting for children and young people as well as practitioners themselves
  2. What aspects facilitate the ongoing therapeutic relationship with children and young people in the context of disclosure and mandatory reporting and contribute towards an understanding of best practice in this area
  3. How practitioners understand the role of ethno-racial and cultural factors in the context of disclosure and mandatory reporting, and what opportunities they identify to support children and young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

Resources

A summary of mandatory reporting legislation by state and territory can be found in the Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect, Child Family Community Australia (CFCA) Resource Sheet (Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2020; https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/mandatory-reporting-child-abuse-and-neglect )

Investigators

A/Prof Eva Alisic (Responsible Researcher; The University of Melbourne); Ms Robyn Molyneaux (UoM); Ms Evelyn Mirembe (UoM Honours Student); Dr Steve Leicester (Headspace); Mr Carsten Schley (Headspace).

Contact

Contact Name
Robyn Molyneaux
Email
robyn.molyneaux@unimelb.edu.au