Issue 1, December 2008

Welcome to our first newsletter for The Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss and Grief Network. We hope to send these out on a fortnightly basis from the beginning of 2009.

We wanted to send this first message of welcome before the Christmas and New Year, before the holiday season, or the period that takes us from one year to the next.  Firstly, we wanted to warmly welcome you to our developing endeavour. We are so pleased that a great many of you have joined, and encourage you to contribute and to bring others to join this process on the web and by sending on this newsletter through the link above.

The festive time may be both happy for the coming together of family and loved ones, but sad for those who are not there, for what has been lost.  Children may be overwhelmed by celebrations, but sad in their hearts for the divided family, the missing parent, the lost friend.  Grief and Christmas have been recognised quietly in literature, poetry and society.  Owning this sadness, allowing it, is important for many families, showing children that sadness is safe, real and part of life.

Collaborations are contributing to the network’s evolution in exciting ways.  Firstly, we have begun a very important and developing process with Indigenous colleagues.  The vital importance of understanding and supporting families and communities to deal with the trauma, loss and grief experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is an issue that will be taken up through partnerships with Indigenous leaders.  Programs have evolved in some communities, but there is a need for more initiatives that are culturally appropriate, and that also deal with social and emotional wellbeing and mental health issues.  These themes have been highlighted by findings such as those published in the reports from the

Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey.

This hub of the web will be developing further in the coming months. 

Networking at both web and community levels contributes to the “capital”, the social “capital” and the knowledge “capital”.  There is a great deal of research interest at the present time in how such “capitals” contribute to resilience, to the development of the personal and community strengths that help children, adolescents and families through “tough times”.  Resilience is important during development.  Helping children by recognising and supporting such strengths, as well as caring for them for the grief and trauma they experience, are strategies to be developed.

The ACATLGN network sends you a message of hope and engagement – building this network as a resource together. 

You will notice some additions to the website that we hope will help build network capital.

There is now a section where you can change and update your membership details. This can be accessed through the membership log in page http://www.earlytraumagrief.anu.edu.au/network_links/start/

We have added the Members’ Directory to the website. The online members’ directory can help you link with others in the network to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and locate those with particular areas of interest. This directory can only be accessed by people who have decided to link with the network as members. You can always opt in or out of the listing. You may have already indicated whether or not you want to be included in this directory -  however, to be listed the directory and to access others’ information you need to first log in again and check your details.

We have also added a search bar to the website so that you are able to easily search for the documents that we have that are of most interest to you.  

Network capital linkages recognises the great importance of all those whose commitment is to “Our Children. Our Future”, as proclaimed by the original Australians, and notes other important contributions to these aims.

Hope and belief in the possibilities of a positive future is central for us all.  It is important politically, socially and personally. 

Beverley Raphael

Chairperson

ACATLGN