May 2025: Aid for Kids With FASD and Their Carers
Webinar
Missed the live webinar? A captioned recording will be available to view in the coming days.
Details
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is more prevalent among children in contact with the child protection system, especially those in out-of-home care. Children with FASD are nine times more likely to be placed in care and 19 times more likely to encounter the juvenile justice system. Frontline staff, including child protection caseworkers, need clear guidance on when and how to access professionals for assessment and diagnosis of FASD, as well as strategies for providing tailored supports and early interventions.
In this FACSIAR Lunch and Learn webinar, Professor Elizabeth Elliott from the University of Sydney and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead presented information on FASD including its prevalence and how and when it presents. Experts from the Department of Communities and Justice presented case studies and discussed lessons for case work practice. There was a discussion on what can be done to encourage positive outcomes for children in care with FASD, including meeting their health needs through the ‘Out-of-Home Care Health Pathway Program’.
The webinar was chaired by Jessica Stewart, Executive Director, FACSIAR, Department of Communities and Justice
Presentation
Supporting children living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and their carers
Presentations from:
- Professor Elizabeth Elliott – Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney; Consultant Paediatrician, The Children’s Hospital, Westmead; Director, Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU)
- Emily Stocker – Clinical Psychologist, Psychological & Specialist Services, Office of the Senior Practitioner, DCJ
Download Emily Stocker’s Presentation slides (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Rose Kassolis – Program Officer, Interagency, System Reform, Child and Family, DCJ
Download Rose Kassolis’s Presentation slides (PDF, 230.5 KB)
Additional resourcesOOHC Health Pathway Program
- DCJ Webpage – overview of the OOHC Health Pathway
- PSP Learning Hub – eLearning module on the OOHC Health Pathway
- NSW Health Webpage
– information on OOHC Health Pathway
Casework Practice (for DCJ staff only)
- Alcohol and other drugs practice kit
Organisations providing FASD support NOFASD
- NOFASD
– National organisation for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Includes:
- Support for service providers
- Professional development workshops, webinar and online course
- Resources and support for parents, carers and family members
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resources
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse resources
- Resources for the out-of-home care sector
FASD Hub Australia
- FASD Hub Australia – central repository of information on FASD
Includes:
- Services Directory for FASD assessment
- Australian Guidelines for assessment and diagnosis of FASD.
- Information for People with FASD and parents and carers
- Information for Health professionals including e-learning modules
- Information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
CICADA Centre NSW (Care and Invention for Children Affected by Drug and Alcohol)
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Service (CICADA Centre NSW) – provides assessments for babies, children and young people between 0-17 years of age for FASD. Includes information about referral and appointment process for parents and carers.
Additional tools and publications
- Turning Point – national centre for addiction treatment, research, and education
- You Are Not on Your Own – booklet to help children and adults talk about a parent’s drinking (Children’s Society, UK)
- Help Me Understand – booklet to help children, young people and workers talk about an adult’s drug treatment (Children’s Society, UK)