Jack’s Story

Three-year-old Jack had been removed from the care of his mother, Nicole, and it was unlikely that he would ever be returned to her care. The Jannawi Family Program worked with Jack’s father, Joel, to reunite father and son.

Nicole’s drug and alcohol issues and the consequences of her own childhood trauma meant Nicole struggled to care for Jack. She did not attend scheduled assessment meetings despite persistent efforts to engage with her. With little likelihood of Jack’s return to Nicole, the Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) asked Jannawi to work with Joel.

Joel was separated from Nicole and was now seeking to have Jack – who was living with Nicole’s grandmother – returned to his care. Joel attended every appointment. He gained an understanding of how Nicole’s drug issues were a risk for his son. Jannawi staff discussed with Joel how to manage contact with Nicole and talked about grief and loss.

A few months later, after Jack turned four, he came to live with his dad. His behaviour at first was chaotic and difficult to manage – a consequence of the lack of boundaries in his life to that point – and he was developmentally delayed.

Jannawi early childhood teacher Iman worked intensively with Jack each week – at home, at Jannawi and at childcare. She also worked with Jack’s paternal grandmother who cared for him when Joel was at work, setting firm and consistent boundaries and explaining the impact of trauma and neglect to the family.

The childcare centre Jack was attending lacked the skills and knowledge to manage his behaviour, so Jannawi advocated for him to move to another centre. FACS was concerned about another change in Jack’s life but Jannawi was clear that it was not in his best interests to stay where he was.

Three months following the restoration, Jack was a different child – happier, calmer, engaging in play, able to sit for up to 20 minutes, and to accept limits set by adults. With Joel, Jack continued to make weekly visits to Jannawi, where his monthly supervised contact with Nicole also took place.

The outcomes for Jack were wonderful to watch, thanks to Iman’s fantastic work with the family and Joel’s commitment and positive advocacy for his child.