Referring Professionals

Fin WA welcomes all professionals who are interested in and value the importance of ensuring the respectful and rightful place of parents in the child protection process.

See the section on this website referring to ‘Membership’.

Organisational membership is encouraged and a fee will be charged which is set at the AGM. See the membership section for further details.

Fin WA does not provide ongoing therapeutic counselling as part of its service to parents. It is understood they may need to talk issues through with a qualified counsellor at some point and referrals will be made in consultation with the parent.

If parents have been assigned a Fin WA support/advocate worker they are encouraged to call them to talk things through to provide support and brief crisis counselling as required.

Fin WA runs Information and Support groups for parents and family members. We have Family Partners that can give support and we have a Drop In session each Friday morning from 10.30 to 12pm.

Due to the high demand on our service, referrals to Fin WA are called a ‘Request for Assistance’. You can complete a Request for Assistance Form and send, fax or email it to us – see the ‘contact us’ section for details. Please discuss your suggested referral to Fin WA with your client first. The office telephone number is 08-9328 6434 if you would like to discuss the appropriateness of a ‘Request for Assistance’. As the office is sometimes unattended please leave a message if your call is not answered.

Many parents who have had their children removed from their care don’t know where they can go for help. You might be their first professional contact and a family member or friend may have recommended they speak with you. It is likely the parent is anxious, agitated, angry and extremely sad – and all at the same time. This is an incredibly traumatic time for a parent and tremendous care is required. Listen to the person and honour their experience. It is possible they just need to talk. You may be able to assist them to make contact with Fin WA.

Where a positive relationship exists between a service provider and a parent, we would encourage it to continue. Due to the number of parents seeking assistance and the limited resources of Fin WA, we will not be able to work with all parents requiring our assistance. Therefore it is important that if it is possible that you maintain your relationship with the parent and assist them in their dealings with the Department. It is also possible for Fin WA staff to provide you, the service provider with information, support and advice on how to act on behalf of the parent with the Department.

Fin WA is committed to supporting service providers to assist parents to engage positively with the child protection system. Fin WA is willing to attend your workplace and provide an information session to your staff. Alternatively as mentioned above, one to one advice can be given in regards to direct client work on the phone or via email.

Fin WA is facilitating bi-monthly Practitioner Forums for service providers working with families involved with the Department. The forum is a ‘safe’ place for workers to share practice concerns and experiences. If you are interested in participating call the office on (08) 9227 5818 to be placed on the email/invite list.

Referring professionals include qualified people who may refer parents and family members involved with the Department to Fin WA. These people include doctors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, justice workers and support workers from government and non-government services. People who work in government departments such as Homeswest, Department of Communities, Health Department and Centrelink are also regarded as referring professionals.