Jacob* was referred to the Children Ahead program after being physically assaulted at school. He was lucky to escape with only minor injuries and had some personal items stolen. However, the incident left him extremely anxious about school, often appearing panicked and in constant 'flight mode'.
As a result, he struggled to concentrate on learning and eventually stopped attending regularly. Jacob’s anxiety and trauma had a major impact not only on him but also on his family, who desperately wanted the best for him.
The Children Ahead team advocated for a change of school and continued providing therapeutic sessions. They worked closely with Jacob’s parents and teachers to support his transition and developed plans for his safe engagement at the new school. Many other services are unable to provide this flexibility and parallel support for carers and educators in understanding a child’s behaviour through a trauma informed lens.
"Thank you so much again. You truly care. It's hard to find people who actually care."
- Jacob's family sent their Children Ahead practitioner the above message.
By providing regular intensive therapeutic support and helping those around him to better understand his needs, Jacob’s mental health and overall happiness improved significantly. He learned to identify and express his thoughts, feelings, and worries and developed better coping strategies for difficult emotions.
As his self-esteem grew, so did his social skills. He formed close friendships outside of school and strengthened his connection with his family. With newfound confidence, he even started tennis lessons. To help with costs, we secured a microgrant from another organisation, ensuring Jacob could pursue this new interest.
With positive progress to his overall wellbeing, Jacob eventually decided he no longer needed therapeutic support. Given the trauma so many of our clients have experienced, seeing this outcome was incredibly heartening.
This story was originally published in the Alannah & Madeline Foundation's 2024 Report to the Community.
* This is a true account, but the names have been changed to protect the child’s safety and privacy.
To help celebrate and launch the new resources in October 2024, our eSmart team conducted a Digital Licence lesson at St Aloysius with the Hon Michelle Rowland, MP, Minister for Communications, and Libby Coker, MP, Member for Corangamite, in attendance.
Within a week of the new Netflix series Adolescence dropping in mid-March, it was all anyone was talking about. It has become something of a cultural phenomenon, sparking conversations about online misogyny, image-based abuse and cyberbullying.
11-year-old Rowan* walked quietly into the Cubby House at Broadmeadows Children’s Court, refusing to look anyone in the eye. Rowan, who had been dealing with a chaotic home life, was there for an emergency care hearing to determine whether he needed to be removed from his home and placed in emergency care for his safety.
