Forced adoption support services scoping study Daryl Higgins, Pauline Kenny, Reem Sweid and Lucy Ockenden Report for the Department of Social Services by the Australian Institute of Family Studies February 2014

102.1Peer-support services

Although there were a number of positive comments about the importance of peer supports (particularly from peer-support groups themselves), this was an area where there was significant divergence of views, with a number of workshops and consultations suggesting this is currently one of the weaknesses in the current service delivery system.

During the workshop and independent consultations for this report, some concerns were raised that peer-support groups risk re-traumatising their members. In a related area of service delivery, the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) confirmed that they did not use peer-facilitated support (self-help) groups because of the risk of further damage that peer-facilitated support groups can cause, and that in considering the use of peer-support groups it would be prudent to ensure that the facilitators were appropriately trained in trauma-informed counselling. In support of this view, the report from the Senate Inquiry found that while peer-support groups had provided vital support to some individuals, for others the experience was unhelpful (Senate Inquiry, 2012). The committee stated:

The committee recognises that some individuals are greatly assisted by peer-support groups, and others are not. The committee believes that, for counselling purposes, government funding should be made available only to qualified counsellors. It believes that it may be appropriate to fund peer support groups for other activities, such as information sharing, documenting of experiences, or assistance with information searches and memorial events. (Senate Inquiry, 2012, 10.57)

One stakeholder described how the personal identity of some people who are involved with peer-support groups becomes fixated on the issues of adoption, and the injustice and trauma they have experienced, and that this can have the potential to be unhelpful for others:

You don’t want to go to peer-support groups and blab out your story—it’s re-traumatising. It becomes their identity. What you need is a service that’s going to help you move on.

Similar to the views of the Senate Inquiry, the various post-adoption support services consulted were divided on the value of peer-support groups. Many had concerns around accountability because most peer-support groups are self-governed. Often limited or no training is provided to the management committee of peer-support organisations in how to manage staff and run an organisation.

Some support groups have endeavoured to provide their services online; however, experiences indicate that while this made the groups more accessible, they also became less safe because it was difficult to control the membership of the group and the comments posted. As discussed earlier, a successful support group relies on a number of factors, including the experiences of members of the support group and the state of their mental health. Therefore, it is important to consider whether the support groups will be open to all people affected (i.e., mothers, adopted persons, adoptive parents) or not, and how that will be controlled. Currently, some peer-support groups will include an adoptive parent in the group to help break the “them against us” mentality. Others prefer not to mix groups members. (For further information on potential elements of good practice, see the boxed text “Suggestions for good practice in peer support” on page 125).

Findings from the literature support the view that peer-support groups have benefits for participating members; however, the literature recommends that peer support should be used only as an adjunct to conventional individual and group therapy interventions, and that only an experienced and trained professional should facilitate peer-support groups. Some suggested that the fact that peer-support groups continue to exist is a measure of their usefulness:

People will stop going it if doesn’t serve their needs.

Stakeholders identified a need for additional resources in order to improve peer-support service delivery including:

grants to help facilitate particular activities or resources, such as weekend workshops, creative therapies, group excursions or therapeutic retreats;

support with improving governance and accountability requirements (e.g., having a constitution, developing standards of conduct, grievance process for clients and staff, etc.);

funds to support regional peer-support coordinator roles and provide therapist-facilitated peer-support networks for regional areas;

assistance with appropriate venues, catering, professional facilitators, secondary supervision and debriefing;

funding to research and evaluate the efficacy of peer-support groups, and the respective value of different models of delivery, and what works to provide the best support while reducing the risk of re-traumatising group members; and

training and support to facilitators/leaders—particularly in regional communities.

In the past, support groups were dominated by women who were traumatised; there was a huge amount of anger. Some people who joined the groups wanted the commonality … but just didn’t want the negativity. [For adopted individuals, there was a] lack of affirmation of their experience being positive. Many have a great loyalty to adopted parents and can find some agendas harmful.

In order to maximise the value of peer supports, stakeholders made suggestions such as:

creating dedicated meeting spaces (as provided in youth-specific services);

hosting special events in neutral spaces, such as community and neighbourhood centres, libraries, cafés, gardens, etc.;

providing support from art/music therapists; and

enhancing outreach and mobility of peer supports (e.g., a travelling information/support bus; links to the National Archives exhibition, etc.)

However, there was also a reminder that any such supports need to be run by people with “credibility”. It was also acknowledged that time and available resources (i.e., money) are a significant barrier to agencies or departments facilitating peer-support groups.

Stakeholders also presented some very strongly held but conflicting views about the role of adoptive parents in peer-supports. For example, one group said:

We find it useful to include an adoptive parent in the group, for a while, to help cross over. To deal with “them against us”. Somehow we need to break that down. Not all mothers are hostile to adoptive parents. But some are.

In contrast, many other workshop participants and stakeholders we consulted were adamant that including adoptive parents in peer-support activities (or in peer-facilitated training for other professionals about the impacts of forced adoption and illegal removal practices) is re-traumatising and unhelpful.

Suggestions for good practice in peer support Given the sensitivities and divergence in people’s experiences of peer-support services, attendees at one workshop decided to focus their attention on developing some suggested elements of “good practice” in peer support. Participants identified the following elements: Know the limits of your service, and be prepared to refer on. Don’t discriminate. Develop internal standards for acceptable behaviour on social media. Have leaders who demonstrate values, and enforce them. Value diversity (some groups may include diversity within them; if not, have the option for separate groups for mothers, fathers, sons/daughters, or referral options). Have good governance, such as a formal constitution and membership forms where people are expected to sign and agree to standards of behaviour, and an external complaints process. Clearly define the nature of the service and what users can expect. Provide resources and supports for leaders (such as training in managing trauma and dealing with conflict). Actively network with other groups and agencies (for referrals, training and support). There were mixed views about the need for professional facilitators (see section on peer-supports and the limitations that have been noted in other areas of service delivery when peer-support group leaders themselves have unresolved trauma). It is also important to note that some agencies have already developed resources to assist with facilitating peer-support groups—for example, VANISH (see Attachment L)