Providing Safe Homes: The Power of the Teaching Family Model
Family violence
Today, many children and young people are facing challenges that make it unsafe or difficult for them to remain at home. Whether it’s due to family violence, behavioural issues, disabilities, or mental health needs, the traditional approach of residential care, where three or four young people live in a home with paid staff, can often fall short in addressing their complex needs.
Thankfully, a groundbreaking approach known as the Teaching Family Model (TFM) is transforming how we care for these children. By providing individualised, therapeutic support, TFM is setting a new benchmark for out-of-home care, offering children the chance to heal, grow, and thrive.
Understanding the Need for Change
The situations that lead children and young people into care are multifaceted and often traumatic. Many come from neglectful environments where basic needs like food and safety are not met; often family violence is involved and others are entangled in harmful behaviours, such as offending or associating with negative peer groups. This can all be compounded by emotional, mental health, and developmental challenges.
Traditional foster care struggles to support these children effectively, particularly when volunteers lack the training or resources to handle complex behaviours.
The problem is, there's never enough foster carers which is an ongoing challenge for us at Berry Street and our focus is on how we can provide good quality, safe placements for the children.
Previously, residential care was largely reserved for young people aged twelve and above, but recent trends have seen children, as young as eight or nine, presenting behavioural issues that would have previously been associated with teenagers. The system, as it stands, simply isn’t equipped to meet these needs.
This is where TFM steps in.
The Teaching Family Model: pioneering support for children
The Teaching Family Model is an evidence-based program that originated in the U.S. and has over 50 years of research backing its effectiveness. It’s a relationship-based, therapeutic approach that focuses on providing individualised care in a structured family-like environment.
Berry Street adopted the TFM in 2016 and has since been pioneering its use in Australia.
We spent time looking at what's best practice and understanding what the most optimal way would be for us to provide safe, therapeutic, supportive environments that care for children so they can live as much of normal adolescence or childhood as possible.
What sets TFM apart from traditional residential care models is its emphasis on building strong, supportive relationships between caregivers and children. The model recognises that many children entering care have fractured relationships with adults and peers.
By prioritising connection and understanding, TFM creates a nurturing environment where children can learn crucial social and life skills that may have been missed in their earlier years.
In TFM homes, trained caregivers work intensively with children to teach them how to manage their emotions, develop healthier behaviours, and re-engage with school and community activities. This individualised approach helps children reset and start to heal from their trauma. The model also integrates therapeutic techniques, ensuring that staff are equipped to handle trauma-related behaviours with empathy and expertise.
Why TFM is Setting a New Benchmark
The success of TFM lies in its comprehensive and proactive approach. It goes beyond simply providing a place for children to stay. Instead, it offers them a safe, stable environment where they can build trust, learn new skills, and begin to envision a brighter future.
TFM emphasises consistency. Research shows that when children remain in a stable placement for at least nine months, they begin to develop new habits, overcome behavioural challenges, and reconnect with their education and community.
Moreover, TFM homes are designed to integrate children into everyday life, from attending local schools to participating in community sports and activities. This focus on community connection is critical in helping children build resilience and create a sense of belonging - they are protective factors, key to long-term success.
Addressing the System’s Complexities
Children and young people entering care today have more complex needs than ever before. But our society is more complex. The rise of social media, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasing mental health concerns all contribute to the difficulties these children face. Berry Street’s commitment to the TFM approach helps meet these challenges head-on by tailoring support to each child’s unique situation.
We’re now seeing young people that may be eight, nine, ten years old presenting with the same types of behaviours that five or ten years ago, we would have seen in twelve, thirteen, fourteen and fifteen year olds. Their presenting behaviours are just not able to be managed easily in foster care where we've got volunteers in their own homes.
Additionally, TFM homes offer a higher level of accountability and support than traditional models. Caregivers are coached and mentored by consultants who provide ongoing guidance, ensuring that every home maintains the highest standards of care. Children are also given regular opportunities to voice how they feel about their care, providing valuable insights into whether they feel safe, supported, and hopeful about their future.
Real-Life Impact: a Success Story
One of the most compelling aspects of the Teaching Family Model is the success stories that emerge from it. One such story involves a young person in New Zealand who, after spending time in youth justice facilities, was on a troubling path. Thanks to the TFM approach, which focused on building positive relationships and addressing the root causes of his behaviour, this young person’s life took a dramatically different turn. Years later, he called his former caregiver to share the news that he was thriving, with a family of his own and a future full of possibility.
These kids can achieve anything if we provide the opportunity and the hope and the expectation that that's possible as opposed to just expecting base level.
We obviously want good enough, but we want to push and have those aspirations the same as we had for any of our own children.
These stories remind us that, with the right support and care, children who might otherwise be written off as "troubled" can achieve incredible things.
Looking Toward the Future
Through integrating the TFM approach, Berry Street is helping to not only transform individual lives but is also leading a broader shift in how we think about out-of-home care. With increased government funding for therapeutic residential homes, there is a clear recognition that models like TFM are the future of care for children with complex needs.
As a leader across Berry Street, where I have confidence, is that the accountability of this model gives me so much more confidence that we're doing the best we can possibly do.
I know it means our staff are better supported, our staff are better trained, our staff are better equipped to be able to deal with challenging behaviour and challenging situations.
While foster care remains an important part of the system, it is clear that the system needs to adapt. TFM provides a blueprint for how we can move toward a more professional, trauma-informed, and relationship-based approach to caring for vulnerable children.
TFM is redefining what it means to provide residential care for children and young people who cannot live with their families. By offering a structured, therapeutic, and relationship-based environment, TFM gives these children the tools they need to heal, grow, and envision a brighter future. As we continue to see its positive impact on children’s lives, it is clear that this model is not only transformative but essential for the future of out-of-home care.
Listen to our latest podcast episode with Tom Bowerman, Director of Innovation and Acting Executive Director of Services and Anthony Cupic, TFM Practitioner, that explores how TFM is providing new models of care for the growing number of children and young people who cannot live safely at home because of violence, neglect or abuse and providing young people with a safe place to live.
Stories of Impact – Christie Downs Primary School
