Take Two - Implementing a Therapeutic Service for Children who have Experienced Abuse and Neglect: Beyond Evidence-Informed Practice

Helping children recover from the impact of child abuse and neglect is complicated by the limited evidence available on programme effectiveness and efficacy. This paper describes the implementation of a therapeutic service, in Victoria, Australia, known as Take Two, and provides a profile of client characteristics. The paper describes some of the barriers to children in the child protection system accessing therapeutic or mental health services and the approach attempted to overcome these barriers. The Take Two Practice Framework and the subsequent contribution of the Child Trauma Academy's Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics are discussed. There is exploration of evidence-based practice and how this and related concepts are considered in the evolving theory of change and the Practice Framework. This includes consideration of what else is needed to supplement the evidence. The paper provides a useful model for other agencies that are planning or implementing a therapeutic programme for children traumatised by abuse and neglect. 'Describes the implementation of a therapeutic service, in Victoria, Australia, known as Take Two, and provides a profile of client characteristics' Key Practitioner Messages Systematic reviews conclude that there is insufficient evidence to allow reliance on any single intervention with this client group. This poses a genuine dilemma for services that aim to utilise evidence-informed interventions but find their offerings limited. Taking a research-based and evidence-informed approach with a strong theory of change has assisted one such programme to respond to this dilemma.