Date: Tuesday 24 February  

Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm (3 hours) 

Location: Online (Zoom)

Presented by: Janet Irvine, SSI Diversity Training Manager

This interactive workshop aims to support carers to feel more empowered and motivated to find meaningful and practical ways to support a child’s development of a positive cultural identity. 

Participants will examine how culture informs all aspects of life, both consciously and unconsciously, how it forms and therefore what we can do to support those in our care to maintain and develop positive cultural connections. Strategies for counteracting the negative impacts of racism and prejudice on the development of positive cultural identity will also be discussed. 

At the end of this workshop, carers will be able to: 

• Describe the influence of culture on the interaction between themselves and the children and young people in their care 
• Describe the impact of racism and prejudice on the development of cultural identity 
• Understand the importance of the carers, child and/or young person engaging with cultural support strategies  
• Identify strategies to support the development of positive cultural identity for children and young people in care 

Janet Irvine is the Manager of SSI Diversity Training, an initiative of Settlement Services International, providing learning solutions that build culturally responsive workforces.  Janet has extensive experience working with newly arrived families from a refugee background as a counsellor, caseworker and educator.  This experience and her role providing a range of training for child protection and out-of-home care caseworkers has cultivated her passion for creating learning spaces for people to hone their skills to be more culturally responsive and trauma informed.  

The session is designed for kinship, foster and permanent carers.