MST European NP Update (zoom) Meeting, 15th November 2021

Topic:  Children’s Rights and Alternative Care – how to support parenting instead of placing kids out of home (from Council of Europe conference)

MST Norway / Dagfinn Mørkrid Thøgersen, Director & Anne Cathrine Bartvik

All children should live in a supportive, protective and caring environment that helps them develop their full potential. When a child’s own family is unable, even with support, to provide adequate care for the child, the state is responsible for ensuring appropriate alternative care. An estimated 1.5 million children in the Council of Europe member states live in some form of alternative care. Children living in alternative care may be more at risk of having their human rights violated. If they are isolated from their families and communities, they may lack suitable care for their individual needs, suffer from unstable relationships and be at higher risk of falling victims to violence and abuse.

Topic: MST-Intellectual Disability (ID)

MST-Netherlands-Belgium / Miranda van der Linde, Director & Harm Jan Blokzijl, MST-ID Expert

MST-ID is a new, specialized treatment for youth and/or caregivers with an intellectual disability (ID) who also meet the usual criteria for MST. The target population of MST-ID include youth aged 10 to 19 years, at risk of out-of-home placement due to antisocial or delinquent behaviors or involved with the juvenile justice system, who also have an intellectual disability, and/or have (a) caregiver(s) with an intellectual disability. In the Netherlands, this new specialization is growing rapidly with great results: 93% youth living at home, 85% in school, 94% no arrests. What makes MST-ID different?

Topic: ‘New shiny objects’

MST Sweden / Emma Ulfsdotter, Director

Over the years we've seen trends of teams struggling with utilization and also getting the right MST referrals. Plenty of fits have been made on team-, organization- and NP level. A short presentation where we focus more on ourselves and include some of the interventions that we are looking at now, in order to understand and make sure all teams are set to deliver MST as designed.

Topic: Learning from delivering MST across different national and cultural contexts

MST UK / Cathy James, Director

1. Treating Young People at Risk for or Engaging in Highly Risky Behaviours - Including Criminal Exploitation and Carrying Knives

Facilitator: Lori Moore

Description: Does it seem like now more than ever your teams are serving communities where there is an increase of young people who are at risk for or are engaging in extremely highly risky behaviours (including but not limited to those at risk for criminal exploitation and carrying knives)? If so, join us for this roundtable discussion as we focus on shared learning, challenges, and resources/boosters you’ve used to support your teams to address these highly risky behaviours.

2. Addressing Conflict and Supporting MST Families Experiencing or Impacted by Domestic Violence

Facilitators:  Brenda Szumski and Angelia Watson

Description:  Participate in a roundtable discussion with your peers about how to address incidents of domestic violence occurring in the families served by your teams. The focus will be on information sharing, hearing from your peers regarding specific challenges; as well as learning about strategies and resources used when addressing domestic violence in the context of MST.

3. A Dive into Therapist Development Re: Assessing and Addressing Trauma

Facilitator: Laura Shortt

Description: Join your peers for a roundtable discussion regarding therapist knowledge base regarding trauma and trauma-related symptoms in children and the families that we work with. Discussions will focus on factors related to the effects of traumatic events on children, including: the nature and frequency of the traumatic events, age and developmental status of the child, reaction to the trauma by the adults in the child’s life (family and other supports), and resilience factors (parent-child relationships, attachment, and other family factors).

4. Supporting Teams Working with Diverse Populations

Facilitator: Anne Dailey

Description: MST Teams serve families who experience exclusion, discrimination, socio-economic disadvantage, and multiple other life barriers and stressors that result from society’s responses to their race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, or the intersection of any of these. This roundtable discussion will focus on shared learning, challenges, and resources to best support teams as they work with families with a variety of diverse backgrounds and experiences.