Drawings of resilience and healing

Children and young people have many amazing qualities, and their imagination and artistic expression are always a highlight. Across Parkerville, children and young people are given opportunities to draw, paint and create to not only express how they are feeling but assist them with healing.

Recently, we received a drawing from a 10-year-old girl, Milly*.

Milly’s journey has been a story of resilience and strength for her to find healing and feel inspired to create drawings full of love from her family and of hope once again.

This time two years ago, Milly was trapped in a nightmare of sexual abuse and had become withdrawn, anxious and would startle easily. When she finally felt safe enough to tell her mother about the abuse, her parents acted immediately and filed a police report. The police referred the case to Parkerville Children and Youth Care’s Multi-agency Investigation and Support Team (MIST) and the Department of Communities.

Thankfully, our dedicated team could now provide vital support to Milly and her family.

MIST is a unique multi-agency collaboration consisting of police, child protection, social workers and psychologists. Established in 2015, this model was the first of its kind in Australia, and Royal Commission into Institutionalised Child Sexual Assault cited the MIST service as evidence-based best practice when responding to child sexual abuse (Volume 9. 2017). This multidisciplinary team takes an innovative, trauma-informed, and holistic approach to supporting children and their families, who have experienced child sexual abuse.

The MIST team worked with Milly and her family through the different stages of treatment, healing, and legal proceedings. At every step of the way during the journey to healing, our Child and Family Advocate stood by Milly’s side, watching as her cheerful and creative nature began to shine once again.

Our Advocate also walked alongside Milly’s parents who were highly motivated to create safe healing places for Milly, and so they also had safe places to resolve their own distress.

Parkerville Children and Youth Care’s Child and Family Advocates are remarkable people. They go the extra mile – and then some – to help Western Australia’s children on their journey to healing.

But it’s children like Milly who are the real heroes. Because it takes a whole lot of courage to work through the trauma of child sexual abuse to regain their confidence and fearlessness.

And we should know. Because here at Parkerville Children and Youth Care, we are leading the way in helping to make Western Australia the safest place to be a child, but we need your help to ensure that no child who needs our support is turned away.

It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of such an enormous and harmful issue. By donating to Parkerville Children and Youth Care today, you give power to Western Australian children like Milly.

You give them power to move forward on their journey to healing. Because your generosity provides the support and resources they need to work through their trauma.

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Please donate today at parkerville.org.au to help little heroes like Milly to continue to heal and express their creativity