What happens to parenting when the "private" family unit becomes a "public" system? In this episode, Dr. Jodie Park and Rose Mackey explore the "Glass House" of foster care, a space where personal lives are visible to the state and parental autonomy is reshaped by systemic oversight.

We’re moving beyond the media debate to discuss what it really means to be a Public Parent. To succeed, foster carers must embrace a hybrid identity that balances the intimacy of private parenting with the weight of public accountability.

We break down the core tensions that define the foster care experience:

1. The Surveillance Paradox: Carers are expected to provide a "normal" family life while their every move is monitored by caseworkers and courts.
2. Systemic Transparency: A realistic view of the role means acknowledging that "private" life is no longer private; carers must open their homes, bank statements, and medical records to the state.
3. Shared Authority: We discuss the "Privacy Tug-of-War," where carers have the daily responsibility of a parent but lack the legal authority to make simple decisions—like haircuts or vacations—without system approval.
4. Professionalism vs. Passion: Carers must be both professional caregivers and emotional anchors, loving a child like their own while navigating the reality of being a "temporary placement".

How do we make the "Glass House" feel like a home? It starts with clear, grounded expectations that bridge the gap between birth families, carers, and the system.

1. Information as Power: Shared parenting thrives when information flows freely, including the "little things" like a funny comment or a new food the child liked that keep birth parents included.
2. Defining the Role: It is vital to move past binary labels of "saints" or "people doing it for the money" and instead embrace the messy, human reality of public parenting.
3. Prioritizing Dignity: The ultimate goal of a public parent is to ensure the system’s visibility does not strip away the child’s private dignity.
4. Collaborative Decision-Making: We explore how to empower adults to make decisions together, rather than letting the system decide for them.

Join us as we discuss how to navigate the boundaries of the system while keeping the heart of parenting private.

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• Email: relationalpractice01@gmail.com
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Music by Hannah Park

Editing by Angus Pinkstone

In this episode of Relational Practice: A Social Work Podcast, Dr. Jodie Park and Rose Mackey dive deep into the intricate world of Complex Trauma (C-PTSD). Unlike traditional PTSD, which often stems from a single acute event, complex trauma results from prolonged, repeated experiences—often within a relational context where escape is difficult or impossible.

We explore:

• Defining the Difference: How C-PTSD fundamentally damages the sense of self and attachment capacity compared to standard PTSD.
• The Symptoms: A breakdown of "Disturbances in Self-Organization" (DSO), including affective dysregulation, negative self-concept, and chronic interpersonal difficulties.
• The Developing Brain: Insights from Dr. Bruce Perry on how chronic threat disrupts neurodevelopment and keeps the "survival brain" in a state of perpetual activation.
• The Four Fs: Understanding the survival responses of Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn.
• Pathways to Healing: An introduction to evidence-based, body-centered therapies like EMDR and Somatic Experiencing (SE). We discuss Peter Levine’s work on releasing "trapped" survival energy through titration and pendulation.

Join us as we shift the perspective from seeing symptoms as failures to recognizing them as remarkable neurobiological adaptations to unsafe environments.

Connect with us:

• Email: relationalpractice01@gmail.com
• Socials: Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
• Subscribe: Hit follow or subscribe to stay updated on our fortnightly deep dives.

Music by Hannah Park

Editing by Angus Pinkstone

Trigger alert- there is a small amount of swearing in this episode. It is an emotive topic for us!

A Critical, Timely Deep Dive for Professionals and the Community

We understand it’s the Christmas period, and this is a heavy topic. But we also know that for many people navigating high-conflict relationships, the holidays can be the most dangerous and suffocating time of the year. This episode is dedicated to providing timely validation and understanding.

Join Dr. Jodie Park and Rose Mackey as they move beyond isolated incidents of physical violence to examine the overarching, strategic pattern of coercive control.

Why This Episode is Essential Listening Right Now:

The festive season often acts as a catalyst for coercive control. External pressures like financial strain and forced family proximity are frequently weaponized to intensify patterns of domination. For practitioners, this is a critical window for intervention. By framing these holiday stressors as strategic tactics of entrapment, rather than isolated incidents of "stress", we provide a psychological lifeline for clients. Understanding these dynamics is essential for trauma-informed validation and navigating the heightened risks survivors face this time of year.

What You Will Learn in This Deep Dive:

• Defining the Core Harm: We discuss the foundational research of Evan Stark, who defines domestic violence not by the use of force, but by the systematic deprivation of liberty and autonomy.

• The Blueprint of Domination: Understand the sophisticated, chronic pattern of behaviours, including isolation, micromanagement, economic abuse, and surveillance—tactics that create chronic fear and entrapment.

• The Psychological Toll: We explore the link between chronic abuse and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), and why survivors often feel trapped, using the Hostage Syndrome analogy to explain the impact of learned helplessness.

• Lethal Risk & Assessment: Coercive control is consistently identified as a precursor in approximately 97% of intimate partner homicides. We detail why the control, not just the physical punch, is the core lethal risk factor.

This episode details trauma-informed interventions for social workers, emphasising the need to re-establish a client's autonomy and safely document the pattern of control.

🚨 Need Support?

If this episode has raised any issues for you, please reach out to the following services in Australia:

• Emergency: Always call Triple Zero (000).
• Lifeline 13 11 14
• 1800RESPECT: Confidential counselling and support. Phone: 1800 737 732 (24/7).
• Men's Referral Service: For men concerned about their own use of violence. Phone: 1300 766 491.
• 13 Yarn 13 92 76

For our international listeners, please contact your local domestic violence or crisis support services.

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Music by Hannah Park

Editing by Angus Pinkstone