Practice Essentials: Working with Children, Young People & Families – Module 2 supports occupational therapists to deepen their skills in delivering effective, family-centred care to children and young people. Learners will explore the everyday occupations of childhood, such as play, learning, self-care, and social participation, and consider the environmental, developmental, and cultural factors that shape engagement in these activities. The module emphasises the value of child-centred and family-centred practice, recognising families as experts in their child's care and central to all planning and decision-making. 

Through a strengths-based approach, learners will develop techniques for fostering empowerment, goal setting, and capacity building with children, young people, and their caregivers. The module also explores the emotional and practical impact of caregiving, including the experiences of grief, stress, and trauma. Occupational therapists will be supported to implement strategies that promote resilience, wellbeing, and meaningful participation for families. 

Cultural humility and safety are key pillars of this module. Learners will reflect on their own cultural positioning and consider how to work safely and respectfully with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, as well as with culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The impacts of colonisation and intergenerational trauma are explored to support culturally responsive and rights-based paediatric practice. 

This module is mapped to the OTA Capability Framework for Occupational Therapists Working with Children, Young People and Families and embeds reflective activities to encourage critical thinking, cultural responsiveness, and confident application of knowledge in real-world settings.

After completing this module, you will be able to: 

• Describe common childhood occupations and understand how engagement is influenced by developmental, environmental, and sociocultural factors. 

• Apply child-centred and family-centred practice principles, recognising the family’s expertise and prioritising their strengths, values, and goals. 

• Develop collaborative partnerships with families, including shared decision-making, intervention planning, and caregiver empowerment. 

• Recognise and support caregiving roles and kinship structures and understand the impacts of caring for a child with additional needs on family wellbeing. 

• Use strengths-based tools and approaches to build self-efficacy, support goal attainment, and promote participation for children, young people, and families. 

• Apply principles of cultural humility and safety in practice with diverse families, including migrants, refugees, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

• Understand the historical and social contexts impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, including colonisation and intergenerational trauma. 

• Engage in ongoing learning and advocacy to create culturally safe, inclusive environments that support the rights and wellbeing of all children and families. 

This module is suitable for: 
Early career OTs or more experienced OTs transitioning into paediatric practice 

CPD HOURS: 
Total CPD claimable workshop hours: 3 hours

ACCESS: 
This module will take approximately 3 hours to complete. You may revisit this module at any time within 12 weeks from purchase date and download documents embedded within the module. 

REGISTRATION FEES & INCLUSIONS 
OTA Member: $200
Non Member: $280 
(All pricing is inclusive of GST) 

Members must be logged in with username and password in order to register at the member rate. 
Not already an OTA member? Sign up today here to enjoy great savings on CPD courses, events, conferences and unlimited access to local and international research publications, special offers from our partners and more! 

OTHER PURCHASING OPTIONS
For organisations wishing to purchase multiple bundles of the Practice Essentials: Working with Children, Young People & Families, please contact info@otaus.com.au to discuss.

The Practice Essentials: Working with Children, Young People & Families Modules can be purchased as a bundle, visit the Bundle product page to find out more.

DISCLAIMER 
All information is correct at the time of publication. OTA reserves the right to alter or delete items from the CPD calendar as required, and takes no responsibility for any errors, omissions and changes. 
All workshop resources including copies of the presentation, along with all supporting documents and links are not for distribution and are the property of the presenter. 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 
Terms and Conditions including OTA’s refund and cancellation policy are available here  

CONTACT US 
Please email info@otaus.com.au or phone 1300 682 878