Therapeutic Care Framework - Improving Care for Young People

Here at Well Life, we have a passion for helping children and young people build their confidence and capacity, achieve their goals, and find where they belong in the world.

Life can be hard. Life can be frustrating. Life can be devastating.

Children and young people can go through really difficult experiences, especially those with complex needs like disability, trauma, or neurodiversity. We also know – with the right supports, relationships, and environments – they can heal and grow.

They get up every day, they do their best to have a normal life, and they find joy and meaning again. Even if the way they do it looks different to how others do it.

And that’s okay. That difference is not a problem – it’s human.

At Well Life, we work diligently to understand life through the eyes of the children and young people we work with. We accept them for who they are, keep them safe while they recover, help them create connections, and support them to be their authentic selves reaching for a future they want.

Seen, Supported. Free to grow. At Well Life, therapy begins with connection, and builds towards each young person is becoming.

Click here read more about the services Well Life provide.

But delivering consistently high-quality, inclusive care is complex—for young people, families, practitioners, and the broader service system.  

So, what do we do? How can we make recovery and growth that little bit easier?

We’re so glad you asked!

At Well Life, we are working to create and implement our Therapeutic Care Framework to strengthen quality, consistency, and accessibility across everything we do. Guided by our values of transparency, respect, inclusion, courage, and celebration, the framework aims to embed an improved evidence-based approach and clearly communicate how we support young people and families.

Who is it for?

Our Therapeutic Care Framework is being developed to support the whole community around each young person. This includes:

• Children and young people, including those with complex needs through Out of Home Care, Allied Health Therapies, Support Coordination and Lifestyle Support Services.

• Families, carers, and supporters who play a vital role in young people’s lives.

• Well Life staff and practitioners, by strengthening shared practice, training, and support.

• Referrers, stakeholders, and partner organisations, by improving communication, collaboration, and consistency across the service system.

What is the Therapeutic Care Framework?

The framework is our organisation-wide approach to Therapeutic Care.

It builds on what we are already doing well and strengthens areas where services commonly struggle, to ensure Well Life is consistently welcoming, inclusive, culturally safe, and accessible for everyone – especially people with disability or neurodiversity.

Real change begins with connection — where every conversation is a step towards understanding, safety, and growth.

What does the development process look like?

It is, indeed, going to be a process! So, we are tackling it in a few different ways:

First, we have done a lot of background research

The framework will be grounded in evidence – otherwise, how will we know it will be effective and best practice?

Our research has included (but is not limited to):

• Diversity and inclusivity

• Children and young people’s rights

• Supporting youth with different needs neurodevelopmentally

• Trauma-informed care

• Education and training

• Supporting staff

• Engaging with stakeholders, and more.

And, of course, existing frameworks, models, and programs that are already out there – we don’t want to reinvent the wheel!

Second, we are all about collaboration

(It’s even a whole concept in the framework)

The Therapeutic Care Framework needs to be something that works for everyone – children and young people, their families, our staff, and our stakeholders. After all, there’s no point developing framework without actually talking to the people who will be using it! This helps ensure the framework reflects lived experience and supports meaningful participation.

We are gathering ideas and insights from staff, stakeholders, and our participants – they are the best people to guide us on what is needed and give feedback on what works, what creates barriers, and what needs to change.

We will repeat these two steps a few times before we can move to the next stage. Our aim is a framework broad enough to guide consistent practice and address the needs of everyone engaging with Well Life, while still being flexible enough to tailor support to each child or young person’s individual goals. Which is why we need to put in the time and effort from the start to achieve this balance.

Next, we will get creative.

We’re developing practical tools to bring the framework to life – visual representations of the framework need to be developed, education and training programs for staff need to be produced, resources to help everyone use the framework need to be crafted … There’s a lot to do!

Finally, we will implement and evaluate the framework.

There will be a period where we will trial the framework for a short time, then evaluate how it went and what needs to be adjusted before the full implementation. We’ll continue to seek feedback and measure outcomes to make sure the framework is right for Well Life and remains responsive to continuous improvement.

Then, the Therapeutic Care Framework will be rolled out!

What is the timeline for rolling out the Therapeutic Care Framework?

We have been working on the framework since mid-2025 and expect to begin rolling it out in early 2027.

This might sound like a long time, but reflects the commitment to doing the work well: grounding decisions in evidence, co-designing with the with the people who matter most, and building the tools and training needed for sustainable change.

The Therapeutic Care Framework will effectively improve the way we care for our children and young people and their families, the way we support our staff, and the way we engage with our stakeholders – we want to get it right!

Where are we at with the framework development right now?

We are currently collaborating with staff, young people, and their families to help revise and refine the second draft of the Therapeutic Care Framework. It’s a very exciting time!

This stage is focused on testing clarity, usability, and accessibility – so the framework can be implemented confidently and consistently. We are proud of what we have created so far, and look forward to making it better so we can move to the next part of the process.

What can you do?

We welcome feedback, thoughts, and insights at all stages of the Therapeutic Care Framework development. If you have ideas about how Well Life can improve the ways in which we care for children and young people, please let us know. There are a few ways to share your thoughts:

1. Anonymously through our website at https://www.welllife.com.au/feedback.

2. By phone on 07 4595 1750.

3. In person, by speaking with a staff member.

4. In person in our office.

We’ll continue to share updates as the framework develops – what we’re learning, how we’re translating evidence into practice, and the impact this work is having on young people, families, staff, and stakeholders.

Author:

Dr Kelly Skorka

Therapeutic Care Officer

Dr Kelly brings a strong clinical and research background in paediatric occupational therapy, with experience across hospital, education, not-for-profit, and private settings.

As Therapeutic Care Officer at Well Life, she provides leadership in evidence-informed and collaborative practice, supporting teams to deliver coordinated, thoughtful care.

Her role strengthens consistency and quality across therapeutic services for young people with complex needs.