NEW SOUTH WALES Brain Friendly Contact Centre Presentation by Vicki Parkes Relationships Australia NSW

NEW SOUTH WALES MIT TechTV ��� World Pieces: The Neuroscience of Conflict MIT TechTV ��� World Pieces: The Neuroscience of Conflict Source: techtv.mit.edu Linda Rey “Neuro-capability”: “the empathy region of the brain lights up in people from dominant groups, when they listen, and empathy region in the brain lights up in less powerful groups with they are heard”

NEW SOUTH WALES Conflict resolution may better suit the dominant groups: “People from dominant groups need to understand the plight of the less powerful. The less powerful have less resources, less influence in decision making. What we have learnt from neuroscience?”

NEW SOUTH WALES Power is complex. It can be Economic, Gendered, Legal, Discursive,Technological. Even silence is a form of resistance.

NEW SOUTH WALES An individual or group can be powerful or powerless at different times, and at one and the same time: “Child inclusive practice or child recognises the notions of power and resistance. We evoke the voice of the child.”

NEW SOUTH WALES Time to reflect When was the last time you felt powerful in a relationship? Did you gain power by positive means, open and transparent? Or did you feel the need to use covert ways? Did you use that power to keep in connection with some-one or to feel superior?

NEW SOUTH WALES Can we look for brain shaping moments for both parents and children ?: Siegal and others have shown that brain shaping moments are formed through our daily interactions which we have with our children. These moments are not only opportunities for connection but important teaching moments about kindness, compassion, sensitivity, and ethics.”

NEW SOUTH WALES However, can we truly be neutral and brain friendly? Clients face intractable conflict, domestic violence, and child protection issues. The Contact Centre provides a safe and predictable space. What if parents don't change, but how can it be neutral?

NEW SOUTH WALES Children’s Voices: how can we make them heard in this context?: Bear cards - give children an opportunity to express their feelings from the beginning and allows us to better understand what they may need.

NEW SOUTH WALES Children are consulted- their voices are heard and responded to if needed: “ How do we actually hear their perspective, or help parents hear their children’s perspective when they know they have to make the child ‘happy’ because there words and behaviours are being recorded? Are we taking away children’s power by not letting them be heard?”

NEW SOUTH WALES Despite the complex dynamics at play, and the different forms of power enabling some players and silencing others, I emphasize the need to find opportunities to coach families in nurturing and empathic ways of relating.

NEW SOUTH WALES Discourse has the power to shape understandings, assign blame, skew stories.

NEW SOUTH WALES Our notes can be reflecting the anxiety of the parent and NOT the real parenting issues.

NEW SOUTH WALES Silence: a defining moment Silence can be used to ‘keep knowledge’, a power strategy between parents. However, the child needed to make sense of a parent’s absence. At these times, support parents to focus on the child’s need.

NEW SOUTH WALES Conclusions My thoughts and efforts in this work, in particular unpacking notions of power, will hopefully inspire more creativity and better attunement in interventions, when working with children in Contact Centres.

NEW SOUTH WALES Parkes, V. (2012) Brain friendly contact centres. Oral presentation given at Showcasing the Evidence, the annual FRSA conference, Darwin Australia