M & J

Dear Sally,

Thank you sincerely for the support you have provided to our family throughout this journey. Tonight is a very special milestone for us, as it is the first night our son, will be back in our care. We are fully committed to adhering to all prevention and care plans in place, and to maintaining a safe, stable, and nurturing environment for our son. His wellbeing, safety, and development remain our highest priority, and we will continue to apply everything we have learned to support him in the best possible way.

This has been an intense and emotional journey, and we are deeply grateful for the guidance, advocacy, and care your team has shown. Your support has helped us rebuild confidence in our parenting, better understand our responsibilities, and strengthen our ability to provide a secure and loving environment for our son.

We particularly appreciate how your team has recognised not only the areas we needed to improve, but also our family’s strengths, cultural identity, and the importance of preserving connection and attachment. Your commitment to working alongside us has given our family another opportunity to move forward with hope and stability.

I would be honoured to contribute back in the future—whether as an ambassador or in any capacity—to support other families who may be facing similar challenges, and to share the value of the guidance and care your team provides.

Thank you again for believing in our family and supporting us through this process.

M and J

Testimony Regarding Participation in Connecting Families – Circle of Security Program- Grace

In December 2025, shortly before Christmas, our infant son was removed from our care by the Department for Child Protection (DCP). At that time, I was experiencing severe postpartum depression following the birth of our son. My mental health had deteriorated significantly, and I acknowledge that I was also struggling with alcohol misuse related to my emotional distress.

This period was extremely traumatic for our family. I was admitted to a mental health hospital for treatment, our infant son was placed in foster care, and my husband was left alone trying to manage the sudden separation from both his wife and child.

We attended our first court hearing shortly after the removal. At that time, we engaged a lawyer and consented to the initial three-month order. However, we were not given clear guidance about what practical steps we needed to take to address the concerns raised and work towards reunification with our son. As parents, we were determined to take responsibility for the situation and actively seek support services that could help us improve and create a safe and stable environment for our child.

During this period, we were connected to the Connecting Families Reunification Service, following a referral from a clinician at the Child and Family Health (CaFH) team.

Through Connecting Families, we began participating in the Circle of Security Parenting Program, facilitated by Grace. From the beginning of our involvement, Grace approached our family with professionalism, empathy, and a genuine commitment to supporting our reunification with our child.

Grace demonstrated a strong understanding of both our personal circumstances and the broader challenges our family was facing. She took the time to understand our cultural background, our family dynamics, and the mental health difficulties that had contributed to the situation. Importantly, she also showed insight into postpartum depression and how its symptoms can affect a mother’s wellbeing and parenting capacity.

Grace was highly accommodating and ensured that the program could be delivered at times that allowed both my husband and me to participate fully. This was important for us, as we both wanted to take equal responsibility in learning and improving our parenting capacity.

Through the Circle of Security program, we gained a much deeper understanding of infant attachment and emotional development. The program helped us recognise the importance of providing our child with a secure base for exploration and a safe place for comfort and protection.

We learned how to better observe and interpret our son’s cues and respond to his emotional needs in a sensitive and consistent manner. We developed skills in emotional attunement, understanding how our responses as parents shape a child’s sense of safety, trust, and security.

The program also helped us reflect on our own emotional responses and recognise areas where we could grow as parents. For me personally, the program reinforced the importance of being emotionally present with my son during all emotional experiences — whether joy, sadness, frustration, or fear. I have made a personal commitment to remain emotionally available and supportive so that he can feel secure and understood.

One of the most meaningful lessons from the program was the concept that parents do not need to be perfect to raise healthy and secure children. The concept of being a “good enough parent” helped us understand that consistent care, emotional availability, and responsiveness are what truly support a child’s development.

Participating in this program has strengthened our insight into parenting, attachment, and emotional development. It has also reinforced our commitment to creating a safe, nurturing, and emotionally responsive environment for our son.

We are grateful for the support provided by Connecting Families and the guidance offered by Grace. The program has been an important part of our journey in addressing the concerns raised and continuing to build our capacity as parents.

Our son is deeply loved, and we remain fully committed to his wellbeing, safety, and healthy development. The knowledge and skills we gained through this program have been instrumental in helping us move forward as more informed, reflective, and responsible parents.

Testimony for Mac

During the course of our court order and engagement with the Department for Child Protection (DCP), our family was referred by Connecting Families to Mac, a clinician with more than 30 years of experience in parent–infant attachment and bonding.

The purpose of this referral was to support our family in developing a deeper understanding of how to provide a safe, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate environment for our son, and to support the restoration and strengthening of attachment and bonding between us and our child.

At the time of this referral, I was in the process of recovering from postpartum depression. During this period, I experienced significant self-doubt regarding my parenting ability. The ongoing assessments and concerns raised by DCP contributed to feelings of uncertainty and lack of confidence, despite the positive progress we were making through the Circle of Security parenting program with Grace and the positive interactions we were having with our son during our access visits.

Because of this, my husband and I welcomed the opportunity to work with an experienced parent–infant specialist who could provide guidance, support, and objective observation of our interactions with our son. We hoped this support would help us further understand our son’s developmental needs, recognise his cues more effectively, and continue strengthening our parenting capacity.

Throughout our involvement, Mac demonstrated a very high level of dedication and professionalism. Each week he travelled from Adelaide to Port Augusta, often driving three to four hours each way, in order to meet with our family in person. His commitment to supporting our family during this time was deeply appreciated.

Mac even stayed with our family over a weekend in order to facilitate extended access visits with our son. This demonstrated his strong dedication to supporting safe and meaningful parent–child contact and helping our family rebuild attachment with our son. We were greatly appreciative of his time, commitment, and genuine compassion for helping families during challenging circumstances.

During these sessions, Mac provided education and practical guidance about parent–infant attachment, emotional attunement, and responsive parenting. He helped us understand how to connect with our son in ways that support his emotional safety and developmental needs.

Importantly, Mac approached our family with respect and balance. He provided thoughtful feedback regarding both our parenting strengths and areas where we could continue to grow. His approach was supportive rather than judgmental, which helped us rebuild confidence in our ability to care for our son safely and appropriately.

Mac’s work was consistently focused on our son’s wellbeing. He helped us better understand our son’s cues, emotional needs, and developmental stage, and how our responses as parents could support his sense of safety and security.

Mac also advocated for our son’s best interests by respectfully encouraging DCP to consider increasing our access visits when appropriate, recognising that consistent and meaningful contact with parents is important for maintaining and rebuilding attachment.

On a personal level, Mac provided important emotional support during a time when I felt significant guilt and self-doubt as a mother recovering from postpartum depression. His guidance helped me reframe my perspective and gradually rebuild confidence in my parenting ability, which in turn strengthened my connection with our son.

Mac also demonstrated strong insight into the challenges my husband faced as a first-time father. He approached discussions about parenting responsibilities with care and respect, acknowledging both the strengths and pressures that fathers may experience. He also provided information about services that support fathers’ mental health and wellbeing, which we found very helpful.

Another important aspect of Mac’s work was his cultural awareness. As a family with an Asian cultural background, we appreciated that Mac demonstrated understanding and sensitivity toward cultural factors that can influence how mental health and parenting challenges are experienced. For example, he recognised that postpartum depression can carry significant stigma in some cultures, which may lead parents to hide their struggles rather than seek help. He also acknowledged the cultural expectations placed on fathers to act as protectors of the family, and how these expectations can create additional pressure during times of crisis.

After becoming involved in our case, Mac made considerable efforts to attend our access visits whenever possible in order to observe our interactions with our son and provide practical feedback. He also attended DCP review meetings to offer professional observations and insights regarding our progress and our family’s interactions.

Through this process, my husband and I were able to apply what we had learned through the Circle of Security program and receive further feedback and guidance from Mac in real-life interactions with our son. This support significantly strengthened our understanding of our son’s needs and helped us grow in confidence as parents.

We are deeply grateful for the support and guidance Mac has provided to our family. His involvement has played an important role in supporting our family during a very challenging time and in helping us continue developing the skills and confidence needed to provide a safe, loving, and nurturing environment for our son.

M and J

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