Creswick Foundation Fellowship Study Tour

Carolyn was awarded a prestigious Creswick Foundation Fellowship in 2012 that involved a two-month study trip to the United Kingdom.

Drawing on the experience and expertise of leading researchers and clinicians, Carolyn spent time considering how purposeful infant observation principles can be transferred to a wider range of Australian practitioners working with vulnerable families. Her goal was to increase the ‘voice’ of infants and young children in assessments and decisions regarding intervention. During these two months, Carolyn was based at the Tavistock and Portman Clinic in London, the UK’s leading mental health trust, and birthplace of Infant Observation, as developed by John Bowlby and Esther Bick.

As a result of the fellowship, Carolyn developed training packages for those who work with children who have suffered trauma, abuse and neglect entitled ‘Researching the Baseline’, which explores the idea that over time workers almost forget what ‘normal’ child development looks like. It gives participants the chance to consider how they ‘return their baselines to the norm,’ outlining techniques based on Infant Observation and empathic attunement. She also subsequently developed training for Family Time Supervisors around observation based on attachment models.