About the Goulburn Family Support Service

Staff

Goulburn Family Support Service Inc, (GFSS) is a small community managed, government funded, not for profit agency working with disadvantaged local families in crisis. Funds are provided by the NSW Government’s Department of Community Services, through the Community Service Grants Program.

GFSS practice and agency culture developed from adopting a principles behaviour framework identifying our goals, principles and behaviours as:

Goals:

  1. To assist families take control of their affairs.
  2. To improve client satisfaction.
  3. To improve employee satisfaction.
  4. To improve processes and systems.

Principles:

  1. That our practice is based on research and facts.
  2. That every person is entitled to all the information they need to do their job.
  3. That everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
  4. That everyone is entitled to an appropriate level of professional clinical supervision.

Behaviours:

  1. Case management files are kept up to date.
  2. A library is kept with relevant research data.
  3. Everyone is treated with dignity and respect, we speak to people not about people and we address issues not personalities.
  4. We establish links with others to provide a level of appropriate support, e.g. mental health, psychologists etc.

The adoption of the above Principles/Behaviour framework led us to critically reflect upon our relationships within the agency and in our service delivery. The Principles/Behaviour review led us to look to the philosophy of Restorative Justice as a philosophy of fairness and a behaviour model that was demanded by the framework, and from there the development of "Explicit Affective Practice" (EAP) evolved. EAP draws heavily upon the psychology of affects as defined by Silvan S. Tomkins, this psychology has been awarded the success and identified as the underpinning theory of the Restorative Justice movement.

Mission Statement

“To support the development of the family through competence increased options, independence and community participation by co-ordinating resources, providing opportunities, information and education according to each person’s need.”

In 2001 we passed a by-law stating that our agency “incorporates a Restorative Philosophy. This philosophy is the base of our practice when relating to each other in the workplace and with our clients. The desired outcome is a system where fair process is observed”.

Through the philosophy of Restorative Justice we were introduced to Tomkins’ Theory of Affects from which we developed “Explicit Affective Practice”.

Community Managed Agency

Management
A voluntary Management Committee is formed from members of the Goulburn community to oversee all aspects of the project.

Current Membership
Andrew Routledge: Chairperson
Alan Caldow: Secretary
Karen Walsh: Treasurer

Committee members:
Kim Burge
Matt Casey
Carmel Flood
Vic Holland
Margie Kerr

Current Staff

Service Co-ordinator:

Anne Burton. After completed her degree in Sydney in 1990 and taking her current role as Co-ordinator in 1999, Anne became determined to provide a more practical response for families affected by family violence. She played a pivotal role in the development of “Explicit Affective Practice” and transforming the service into a learning organisation. At the leading edge of practice with families, the service now consistently achieves improved outcomes with those often with chronically dysfunctional presentations around violence, abuse, relationship breakdown, child resident issues, parenting, mental health and life management. For the previous two years, Anne has participated in a Tomkins’ affect script paradigm learning group, with the Silvan Tomkins Institute under the supervision of Dr. Susan Leigh Deppe, Dr. Deppe is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Vermont and a Faculty member of the Tomkins Institute.

Family Workers:

Bill Curry.
In 1996 Bill moved from the wool industry to disability services specifically in group homes with those exhibiting challenging behaviours. He became interested in the GFSS unfolding practice and became a family worker in 2002. Since then he has further developed the practice model while completing a Diploma in Community Welfare. He has wide experience successfully assisting clients with challenging and complex of presentations around issues of relationship breakdown, domestic violence, sexual assault, abuse and neglect.

Bill has also volunteered at the Goulburn Traffic Offender Program for the previous five years, along with Matt Casey, presenting the service affect framework as a learning opportunity for traffic offenders. Bill has participated in a learning group for the previous two years to further his understanding of Tomkins’ affect script paradigm.

Bill is also a qualified counsellor and member of the Australian Counselling Association.

Kath Gribben.
Kath has had a range of jobs from family day care, and teacher’s aide in primary education. Kath worked in the UK and the Middle East before migrating in 1992 to Australia where she began working with families in Albury which were experiencing stress and crisis and for some, none of the interventions or ‘help’ appeared to work.

In 2003 Kath moved to the Goulburn area and became a family worker with GFSS. Kath completed a Diploma in Community Welfare and for two years has been involved with the Tomkins learning group. Kath is also a qualified counsellor and member of the Australian Counselling Association..

Kath was introduced to explicit affective practice and became interested as this was, for her, a radical new concept. As families reported how this new learning had improved their lives, Kath realized this was ‘help’ which did work.

Kath has also been involved with playgroups for the past 16 years and is currently the Family Worker at the supported playgroup held at TAFE.