Rebranding for Childhood Trauma NFP

A major Not For Profit organisation for adult survivors of childhood trauma has rebranded into the Blue Knot Foundation to encourage new conversations around trauma – on the heels of the Royal Commission inquiry into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA) is a specialist organisation that was set up more than 20 years ago to work with adults who had experienced childhood trauma. The rebrand is part of their message to move away from “just surviving to that of hope and optimism that recovery is possible,” according to President and Director Dr Cathy Kezelman AM.

“We know anecdotally [that] people recover with the right support. We also know now from research that people can absolutely recover. We want to create that message. Blue Knot Foundation is a softer name and will enable us to have those important conversations,” she said.

“Our organization is very keen to obviously acknowledge people who have experienced child sexual abuse, but also to acknowledge people who have experienced childhood trauma more broadly. [For example] when they grow up in a domestic violence situation, or situation with community violence, and if they have a parent with a mental illness or parents who abuse substances.

“The change from the ASCA to the Blue Knot Foundation is to represent the fact that people can experience many forms of trauma in childhood not just different forms of abuse and neglect.”

The organisation said the discussion around rebranding has been in the making for many years but the decision to change it was made over a year ago, according to Kezelman.

“We had a brand that had very good awareness in the sectors we work like the mental health sector but we are seeking to reach the general community more broadly. We are hoping that this name will help spread the message into the general community as well as also get support from corporates and philanthropic organisations,” she said.

“This is a time where this is in the public consciousness. We are very keen to shine a light on abuses and other forms of trauma not just within institutions, the home and the family, but really talk about these issues more broadly.”

The foundation will take on an extended role in providing training to legal personnel, including magistrate judges, when handling cases of childhood trauma and interacting with survivors.

“We are providing training for legal personnel to help understand childhood trauma and the way it presents, their reactions and the risk of triggers to avoid re-traumatising. We also help lawyers to look after themselves better when listening to traumatic stories all the time,” she said.

“One of the recommendations of the Royal Commission’s [redress] report in 2015 was around the need for survivors to meet with institutional representatives and get an apology or whatever they are seeking. That training will help the institutional personnel in how to better respond and what to expect when a survivor may come to them – to understand their anger and to help them to respond as well as they can and to support in what is a difficult process.”

Kezelman admitted that people may take some time to digest the rebrand of an organisation that has been around for a long time but was optimistic about it becoming a household name.

“We have had very positive feedback about our rebranding and we are hoping that they will continue to see our organisation as a specialist organisation who they can trust. We want to become a place that delivers great training, that has really followed evidence based resources, and that is open to people who have experienced all sorts of childhood trauma and are more inclusive.”

If you or someone you know needs help, call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

Help and support is available from the Blue Knot Helpline on 1300 657 380 or visit the Blue Knot Foundation website: www.blueknot.org.au