We provide independent, court-quality psychological assessments tailored to the statutory requirements of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (NSW). Our reports translate complex trauma and developmental theory into the clear, evidence-based formulations and recommendations that magistrates, legal representatives, and caseworkers can use. Between the team, we have completed hundreds of Children's Court Expert Reports for DCJ, NGO foster care agencies, and legal representatives across NSW. What you can refer for: Parenting Capacity Assessments (PCA) — including restoration potential, "willingness and capacity to change," and the impact of intergenerational trauma, mental illness, or substance use on parenting Carer Capacity and Suitability Assessments — for foster, kinship, and prospective guardianship carers, including capacity to support a child's cultural and familial identity Comprehensive Assessment of the Child — diagnostic deep-dives covering ADHD, Autism, FASD, intellectual disability, and developmental/complex trauma, with attention to differential diagnosis Section 53 / specific-issue assessments — scoped to the question the Court or caseworker actually needs answered The cultural lens: for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, we assess capacity within the context of kinship, community, and the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) framework — so that Western parenting norms aren't unfairly applied, and connection to country and culture is part of the formulation. Turnaround: priority intake within 4 weeks of first contact. Use the enquiry form on this page to refer.

Comprehensive psychological and neurocognitive assessments for children, young people, and adults involved with Child Protection or in out-of-home care. Every assessment is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and written to be useful — to a caseworker, a carer, a school, a paediatrician, the NDIS, or the Court. Assessments we offer: Cognitive and intellectual assessments (WISC-V, WAIS-IV, WPPSI-IV) Autism Spectrum Disorder ADHD Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Adaptive functioning and intellectual disability Neuropsychological assessments (memory, attention, executive functioning) Court support and forensic assessments Differential diagnosis where trauma, neurodevelopment, and attachment are tangled What you get: a clear written report with formulation, diagnoses (where appropriate), strengths and needs, and concrete recommendations for school, home, therapy, and funding bodies. We also offer a feedback session for carers, parents, the care team, and the child.

FASD is one of the most under-diagnosed and misdiagnosed presentations in the OOHC population — and getting it right changes the trajectory of a child's care, education, and funding. We have over 20 years of experience assessing children, young people, and adults with confirmed or suspected FASD. We use a multidisciplinary assessment approach, collaborating with paediatricians, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists to meet the Australian Guide to the Diagnosis of FASD criteria across all neurodevelopmental domains. Why early diagnosis matters: It changes the intervention a child needs — behavioural strategies that work for ADHD or trauma alone will often fail with FASD It informs school accommodations, NDIS eligibility, and funding pathways It helps carers and caseworkers reframe behaviour as a brain-based difference rather than "non-compliance" It supports the Court in understanding a young person's capacity, particularly in justice-involved adolescents What you get: a comprehensive diagnostic report, recommendations across home, school, and therapy, and — where appropriate — direct support with NDIS access requests.

Individual therapy for children and young people with complex trauma histories, delivered by clinicians who understand the OOHC system, the carers, and the case plan, is really important for the ongoing trajectory of a traumatised child or young person. Modalities we use: Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) Parts work / Internal Family Systems (IFS) Psychodynamic and attachment-based psychotherapy Play-based and developmentally-sequenced approaches for younger children How we work: we begin with stabilisation and safety, build the therapeutic relationship, and only into trauma processing (if appropriate) when the child and the system around them are ready. We work closely with carers and caseworkers throughout. What you get: ongoing therapy with regular updates to the care team, carer consultation built into the work, and clear communication about goals, progress, and when to recalibrate.

Foster, kinship, and guardianship carers do some of the hardest parenting work there is — usually for children whose behaviour may not respond to standard parenting approaches. We offer formal training, parent coaching, and individual sessions to carers across Australia. Every clinician at Jigsaw has worked extensively inside the OOHC system — with DCJ, McKillop, Burdekin, Kari, Anglicare, Barnardos, and others — so we approach this work understanding both the child and the system the carer is navigating. Individual carer support and parent coaching: One-to-one sessions for carers focused on the specific child/children in their care. We use these sessions to: Provide psychoeducation on trauma, attachment, and the OOHC system Make sense of the function of a child's behaviour — what they're communicating Build practical, evidence-based strategies for connection, regulation, and behaviour Support carers through placement transitions, allegations, contact challenges, and burnout Sessions can sometimes be funded through agency packages, NDIS (where applicable), or privately. Formal training packages: Reparative Parenting Understanding Trauma and How to Work With It Introduction to FASD Cultural Awareness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Behaviour Support for Children and Young People in OOHC See this article for full training descriptions.

When a child in out-of-home care has a presentation that doesn't quite fit, a behaviour that is a struggle to formulate, or a system stuck on what to do next — that's where consultation helps. Drawing on over 30 years of combined experience in OOHC and Child Protection, Jordi Tomé, Amy Crowe, and the Jigsaw team provide specialist clinical consultation to DCJ and NGO caseworkers, agency leadership, and foster and kinship carers across NSW and Australia. We've sat in your case meetings, written the reports, and supported the placements — so we understand the pressures of the system and the urgency of getting it right for the child. Consultation is typically a short series of sessions, focused on a specific child, carer, or case. Common areas we're asked about: Differential diagnosis and complex trauma — untangling what's trauma, what's neurodevelopmental (ADHD, ASD, FASD, intellectual disability), what's attachment, and what's all of the above Neurosequential thinking — drawing from Bruce Perry's Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) framework to make sense of a child's presentation developmentally, and to sequence intervention accordingly (provided as clinical consultation; we are not certified NMT trainers) What assessment and intervention does this child or family system actually need? — and in what order Placement stabilisation — formulating behaviour, supporting carers, and identifying what's driving placement risk Problematic and harmful sexualised behaviour (PHSB) in children and adolescents Carer and team consultation — including vicarious trauma, secondary trauma, and reparative parenting Cultural considerations — particularly when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people, and communities Every consultation ends with clear, documented, practical next steps — a formulation you can take into a case plan, a recommendation you can action, or a referral pathway that makes sense. Consultation can be delivered by video, on-site at your agency, or in our rooms in Drummoyne. Use the enquiry form on this page or contact us to discuss a case.

Workshops and training designed for the people doing the work — caseworkers, residential staff, clinicians, foster care support workers, and leadership. Training topics include (but are not limited to): Understanding the impact of trauma and OOHC Trauma-informed behaviour support FASD Explained Differential Diagnosis and Trauma (for practitioners) Stabilising Mental Health Problematic and Harmful Sexualised Behaviour (PHSB) Managing staff vicarious trauma Grief and Loss in OOHC Cultural Safety in OOHC Training is delivered in person or online, and can be tailored to your team's role, caseload, and current challenges. Half-day, full-day, and multi-session formats available. Contact us to scope a training package for your team.