Aggression Toward Family/Caregivers in Childhood and Adolescence (AFCCA) is a serious, under-recognized pattern of behaviour that causes significant harm to children, and their caregivers/families. Drawing on key insights, outcomes, and family voices from the National Consortium on AFCCA and Interwoven’s AFCCA Family Supports Program—Ontario’s first publicly-funded, dedicated initiative supporting families experiencing this complex form of aggression, presenters will highlight how combining peer support, supportive communities, and evidence-based interventions can improve safety, stability, and outcomes for children and families.  

This interactive workshop will explore: (1) understanding AFCCA through family and caregiver perspectives; (2) examining stigma, unconscious bias, and systemic barriers that limit parents’ and caregivers’ full participation in therapeutic plans of care; and (3) becoming an AFCCA-informed practitioner through accessible tools and on-demand resources.  

Participants will gain practical strategies for engaging families as full partners in care and accelerating the successful implementation of emerging evidence into real-world practice.

Learning Objectives

1. Deepen understanding of AFCCA and its impact on families. Participants will identify key characteristics of AFCCA, recognize how it affects children, caregivers, and family systems, and understand its intersections with neurodevelopmental needs, trauma, and systemic stressors.  

2. Strengthen capacity to engage parents and caregivers as essential partners in care. Participants will examine how stigma, unconscious bias, and systemic inequities shape caregivers’ experiences and contribute to disengagement—and will learn practical, strengths-based strategies to build trust, safety, and collaboration with families.

3. Apply AFCCA-informed, evidence-based approaches and tools in practice. Participants will explore accessible resources, peer-supported strategies, and evidence-based interventions (e.g., Non-Violent Resistance, polyvagal-informed approaches) and identify concrete ways to integrate these tools into their own roles to enhance outcomes and improve service coordination across sectors.