​The Therapeutic Care Services (Residential and Secure Care) Therapeutic Care Guide aligns with the Residential Care (Sanctuary) Framework.  The Therapeutic Care Guide was developed to promote Growth and Change.  The intent is for individuals and groups to use the Therapeutic Care Guide to reflect on care practice and decide where to focus energy and resources for continuous improvement in the delivery of therapeutic care.  Regardless as to whether the Therapeutic Care Guide is being used by individuals or groups the process is the same: reflect, prioritise, plan and then act.  The Therapeutic Care Guide, therefore, is a planning document and so space is included for recording the actions required to undertake improvements.

The process of reflection, prioritising and planning is best undertaken with others: the sharing of observations and perspectives and the interaction and exchange of differing views, experiences and impressions aid Growth and Change.

The Therapeutic Care Guide can be used for planning purposes at the individual, team and leadership level.  At the individual level the Therapeutic Care Guide may be used to support and enhance supervision.  At the team level the Manager, House Psychologist and Level 3's may use the Therapeutic Care Guide for bi-annual strategic planning.  At the leadership level an Assistant Director, House Manager and House Psychologist may use the Therapeutic Care Guide for bi-annual strategic planning.

This Guide comprises the hallmarks of therapeutic care service delivery, taken from Australian and international literature on therapeutic caring for youth in out-of-home care and Residential Group Home care.  These hallmarks are presented as a series of questions. 

The questions have been clustered using the language of the Sanctuary Model, so that there is congruence with the Residential Care (Sanctuary) Framework. The questions in this Guide collectively focus on enabling a Residential Group Home to be a culturally appropriate, extra-familial living environment, which provides attachment experiences and opportunities that help to rescript a child's negative internal view of themselves and relationships and develop the child's self-esteem and sense of self-efficacy.

This Guide comprises four parts or Pillars: Trauma Informed Practice; Care Practice Values (Sanctuary Commitments); Domains of Healing – Safety, Emotion, Loss and Future; and Care Practice Rituals and Tools.  The Pillars have been further organised into parts.  These parts are referred to as Sanctuary Elements.  The Therapeutic Care Guide includes instructions for use.