We asked Dr Katitza Marinkovic Chavez from Melbourne University to talk about the new children’s book, being launched at our event on 31st March: Child-Centered Practice after Fatal Family Violence.
“What Ally Needs Now” is an illustrated children’s storybook that’s designed designed with and for people with lived experience, for ages 8-10 and upwards. The story follows Ally, a little Rhino Beetle, as they recover from losing a loved one from fatal family violence, and the imposed silence and stigma that often accompany this experience.
Written by Andrea Baldwin and illustrated by Thu Houng Nguyen, the story gently explores connection, agency, grief and healing using accessible, engaging language and full-colour artwork to support read-aloud and early independent reading. Co-created with people with lived experience and practitioners, the book is designed for family, therapeutic and classroom settings.
Globally, the scale and consequences of fatal family violence on children’s lives are profound and under documented. For example, current estimates suggest around 55,000 children may be affected each year globally by intimate partner homicide (when one parent kills the other one).
Due to the taboos surrounding grief, homicide and family violence, children often have to deal on their own with the compounding and long-term impacts of trauma, stigma, and disenfranchised grief. In this context, caregivers and practitioners can provide crucial support to help children. Unfortunately, there is a critical gap in terms of resources and professional development opportunities to develop skills and confidence to talk with children about their feelings and experiences after fatal family violence.
To fill this gap, our team at the University of Melbourne collaborated with the Family Homicide Peer Support Network, the Australian Childhood Foundation, people with lived experience and diverse practitioners to create this book as part of a wider set of resources, all accessible in the new online ‘Spotlight’ page (which will also be launched at this event).
‘What Ally Needs Now’ is the second of a series of resources developed as part of The BEETLE Project. The BEETLE Project (Braiding Empathy, Empowerment, Tales, Listening & Expression) brings together people with lived experience, authors, artists, professionals and researchers to share the stories of children, young people and families navigating life after bereavement caused by family violence. These narratives are told in the storytellers’ own terms, recognising their expertise and the sacredness of their experiences. Our toolkit is centred on storybooks and complementary resources designed to be used in family, peer support, therapeutic and educational settings.
Our first book, ‘Life After Intimate Partner Homicide’ (available free online in the National Library of Australia) includes courageous stories illustrating that, while bereavement after homicide profoundly disrupts children’s lives, it need not define their future. The book is directed at an adult audience and includes practical information to find help, peer connection opportunities and summaries of current evidence on best supporting bereaved children and young people.
The first printed copies of ‘What Ally Needs Now’ and ‘Life After Intimate Partner Homicide…’ are coming out in 2026!
We also continue to develop ideas and new resources for the toolkit, as well as evidence on its use.
For this next stage, we are building a network of champions for ‘What Ally Needs Now’ and the BEETLE Project —professionals, community workers, educators, researchers and peers—who can help bring these resources into practice, as well as contribute with their feedback and ideas.
If you would like more information about our resources or would like to join the BEETLE Champion network, please get in touch!
This book will be launched at our event on March 31st: Child-Centered Practice after Fatal Family Violence.
This event is part of the Family Violence Sexual Violence (FVSV) Project, a collaborative partnership between four peak organisations.
Check out more at the FVSV Knowledge Hub and subscribe to hear about further events!
