Support for Indigenous families
If you want to get things done it's often not what you know, but who you know.
This is particularly true in Indigenous communities, where relationships and family networks are the backbone of the community tradition.
Early intervention services in Cairns and Inala have been working with these networks to connect with Indigenous families with children aged up to 10 years referred by the Department of Child Safety for intensive support.
The Referral for Active Intervention services (RAI) funded by the Department of Communities and operated by ACT for Kids in Cairns and Mission Australia in Inala are working to reduce the number of families and the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children coming into contact with the child protection system.
Karen Dini-Paul, ACT for Kids regional manager, says the key is time. "We take the time to establish relationships, maintain a consistent presence in the community and get involved in what's going on. Then we are able to have the honest conversations necessary to motivate the families to make positive changes."
Inala RAI service manager Seanne Lew-Fatt believes identifying family relationships is important in an urban community. "Although there are many different clan groups they all know each other and spread the word," Seanne says.
There are 10 RAI services throughout Queensland working to improve the lives of vulnerable children and their families.