The NACCHO Sector News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.
We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.
What is FASD, and why do so many children with it end up in Australia’s justice system?
Vulnerable young people and communities concerned about crime would both benefit from better screening and support for foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), experts say.
FASD is caused by exposure to alcohol in the womb. There is no known safe level of alcohol that can be consumed during pregnancy. Because alcohol crosses the placenta, maternal and foetal blood alcohol concentrations can rapidly reach the same level but the foetus’s organs are not developed enough to break the alcohol down and remove it. This disrupts brain and other organ development.
Most crucial to preventing children with FASD ending up embedded in the justice system, is early screening, and alcohol and drinking education.
Dr Robyn Williams, a senior research fellow and FASD expert at Curtin University medical school, says she has many stories of youth receiving early treatment for FASD who never encounter the justice system, and who find employment and independence as adults.
The Noongar woman from WA runs training in Indigenous communities about FASD, and has researched how families caring for Aboriginal children with FASD understand the condition and access care.
Common misconceptions about FASD are prevalent among GPs and child protection and youth justice workers, she says, further delaying diagnosis and care. A myth also persists that “FASD is only an Aboriginal problem”.
“This is not an Aboriginal problem and the majority of Aboriginal people don’t even drink,” she says. But about 60% of all pregnant women in Australia drink, with about half stopping once they realise they are pregnant.
Aboriginal people who do drink are more likely to drink at risky levels. This means that the prevalence of FASD among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is disproportionately higher than the non-Indigenous population, says Pat Turner, the chief executive of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
“This is a direct consequence of colonisation, racism and poor social health determinants,” she says. “It is essential approaches to prevent and support people living with FASD are culturally safe, trauma-aware and led by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.”
To read The Guardian news article in full, go here.
Children with FASD have a brain injury that means their cognitive skills are well below their chronological age. They might not be able to differentiate right from wrong, which can get them in trouble with the youth justice system. Illustration: James Gulliver Hancock/The Guardian.
Help shape a brighter future for mums and bubs
NACCHO is inviting you to attend Maternal and Child Health regional workshops as part of the consultation to inform the development of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Maternal and Child Health Plan (the Plan) 2025-2035. This Plan will set out an approach to Close the Gap for mums and bubs, and guide governments’ investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander MCH services over the short, medium, and long-term.
The Plan has been receiving extensive consultation with Members, including through the survey, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander MCH Expert Advisory Group and a series of face-to-face opportunities for discussion.
Noting the excellent services delivered by members and common experiences faced, we are inviting you to engage in the regional workshop to inform NACCHO and Government on the MCH needs of ACCHOs Australia-wide.
With your help, we hope to highlight and scale up your successes and sustainably address gaps and barriers to improve maternal and child health services. Please contact the NACCHO Maternal and Child Health team if you require assistance or have any questions about the regional workshops or the consultation process.
Maternal and Child Health regional workshops dates and locations:
- Perth: 7 August
- Darwin: 14 August
- Sydney: 16 August
- Brisbane: 20 August
We kindly ask that you RSVP by 1st August 2024. To RSVP, go here.
For any questions, reach out to the friendly NACCHO Maternal and Child Health team:
Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative launches Aboriginal Children in Aboriginal Care program
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 22 times more likely to be removed from their families and placed in the child protection system than non-Indigenous children in Victoria. Massive steps are underway across the state to change that statistic as Aboriginal people are given legal authority to become decision makers for Aboriginal children in out-of-home care. The Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative has become the third organisation in Victoria to run the Aboriginal Children in Aboriginal Care program, following Bendigo and Melbourne.
Program manager Jess Wall said it was changing the trajectories of Aboriginal children.
“It is giving community, families and children self determination back and decision making back with Aboriginal people instead of having the department make those decisions,” she said.
Ms Wall said while her staff were required to operate within the same legislation as the Victorian child protection service, their approach was vastly different.
“Working within community, we usually know the family,” she said.
“Working together with the family is the point of difference, really hearing their voices and working alongside them.”
Njernda Aboriginal Cooperative in Echuca and Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative in Shepparton have been going through the authorisation process. Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative director of child safety and cultural support, Jodie Kinsmore, said she had seen higher rates of family reunification.
Ms Kinsmore said they have received feedback from people saying they wouldn’t have their kids back if it wasn’t for them or the Aboriginal Children in Aboriginal Care program. She said the Aboriginal Children in Aboriginal Care program was healing of intergenerational trauma that had created distrust in child protection services.
To read the ABC News article in full, go here.
The Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative has become part of the program.(Supplied: Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative).
Calls for greater diabetes technology access
Diabetes Australia is calling on the government to support access to life-changing diabetes technology for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Attending a community event hosted by Marrin Weejali Aboriginal Corporation in Sydney’s Mount Druitt area, Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain highlighted the advantages of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices for people living with type 2 diabetes.
This National Diabetes Week (July 14-20), Ms Cain is calling on the Federal Government to invest $200 million in access to life-changing diabetes technologies for those Australians who need it the most.
“Our recent report, the State of the Nation, outlined how diabetes is disproportionately affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Ms Cain said.
“The evidence is clear. The diabetes epidemic is having a profound impact in Aboriginal and Torries Strait Islander communities and there is an urgent need to bring about change.”
Gomeroi man and award-winning exercise physiologist Ray Kelly has delivered the successful Too Deadly for Diabetes program through Marrin Weejali and said CGMs provide great education on glucose management.
“However, they aren’t subsidised, and are out of reach for many people who can’t afford them,” Mr Kelly said.
“We began using the technology in the Too Deadly for Diabetes program in 2022 and the impact was instant. We were already getting great health outcomes for our participants, but CGMs made it easier and safer to transition people off insulin.
“Many of the people in the program had been on insulin for over a decade so reading their glucose levels in real time gave them confidence in what they were doing.
“The alarm settings warned them if their glucose levels dropped too low, and the time in range reports gave their GPs clear information on how they were progressing. It’s been a game-changer!”
To read the article in full, go here.
Image source: Diabetes Australia.
Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum launches new Strategic Plan
Co-chairs of the Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum (KAHPF) launched the new Strategic Plan 2024-2028 Together in Wellness, last week. The new Strategic Plan now firmly aligns the work of the KAHPF with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and the four priority reforms – which is important to further bolster efforts to make an impact on the socio-economic targets that have an impact on life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Strategic priorities outlined in the new plan include:
- Reform: Embed the elements of the four priority reforms of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap into all collaborative efforts of the KAHPF.
- Improved health system: Deliver holistic health, aged care and disability services to Kimberley Aboriginal people and communities, focusing on environmental health, health promotion, and the prevention and management of primary and acute care issues.
- Aboriginal workforce: Prioritise, grow, and sustain Aboriginal representation and leadership across the Kimberley health, disability, and aged care workforces.
- Shared knowledge: Ensure that health research and evaluation initiatives are co-designed in a culturally secure manner and clear outcomes are achieved.
- Genuine partnership: Embed shared decision-making, genuine partnerships, and collaborative approaches across Kimberley health, disability, and aged care planning, coordination, advocacy, and service delivery.
KAHPF also recently marked its 26-year anniversary. Formed in 1998, KAHPF has grown to become the leading regional health and wellbeing forum in the Kimberley region of WA.
To read the Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum Strategic Plan 2024-2028 Together in Wellness, go here.
Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum (KAHPF) launched the new Strategic Plan 2024-2028 Together in Wellness and celebrated 26 years of the Forum. Image source: KAMS.
Research into the commercial determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
Five expert research teams will share in an investment of $7 million in funding to support targeted health and medical research into the commercial determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. The funding, to be provided through the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Targeted Call for Research (TCR): Commercial determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health 2023, will stimulate innovative research aiming to drive better health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Researchers from across Australia will share in this funding with project scopes that recognise and adjust for the interplay between social, cultural, economic, and commercial determinants of health and how they compound to influence health outcomes. These projects are intended to collectively deliver on developing evidence that contributes towards a response to strengthen national systems, inform policy design and development, and contribute towards information that will empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to take action.
Ms Carol-Lynne Christophersen from Menzies School of Health Research will lead Project White-Ant with Dr Cassandra Wright, which aims to generate knowledge that can support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to protect against harms caused by commercial systems.
Conducted in partnership with Aboriginal communities in the NT and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, this project will improve our understanding of how communities can take action to protect against harms caused by commercial entities, and what protections are preferred.
To read the NHMRC media release in full, go here.
Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.
Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click here to go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
ACCHO Governance Workshops
Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025.
Registrations are now open for:
The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:
- Delegation of powers
- Finance for Boards
- Governance documents
- Managing conflicts of interest
- Managing risk
- Principles of good governance
- Structure and role of boards and sub-committees
To register, go here.
For more information, please contact NACCHO using this email link.
