A new training program aimed at upskilling practitioners in the State’s Child and Family Support System to help Aboriginal families stay together and out of the child protection system, is to begin this month.
According to the Minister for Human Services, Michelle Lensink, the training course is to be mandatory for the 300-plus practitioners in the System.
Ms Lensink said the two-day Program, called Yaitya Mingkamingka Purrutiapinthi – Tree of Hope, was the first of its kind and aimed to upskill the entire child and family early intervention workforce.
She said the Program would equip workers with specialist training in how to respond to the complex effects of intergenerational trauma.
The Minister said the Program would be delivered by South Australian Aboriginal organisations including Aboriginal Family Support Services; Kornar Winmil Yunti; and Tauondi Aboriginal Community College and followed extensive consultation with practitioners, non-government providers, Aboriginal elders and people with lived experience.
Ms Lensink said the Program was developed in collaboration with the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC), the national voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and trialled with nearly 40 practitioners, with positive feedback.
The Minister said every child facing the prospect of removal from their family deserved to be supported by professionals with the right skills and training.
“Early intervention to keep families safe in their community is our continued goal,” Ms Lensink said.
Chief Executive Officer of SNAICC and Arrernte/Luritja woman, Catherine Liddle said the System must be culturally safe and sensitive to trauma for Aboriginal families to feel comfortable seeking support.
“This innovative new approach embeds local cultural values relevant to South Australian Aboriginal communities, which is important for the workforce to understand,” Ms Liddle said.
