VACCHO’s Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Families Wellbeing welcomes the Allan Labor Government’s announcement to invest $5.2 million to roll out three new Aboriginal-led pilot programs by Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCO) across Victoria from February 2025.
The State Government funding enables four Victorian ACCOs to design and deliver healthcare models that respond to critical areas of need relating to the health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal children.
VACCHO CEO, Dr Jill Gallagher AO welcomes the investment, “We know that Aboriginal-led and localised approaches deliver the best results for Community.”
“By placing Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands, we will create vibrant, self-determining Communities and our boorais (babies and young children) will grow up to shape the future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria, Dr Gallagher said.”
VACCHO’s members from northeast Victoria, the Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation and Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service, will work together as a regional partnership to coordinate culturally safe healthcare for Aboriginal children.
This program will improve access to health screenings for Aboriginal children in the region, facilitated with the help of Aboriginal health navigators at Mungabareena.
In metropolitan Melbourne, the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) will assist Aboriginal children entering care by connecting kids to health assessments at VAHS clinics to help identify issues and deliver needed treatments.
VACCHO will support the establishment of a professional network to support Aboriginal kinship carers across Victoria, giving them the resources, guidance and connections they need to support the health and wellbeing of the children in their care.
Executive Director of VACCHO’s Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Families Wellbeing Sheree Lowe, says the funding will help empower Aboriginal-led teams to provide and coordinate healthcare for children in a culturally safe way.
“I’m thrilled for our members who are the recipients of this much needed funding The findings from these programs will help build an evidence base that will assist us in future planning and design for improved outcomes.”
“All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people deserve the best start to their health and wellbeing needs, especially those living in an out of home care placement” Ms Lowe said.
VACCHO will provide support to ensure each program upholds Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing – helping the organisations to self-determine what best practice looks like when it comes to healthcare for children and young people.
These programs are an exciting step forward. The Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Families Wellbeing, however, will also be focused on the next step – creating programs focused on preventing children from going into care in the first place by keeping families together and keeping families safe and strong.
