The Kuop Maaman Djinaning-Bo Program (“Good Men Looking Forward”) is a culturally grounded, primary prevention initiative designed to address family and domestic violence (FDV) and trauma within Aboriginal communities on Nyungar (Perth) Country. Delivered in partnership with led by Dooga Waalitj Healing, the program centers on the empowerment and healing of male caregivers and young men, reconnecting them with culture, country, and community to foster both individual and collective resilience. Aligned with the Western Australia Path to Safety Strategy 2020–2030 and the Aboriginal Family Safety Strategy, Kuop Maaman Djinaning-Bo addresses key risk factors and traumatic histories that contribute to violence, supporting a safer environment for Aboriginal women and children.

Utilising Yarning Circles and On Country trips, the program offers safe, culturally significant spaces for male caregivers and young men to process trauma, explore their roles within family and community, and restore cultural pride and identity. Yarning Circles provide separate spaces where participants can speak openly about the challenges and responsibilities of being an Aboriginal man in today’s world, allowing them to safely express emotions, share stories, and begin to process intergenerational trauma. On Country trips further deepen this healing process by connecting participants to traditional Nyungar practices, where they engage in cultural customs, reawakening a connection to ancestral lands and heritage that strengthens mental and emotional well-being.

This trauma-informed approach helps participants develop stronger relationships with Elders and community leaders, offering mentorship and reinforcing cultural protocols. These connections aid in reframing trauma through cultural pride, kinship, and shared values, building a foundation of respect and accountability. By addressing the underlying drivers of violence and fostering community support networks, the Kuop Maaman Djinaning-Bo Program aims to create a generational shift in attitudes towards safety, identity, and healing, advancing primary prevention by empowering Nyungar men to lead with resilience and compassion.

Let us share our perspectives on how a meaningful cultural plan, enriches the life and growth of the child/young person in the hope this can lead to creating pathways back to kin and community. 

We know for Aboriginal children and young people to start their healing journey, there needs to be a meaningful connection to culture and identity. This can be achieved through cultural plans that are created for the individual child in collaboration with their own mob and highlighting their rights for relational connections. 

Cultural plans are a requirement for all Aboriginal children in out of home care. These plans are not all the same and we need to ensure that the children’s kinship connections are well researched and documented to reflect their own relational attachments. The impact of not researching a child’s cultural connections through family and community takes away personal cultural connections. This causes disconnection and loss of the child’s Aboriginal identity.

In developing therapeutic cultural support plans, we encourage and support collaboration with everyone who is important in the child’s life. Within the OurSPACE program, we work with the whole care team to gather as much information about the child’s cultural journey, so that we can shape our therapeutic approaches to foster healing within a culturally safe space. 

It is rare for two thirds of the leadership within a mainstream organisation to be First Nations staff. It shouldn’t be but often it is. How are the leadership of the NSW Therapeutic Services team for ACF walking together. To acknowledge our different cultural lenses and becoming an integrated team. A team that works together and walks this journey not alone. 

Hear from the reflections of the three Australian Childhood Foundation NSW Team Leaders about their experience of walking together and how they prioritise the needs of their team, children and young people to support their journey’s. The team leaders will share how team culture and safety is created and maintained. They will explore what works and where they face the challenges while holding their teams in this unique space.