The most isolating experience that can happen to you as a child or young person is sexual abuse. Perpetrators of sexual abuse not only use tactics to isolate you from everyone and everything that you love, but you isolate yourself, because how could anyone understand what has happened to you? Was I to blame? What do people think when they see me?

Healing from the trauma of sexual abuse and making sense of what has happened to you cannot happen in isolation. The more you are isolated the further you are separated from your pathway that leads to healing. 

In Yolngu culture, our pathway to healing is Gurrutu.

Gurrutu is our Kinship system and tells the story of who we are, how we fit and where we belong.

Gurrutu is about connection and relationship.

Gurrutu paints an expansive worldview that not only links us to the here and now but recognises that in the Yolngu world, everything and everyone is intertwined and interconnected. Gurrutu predetermines and identifies a Yolngu person’s Clan, Moiety, Songlines, cultural responsibilities and relationships with everyone and everything.

Gurrutu means you are part of something much bigger; your trauma does not define you, and most importantly, you are not alone.

At Yalu, one of our young, strong cultural leaders started the Girl Power group after working with young survivors of sexual abuse. She wanted them not just to survive but to thrive and flourish. Girl Power works to restore dignity, take away shame and reconnect young women through Gurrutu. Girl Power recognises that we live better lives when we are accepted and connected to our healing pathways. Our team walks alongside our young women, building their resilience while navigating the complexities of walking in two worlds, addressing intergenerational trauma and supporting them on their healing journey.

National child protection data show a consistent pattern of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being substantially over-represented in every area of the child protection system - almost 8 times as likely as non- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. 

Within Queensland Evolve Therapeutic Services (ETS), a specialist Child and Youth Mental Health Service (Queensland Health), has been set-up to therapeutically support children and young people with care experience only.  Since ETS commenced, paralleling national data, the ETS program has seen an increase in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being referred.

However, despite the strong evidence and need for all mental health services to be culturally safe and appropriate, attempts to foster a stronger appreciation of the socio-cultural determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children Wellbeing has been challenging.  With this in mind, ETS embarked on a journey to deliver culturally responsive and appropriate care.   Part of our journey, through the amazing work and support of past and current ‘Indigenous Program Coordinators’, has been exploring, developing and embedding resources based around the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander world view of Social Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) and health, as defined by Gee, Dudgeon, Schultz, Hart, and Kelly.

The presentation will outline several critical and practical resources that have been developed with the intent to assist, educate and informed the ETS Program and sector about the SEWB framework, in particular the SEWB domains, possible contributing / risk factors, and possible protective factors that can consider in treatment planning and intervention.  During the trial and implementation of these resources, there has been an increase in staff understanding of SEWB and enact SEWB responsive treatment planning and care, increasing the positive outcomes for those accessing the program.

This collaborative project with Burrun Dalai Aboriginal Corporation aims to shift the focus of interventions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children in care. By integrating Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), we seek to transform traditional behaviour management plans into Cultural Healing Plans.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families remain over represented in our care system. Through Australia’s difficult history, Aboriginal families have been impacted through intergenerational trauma, cultural disconnection, powerlessness, and poor health outcomes. Health systems frequently propose changes through a Western lens, which fails to resonate culturally or yield meaningful results for these communities. Consequently, many interventions, such as NDIS Behaviour Support plans, become mere formalities, lacking cultural relevance.

DDP offers a framework that facilitates deep listening and understanding of the stories and experiences of these families. It encourages exploration without haste or predefined agendas, fostering outcomes that are meaningful and culturally aligned. This approach emphasizes connection with culture and identity.

Our work involved collaborating with Burrun Dalai staff to understand the narratives of the children and families they support. Together, we reviewed existing behaviour management plans and co-created Cultural Healing Plans that incorporate DDP principles.

This presentation highlights our process with Aboriginal families in regional NSW, detailing how we reshaped NDIS Behaviour Support Plans into Cultural Healing Plans through DDP conversations. We will discuss our methods, outcomes, lessons learned, and future goals to enhance healing and recovery for these families. Additionally, we will share reflections from the families involved.