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.