The National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention – Mulungu Connected Beginnings

Evenis speaking

So, Mareeba's the Muluridji Country that we're on. The meaning of Mareeba means the meeting of the waters. So yeah, that explains a lot. So in Mareeba, it's the gateway to the Gulf and the Cape. So we have a lot of families that come through all the time. So this is the Mareeba community beliefs. So these speech bubbles are what community are saying. So the purple one, there should be more yarning with community members. We need to work together. Getting kids involved in cultural activities and going out on country could be something simple as taking the kids fishing here in Mareeba.

Christine speaking

We have a fair majority of our children who historically haven't been assessed or identified with developmental delays and disabilities.

So, there is a, you know, a strong need to actually try and get those assessments.

Evenis speaking

If we do come across any developmental delays—so we offer the ASQ-TRAKs to the families. So we work with Mulungu, the Aboriginal Community-controlled Organisation of Mareeba, so, the service is good there, they've got Allied Health, Mums and Bubs. So that's our Connected Beginnings Health Stream Arm where the

referrals that we do, even with the ASQ-TRAKs, go straight to the Connected Beginnings Health Arm.

Christine speaking

So, we have practitioners now in Mareeba and within Mulungu to actually provide that early intervention. That's not only done in the clinic or in the Mums and Bubs space but it can also be undertaken out at the pop-ups.

Regina speaking

So, we have the pop-ups once a week, we engage with the family there and just have a yarn with them to see if they have any concerns or anything about their child.

Evenis speaking

So, the photos just around this, the journey is actually the photos from our pop-up, so there's a lot of our families—the images that are here—and one of the favourite things that the kids like is when the fire brigade comes along. So we engage with families and then they can yarn with us and just interacting with the children as well. So just observing if there are any fine motor skills, speech delays, that we can have a yarn with the parents then just to inform them and also then referring them to the right support system.

Christine speaking

They may be new in town and don't know where to go. So we try to capture the whole of the community through the pop-ups.

Evenis speaking

So right behind me, this is the majority of where our families stay.

So this is one area, this is called the Yumba, but this is the community church. So we also have pop-ups here. That's, you know, it's another safe place for our families as well and when the weather's no good. So even for Christmas—like we had a bauble up in the tree and the kids had fun just whacking that around and yeah, just all that fun activities for the kids while engaging with the families. Just having pop-ups here on a regular basis as well is easy for our families that are from this area because then the less transport, they can just walk and come along.

Christine speaking

Within structured areas, the community don't own the space. It's owned by services or it's owned by whoever's delivering that. So we want to provide a place where the community can say, well, you know, this is our space.

Regina speaking

Being on land out in the open, it's calming and I think they just feel more comfortable instead of in a building. They feel, you know, they can only say certain things and they hold a lot of things back but outside, we just sit and yarn. The kids are always, you know, enjoying themselves on country, I reckon.

Christine speaking

And I feel that that's really important to allow the kids to actually create their own space, allow the kids to actually be a part of their own way of thinking, because we can assume a lot with kids and a lot of the times we don't ask the kids what they want.

Regina speaking

Well, when I started work here, I've seen that it has grown, community has become more interested in the pop-ups, more attendance and they're actually getting other families to come along as well.

Evenis speaking

Some of the flow-on effects might be just helping them with their enrolment process. So, you know, getting them into the early education centres, just yarning with the teachers as well. And so if there are any developmental delays, they refer back to us. We can, and also the school can, support them with a plan to help them achieve their first year of school. If I could give any advice to Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, I think just being with the family on their journey and walking alongside them is a really good opportunity to show, you know, the trust between the service and the community.

Christine speaking

Well, all you need to do is go in and build relationships—relationships is core—go out into community, find out what community are actually saying.

Evenis speaking

Having the Elders present, you know, yarning with families as well from, you know, when they were young and what problems they might have had.

Regina speaking

Be yourself, I think. Talk to them as if you talk to your friends or family, check up on them and see how they're doing because you do that and also, well, someone cares and you'll build that relationship that way if they feel like they've been listened to.

Christine speaking

I think one of the things too is that understanding that families are the experts in their own lives, so tap into the strengths of the families and not to focus on the negatives. I think is a key.

Evenis speaking

I think just with the wording when you are talking to the families with the child with disabilities is just coming down and just, you know, talking to their level so they can get a better understanding of what support they need for their child.

Christine speaking

Us as organisations, we have the resources, talk to the community about their view of what the solutions are and act upon that, so it can be community-driven rather than organisational-driven.