Early in the consultation phase of the project, local Elders through Hedland Aboriginal Strong Leaders, education representatives and others identified that vulnerable families needed help navigating and accessing local support services that were already available in Port Hedland.
With the support of BHP, a research collaboration with Julyardi Aboriginal Corporation was established to develop the Kumaparniku Wraparound Service, providing critical support and service navigation for disadvantaged Aboriginal families with young children in Hedland.
The service is centred around goals identified across life domains such as employment, housing, health and family and support is provided through service navigation and brokerage to the family to achieve those goals with enthos of client empowerment.
The aim of the project is for at-risk families with one or more children under the age of five years to achieve the goals they have identified as important for their family and increase empowerment and self-efficacy, family safety and resources.
For most families, goals centre around:
- Family relationships
- Homelessness
- Child health and development
- Education