Gunawirra as an Early Intervention Model

Gunawirra’s premise is that unless the cycle of mental health related abuse is broken, the Gap that separates Australia’s indigenous and non-indigenous people can never be closed. The future will have no inbuilt preventative models and methods — parents will unconsciously visit on their children what was done to them.

Further, our experience has been that alcohol and substance abuse are inextricably linked to mental health. And, unless Aboriginal (or indeed non-Aboriginal) families are healthy — both physically and mentally — the resulting trauma to children greatly impedes their most basic capacity to learn. Without that learning, Aboriginal children will never be empowered to break the secondary cycle of poverty condemning them to the fringes of Australian society.

As a Harm Prevention Charity, Gunawirra promotes the prevention or control of emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, suicide, self-harm (self injury, self mutilation), substance abuse, and harmful gambling.

The Work so far

In the two years since its inception, Gunawirra has launched a number of programs, listed below or on separate Project pages, with many working in concert with each other. All these project have a single aim, the prevention of harm to families, not only through substance and alcohol abuse but through personal neglect and poor nutrition of themselves and their children. “The children are arriving with terrible ulcers on their legs, parents can’t go to the doctor, can’t afford the chemist, so no bandages, no medicine!” “Diabetes is a massive problem, not helped by the seven nights a week consumption of fast foods so that poor nutrition habits are formed early in life”.

This is critical to a child’s ability to learn and reach their developmental milestones, and their ability to embrace the structure and creativity offered by preschool — the foundation stone of education. To date, over 100 families have used the programs. And, counting…

The 40 NSW pre-schools in which Gunawirra’s programs are run include 11 Department of Education designated early learning centres. Its programs have been designed with the assistance of each of the Aboriginal communities for whom they’re created. In addition, Gunawirra has ongoing partnerships with the Department of Health, Aboriginal Land Council and such facilities as St Vincents Hospital Mission, Macquarie University’s Multi-Lit centre, RPA Hospital Aboriginal Maternity Unit, Southern Cross University and organisations including Masonicare and Gilbert and Tobin solicitors — all of which support and contribute to Gunawirra’s work.

Gunawirra Projects

• Coolamon Family Project; Boomerangs Project: Child and family play groups and individual assessment; mothers groups; camps — Miller in the Liverpool area. The direct purpose of this incredibly successful project is the protection of mother and child form self abuse and abuse from partners. Many of the parents who are themselves already abused are at risk of acting out on their children. The program are directly and immediately linked to this problem. Not one of the families in the core of this program have left it in two years.
• Inner Suburbs Family Project: A preventative and early intervention project aimed at pregnant mothers, with every aspect of holistic care and support included. It protects the pregnant mother and her child and is for really disturbed parents giving weekly home-visiting and 24 hour support in most cases and supervision from highly qualified professionals.
• Marte Meo Project: the Marte Meo method is currently used in ten Gunawirra preschools, this is an internationally renowned program of over 20 years standing designed for the protection of the child and the training of the parents to use their own emotions for the betterment of themselves and the protection of their child. It is seen as preventative of trauma and abuse of different kinds. Marte Meo (Latin for ‘by their own strength’) is a ‘how to’ experiential method for developing good relationships between mother and child in very detailed ways, when anger management is a problem. The brilliance of this program lies in its simplicity and ease of learning. Focusing on the child’s strengths, his or her needs are placed at the centre of the paradigm so that a pleasant positive way of communication between adult and child is built in a short time. And the mother or father are given such positive reinforcement to protect themselves and their children from their own violence. It is particularly helpful for children with difficult backgrounds who may be at risk of being traumatized. It is particularly useful in situation of mental problems and suicidal ideation.
• Girrawheen Project: ongoing professional and emotional support for the directors and staff of all Gunawirra preschools.  It prevents mental breakdown in the staff, many of whom suffer from burnout and exhaustion and isolation. This is done through weekly telephone support calls to each preschool, as well as regular outreach programs and the provision of educational resources such as films and literature. So many of the Directors burn out because the work is so demanding and because of the isolation.
• Baralga: a weekend in-service project for families conducted on seven weekends through the year – two each in Inverell, Gunnedah and Peak Hill and one in Tamworth encompassing five local preschools. The Baralga program deals with prevention of trauma, loss and attachment issues through seminars, special staff counselling sessions and parent and child art therapy. Art therapy program for parents and children.
• Karawee Karawee: this prevention program focuses on ways of expressing emotions and anger that are not harmful to the children and distressing for the parents who enact anger on their children. The program builds attachment and trust between children and their parents through regular art and sand play, through massage, through holding the child in their minds during times of great stress s for the parents when they could easily act out.  It includes special services to children and parents — Strongman Project, Inverell. Home visiting and group work, Peak Hill. Special gathering for parents and children at risk – Gunnedah, Inverell.
• Activities booklet for daily involvement in each centre on ways and means of avoiding violence and management of anger.  It is being created for 120 Aboriginal preschool centres in cooperation with Radford College, six North Western Preschools in NSW, DET, TAFE.
• Pre-literacy: Partnering Macquarie University Multi lit. 2011. Education is the greatest preventative against self harm and harm to others.
• Inverell Strong Man Project: The employment of a male Aboriginal sports teacher to create a physical education program and provide a strong male role model for the Aboriginal children in the Inverell preschool. This work of this teacher has already dramatically enriched the curriculum and the personal pride of the children.  Home visiting fathers at risk from self harm and mental breakdown is an integral part of this program.
• Barinya: This is an important Project in that it protects individuals and their families for up to 12 years through professional mentoring and being available for emotional support during all that time. Partnership with ”Start for Life” Scholarships for more than 12 years for ten Aboriginal families at $1,500.00. (AUST) a year to support education, dental treatment, school clothes and equipment, but more specifically to give continued emotional help to secure those individuals and their families from harm.
• Tom Davis Foundation Camps: Barinya and other families to go away on Camps each year with highly trained professionals. Tom Davis Foundation supports Camps for four preschool country centres and both Sydney centres. These camps teach methods of dealing with emotional and mental problems, abuse of a sexual kind, protection against domestic violence, protection and prevention of abuse to children. Most families involved in these camps tend to be seriously at risk from themselves or partners.
• Booklet and Films Projects: “Let’s Go To Preschool”; “I Go To Preschool Now”; and, “Hello Kinda Mindi Inverell”. The “I Go To PreSchool Now” DVD takes Aboriginal families through a day in the life of Aboriginal children at a Gunawirra supported pre-school. It works to demystify preschool and encourage attendance by showing that it is fun, nurturing and developmentally important for children.
• Eingana Community Gardens Project: Across preschools in outback NSW and now to begin in Victoria
• Outreach Programs in Burwood RSL: six each year for Community Professionals Support. Gunawirra is beginning in 2011 a new initiative of Outreach Programs through the generosity of Burwood RSL. Drug and alcohol abuse, Trauma, domestic violence, pregnancy, home-visiting, Marte Meo program are some of those booked for 2011 for Community and GPs working in these areas.