Walgett Youth Justice Working Group
Under the justice and diversion goal of our Action Plan for Children and Young People, Yuwaya Ngarra-li has established and now regularly convenes the Walgett Youth Justice Working Group. One of the critical needs identified by the Dharriwaa Elders Group and others in the community in Walgett is an integrated, coordinated program focussed on improving collaboration between, and accountability around, the agencies responsible for justice outcomes for Walgett young people.
The Walgett Youth Justice Working Group brings together for the first time the agencies and organisations with direct responsibility or involvement with children and young people involved in the criminal justice system, and includes representatives from Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT, Legal Aid NSW, NSW Police, Youth Justice NSW, Mission Australia, and the local Circuit Magistrate. Since its establishment the Working Group has been developing it’s Justice Agency focused Diversion Strategy and Implementation Plan.
Walgett Community-Wide Youth Diversion Program
Under the auspice of the Walgett Youth Justice Working Group, and led by Dharriwaa Elders Group, Yuwaya Ngrra-li have been working closely with Walgett’s Aboriginal leadership, at an organisation and individual level, to progress the design and development of a community-led, -owned, and wraparound Youth Diversion Program for children and young people in Walgett. This work began in 2019 after a year of relationship building in Walgett as part of Yuwaya Ngarra-li’s establishment phase, and will continue in 2020.
The Child Injury Prevention Project
Investigators: Professor Rebecca Ivers, UNSW Sydney; Dr Melanie Andersen, UNSW Sydney; Dr Kate Hunter, The George Institute for Global Health; Christine Erskine, Kidsafe Australia; Kathleen Clapham, University of Wollongong; Christine Corby, Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service; Dr Ruth McCausland, Peta MacGillivray, Wendy Spencer, Yuwaya Ngarra-li.
Funding Partner: Funding for this research ($500,000) has been provided from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). The MRFF provides funding to support health and medical research and innovation, with the objective of improving the health and wellbeing of Australians. MRFF funding has been provided to The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre under the MRFF Boosting Preventive Health Research Program.
Collaborators: UNSW School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service
Aboriginal children have higher rates of injury than non-Indigenous children, particularly in remote areas. Community led interventions are likely to be the most effective means of preventing child injuries, but there is a scarcity of research or evaluated programs. This collaboration will include a rigorous evaluation of a community led child injury prevention program in partnership with WAMS. The project will enable the development of a culturally safe co-produced program and provide evidence on the feasibility and acceptability of the program.