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About Family & Community Wellbeing support

Family and community are central to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander understandings of identity and health. Wellbeing is understood as collective as well as individual, and difficulties affecting one family member ripple through the wider community. Challenges facing families and communities may include the ongoing effects of colonisation, displacement, poverty, housing stress, contact with the justice system, and the cumulative impact of grief and loss. Strengths, resilience, and cultural knowledge are equally important parts of the picture. Support for family and community wellbeing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is most effective when it is community-led, culturally safe, and grounded in local knowledge and relationships. Family counselling and SEWB support that respects family structures, kinship systems, and community decision-making tends to be more trusted and effective than services that apply mainstream models without modification. In Australia, ACCHOs provide culturally appropriate family support services. Family matters and child protection concerns can be supported through Relationships Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services. SNAICC (Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care) advocates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families. Funding through the NDIS and Medicare can be accessed for eligible individuals.