Thursday, March 19, 2026

11:00 AM - 11:40 AM

Adelaide Oval - William Magarey room

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Overview

Presented by: Belle Arnold - SNAICC, John Byrne - AbSec, Dane Callaghan - AbSec, and Sasha Houthuysen- KWY.

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Details

One of the most consistently identified barriers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families accessing family support is the fear of an interventionist system that drives towards the removal of children without offering sufficient, culturally and trauma informed supports to families, even when families are actively reaching out for help. Project Waterways provided Culturally Responsive Trauma informed training anchored in truth telling around ongoing impacts of colonisation, power and privilege and important skill development around addressing this complex intergenerational trauma. Project Waterways also celebrates the intergenerational of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including Kin or Kinship Systems, collective child raising practices and the complex ceremonial practices that were sophisticated emotional regulation systems. The impact of the outcomes of Project Waterways is significant in our work as a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families peak body in progressing the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. Decolonising practice and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander worldviews are at the centre in both the design and implementation of the Waterways training. Project Waterways built the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector through the opportunity to work Nationally in a partnership model that respected the cultural and intellectual property of the partners. The collaborative approach to the work contributed to the evidence base that the ACCO sector have the capacity to deliver on large scale contracts normally reserved from the NGO sector. The strength of the partnership has the potential to continue to develop and expand to include ACCOs in other jurisdictions. This presentation is a success story and celebrates collaboration, deep respect and blak excellence in the sector.