Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Limited ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025 64 Funded by: Federal Dept of Social Services – National Indigenous Australians Agency NSW Health – Rural Doctors Network – Western NSW Primary Health Network Celebrating over 39 years of Service since 1986 9 In November 2024 the Elders Council met DEG’s Yuwaya Ngarrali partners face to face. DEG’s Loretta Weatherall joined us as she had been in Sydney working with UNSW collaborators further developing the Youth Wellbeing Service and continuing Food and Water for Life work. It was a great opportunity to strengthen relationships in the progress of our work in Yuwaya Ngarrali, for Walgett community development. Above: UNSW colleagues May Miller Dawkins, Ruth McCausland, Andrea Hadaway, Samantha Rich. DEG’s Yuwaya Ngarrali partnership with UNSW has been trialling, modelling the ways a university can support a remote place-based ACCO, by bringing different supports we need to function sustainably. One of these critical supports is ongoing evaluation. We have been working to accumulate evidence to demonstrate why our approaches to service delivery and our new service models work for our community and justify future investment. We are lucky to have May Miller Dawkins and Ruth McCausland (above left) working alongside us to harvest outcomes, help us reflect on our progress, measure and report on what we achieve. Another critical support is the advice we receive from Andrea Hadaway (above centre) who has extensive experience working for a busy Sydney youth service, and as a lawyer. Her weekly coaching and support for the Galumali leads is critical to our progress. UNSW staff with Galuma-li leaders participation delivered therapeutic pathways for children project for NSW DCJ/Aboriginal Legal Service during the period. This work will support DEG’s work eventually, as it led NSW government policymakers to understand the wellbeing services needed by Aboriginal children and young people and therefore the reasons for why ACCOs like DEG must be invested in long-term – what has come to be known as “justice reinvestment”. This work was made possible through NSW CAPO and Walgett Wellbeing Collaborators from the ALS NSW/ACT. Yuwaya Ngarrali supports The Elders Council were briefed on how the partnership works at the UNSW side, and then we discussed our continuing work together including for Walgett drinking water solutions, and how to convince governments to divert investment from punitive responses to the Youth Wellbeing Service. 10 Youth Justice and Wellbeing Since 2018, the DEG through its Yuwaya Ngarra-li partnership with UNSW has developed the Youth Diversion Demonstration Model Bulaarr Bagay Warruwi Burranba-li-gu (Gamilaraay) (‘Two River Pathway to Change’) model, which has three interlinked strategies: 1. Influence practices and services and improve accountability of responsible agencies to support better outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people (“CYP”) 2. Support engagement and leadership by ACCOs, parents/carers to support better outcomes for Aboriginal CYP 3. Work intensively with Aboriginal CYP in Walgett to increase their rates of belonging, safety and wellbeing and reduce or prevent ongoing contact with the criminal justice system. To better operate this model we evaluated DEG’s work in this field and continued working with the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Limited and the Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT Limited in the Walgett Wellbeing Collaboration designing and implementing a Wellbeing service for children and young people. In November 2024 DEG installed its Youth Wellbeing Service in Galumali at 82 Fox St Walgett using existing funds from the YN Partnership. Throughout the period, funding submissions were made to Dept Attorney General, Future Generation Australia, Youth Empowerment Program of Dept Industry, Science and Resources all of which were unsuccessful. DEG is determined that eventually our “proof of concept” will find appropriate investment partners. The Youth Wellbeing Service that we are building for Walgett in Collaboration with the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Ltd (“WAMS”) and Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited (“ALS”) is based in Aboriginal SEWB models, which are holistic and position people within their broader social, historical and political context. Children and young people in Walgett are inseparable from, and embedded within, family, Community, Country and Culture, and the Two River Pathway model three-interlinked strategies recognises this. The Bulaaarr Bagay Warruwi Burranbaligu (Two River Pathway to Change youth service) Yuwaya Ngarra-li Briefing Paper: Lessons from the Two River Pathway to Change Diversion Model 2018–2023 (https://www.unsw.edu.au/content/dam/pdfs/research/202 3-10-yssy-burton-clark/2024-02yn_tworiversbriefingpaper.pdf) model is a locally-led model informed by evidence including that by UNSW researchers involved in the Yuwaya Ngarra-li partnership.
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