$5.4 million Children’s Ground expansion announced for Alice Springs

The Children’s Ground Family Health and Wellbeing project will undergo a $5.4 million, three-year expansion, Federal Indigenous Health Minister Ken Wyatt AM has today announced.

Mr Wyatt said the funding would build on existing support for Children’s Ground in Alice Springs, aiming to “give First Nations children the best opportunities to live long, healthy, fulfilling and productive lives”.

“The best people to change our health are our people,” Mr Wyatt said, adding. “The Children’s Ground approach promotes local warriors for health and wellbeing, to help guide children and young people through their first 25 years of life.”

Founded by CEO Jane Vadiveloo and Chair William Tilmouth in 2011, Children’s Ground has  the objective of allowing children to grow into adults, in control of their social, cultural, political and economic life.

Children’s Ground works to surround children with safe, loving and trauma-free environments, based on a strong cultural foundation, by focusing on:

• Learning

• Family health

• Economic development

• Community development

• Cultural development.

“Our team greatly welcomes this recognition and support, which is an invaluable opportunity to ensure the involvement of Elders and all community members in developing education and health services,” said Ms Vadiveloo.

“It is critical to ensuring long-term, enduring change and delivering community based, self-empowered health for First Nations peoples.”

The Children’s Ground program embraces not just the child but also their family and their community in determining their future, with Mr Wyatt saying the focus is First Nations languages and systems, linking strongly with quality primary health care and a focus on relationships.

“By giving our children respect for both traditional and contemporary culture, I am confident the Family Health and Wellbeing Framework will continue making a real difference.” My Wyatt said.

Children’s Ground teams include cultural health practitioners such as traditional healers and bush medicine producers, Aboriginal health workers, health promotion and public health practitioners, social and emotional wellbeing experts, community development and environmental health workers, and nutritionists.

The Family Health and Wellbeing Framework will be implemented in two regions in the Northern Territory – Central Australia and the Arnhem Land.

The Children’s Ground expansion is funded through the Indigenous Australians Health Program, which is providing $3.9 billion to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the next four years.

For more information visit the Children’s Ground website.