Liberal Government pledges spending to continue health supports for under 5’s in the NT

The sitting Liberal Government has pledged to provide up to $1.01 million to continue the Moriarty Foundation’s Indi Kindi Early Years program and establish the Menzies Under 5s Health Labs and Indigenous Head Start Traineeships in two locations in the Northern Territory.

 

The Indi Kindi supports young First Australian children’s health and wellbeing by focusing on their strengths to improve their social, literacy and numeracy skills and help them better prepare for school.

 

The program, the Government said, “takes a unique approach to teach young children in a culturally relevant way, using walking classrooms to boost children’s positive behaviour, engagement and performance.”

 

Indi Kindi has reached 78 per cent of all children living in Borroloola and Robinson River, with more than 90 per cent of parents strongly agreeing the program had improved their child’s skills.

 

After seven successful years operating in Borroloola and Robinson River, the Morrison Government will provide $799,565 to allow Indi Kindi to continue to operate in these locations in the NT.

 

Federal Minister for Indigenous Health, the Hon Ken Wyatt said the program uses walking classrooms to boost children’s positive behaviour, engagement and performance.

 

Ros Moriarty, Founder, Co-Chair and Managing Director of Moriarty Foundation and Indi Kindi said, that the Borroloola and Robinson River team of Indi Kindi educators has been central to the health, wellbeing and education of very young Aboriginal children in the Gulf since 2012.

 

“We are extremely appreciative of this commitment by Minister Wyatt to our focus on the first 1000 days of a child’s life, when lifelong foundations of optimum health, growth and neurodevelopment are established,” said Ms Moriarty said.

 

A further $80,000 will be provided to establish the Menzies Under 5s Health Lab and $135,000 will be provided to establish the Indigenous Head Start Traineeships program, in these locations.

 

The Government described Health Labs as an innovative, interactive, educational experience that allows participants to measure their own biomedical risk factors for chronic diseases in a mobile “pop-up”.

 

The Health Labs are run by health professionals to help children and their parents and families to make positive lifestyle choices that improve their health and wellbeing.The Indigenous Head Start Traineeships program is said to support young First Nations people by providing employment pathways to prepare for careers in health sciences.

 

The Liberal Government is providing $4.1 billion to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the next four years.