Gnowangerup Family Support Association attempting to solve poor health and dental outcomes

Gnowangerup Family Support Association is committed to helping children and families in its local community to thrive, supporting towns including Borden, Ongerup, Newdegate and Nyabing in Western Australia.

 

Recently the story of how this support is being provided, and the impact that it is making, was shared with the ABC, a summary of which appears below. 

 

With a large farming community housing many Aboriginal Australians and migrants, the mobile early childhood education and care (ECEC) service is an integral part of the community, helping  parents and carers in isolated areas get back to work, and also trying to improve the health of children in the area.

 

A 2022 report found that children in the area (Great Southern) were hospitalised at a rate almost double that of the WA state average, and that dental problems were one of the most common reasons for admission in children under eight years of age. 

 

The report found that health promotion, early identification, and early treatment could help solve the problem, inspiring Gnowangerup Family Support Association Director Denise Franco to consider how the service might support. 

 

Drawing on her experience of moving to Australia from the Philippines, Ms Franco helps to educate migrant parents on the health services available to them in their new country, saying her goal is to reach as many people as possible. 

 

As well as bringing free dental van check ups to children in the service, Ms Franco and her team have worked hard to establish a support network which families can be referred to. 

 

To learn more about the service, please see here. The original coverage of the story may be found here.