Aboriginal Services - Brighter Futures Program
"Building Stronger Families"
This program aims to provide an early intervention and prevention service for Aboriginal children and their families to prevent them from entering or further escalating into the child protection system. The Aboriginal Early Intervention Program is a strengths-based program and has a child-centred focus.
Objectives:
- To promote healthy development in children
- To promote strong, functional and well supported families
- To reduce and prevent child abuse and neglect
- To avoid families entering or escalating into the Child Protection system
Targeted families / Eligibility:
The program will target families facing problems, which if not addressed, are likely to escalate and affect parenting ability or a child’s wellbeing. Families must present with one or more of the following vulnerabilities
- Domestic violence
- Parental drug and alcohol misuse
- Parental mental health issues
- Lack of family or social support
- Parents with significant learning difficulties and / or intellectual disabilities
- Child behaviour management problems
Referral process:
There are two entry pathways to the program. Families can be reported to DOCS via the DOCS helpline and streamed to Early Intervention or an individual or community organisation can refer a family. If a family is referred from an individual or community organisation their information is forwarded onto DOCS and their eligibility is assessed for the Early Intervention Program.
Services Provided:
Services can include:
- Focused home visits
- Case management
- Parenting programs
- Quality childcare
- Supported playgroups
- Brokerage services if required
An EIP Success story:
A client of the Aboriginal Early Intervention Program has successfully gained her P’s; the need was identified that she required her drivers license to be more mobile. Gaining her license was incorporated into her case plan and her driving lessons were funded by the Early Intervention Program. The client was successful on the first driving test and was issued with her P’s. The family are now super-active! Mum is busy transporting the kids to school, sport and visiting family. With Mum gaining her P’s, the whole family have become independent and are no longer isolated. Mum is now also able to look for employment as she has the means for transport. This is one example of the type of practical assistance this program is doing in it’s work with families at risk.
