BHP has announced a $20 million commitment to Telethon over the next five years to fund a world-first research partnership with Aboriginal families in the Pilbara and Perth.
The research partnership will be led by The Kids Research Institute Australia in close collaboration with the Aboriginal community controlled health sector. Together they will work one-on-one with up to 1000 families to develop an unprecedented understanding of the cultural, environmental and policy settings that bring about the best outcomes for kids under five.
It’s the second $20 million investment that BHP has made to boost child health research in WA. In 2014 BHP supported a major program in the Pilbara to reduce alcohol in pregnancy.
The Kids Research Institute Australia Director Professor Jonathan Carapetis said BHP’s funding had the potential to bring about the seismic shift in thinking that communities have been asking for.
“We can learn a lot from looking at the great strengths within Aboriginal family structures and culture that provide wonderful foundations for child development and explain the success and resilience of many Aboriginal children,” Professor Carapetis said. “There will be learnings for all Australian families from this.”
“Equally, we also need to look at what isn’t working. Communities have given repeated feedback about their frustration with too many programs that only address one aspect at a time, start too late, or are unresponsive to the basic issues affecting family life. The result is the continuing unacceptable gap in outcomes for Aboriginal kids that starts from birth that must be comprehensively addressed.”
Professor Carapetis said the initiative aims to work with families to define their own priorities and then assist them to have those issues resolved.
“Aboriginal people have made it very clear that, by focusing at the level of communities alone, we sometimes neglect the essential building block of Aboriginal culture – the family.
“Children are a great catalyst for change. By looking through the lens of what a child needs, it will quickly become apparent what the family needs – be it better housing, specific health care or access to services.
“By building the evidence-base around what makes the biggest difference to children lives in the period before they start school, we hope to empower families, influence governments and transform the way programs and services are delivered.”
The new initiative will consolidate learnings from the previous 'Warajanga Marnti Warrarnja - Together we walk on country' project, which was undertaken in the partnership between The Kids Research Institute Australia and BHP in collaboration with Wirraka Maya Health Services and the Hedland FASD Network that launched in 2014.
Wirrika Maya Health Services CEO June Councillor said the new partnership recognises that stronger families lead to stronger communities.
“We want to re-build the family structure in community and bring forward the cultural richness that is the foundation of the family,” Mrs Councillor said.
“Through BHP’s investment, we can bring together our expertise in community, culture and family together with all the research expertise at The Kids to really support and empower our families.
“This program will not only add to the community health workforce, it will build stronger people for the workforce from the ground up.”
BHP Western Australia Iron Ore Asset President, Edgar Basto, said BHP was a proud supporter of The Kids Research Institute Australia and the research from this project had the potential to make meaningful change to children’s lives across the Pilbara and Perth.
“In a world first, this project will partner directly with Aboriginal families to understand what cultural, environmental and policy frameworks they need - what is working, what is not - to ensure the best possible early childhood outcomes,“ he said.
“It’s through research partnerships like this that we can really make a difference and BHP is proud to support the Institute in this important work.”
The initiative will kick off with a comprehensive consultation phase with communities who indicate an interest in being a part of the initiative.
Findings are expected to inform policy and service delivery nationally and for other Indigenous communities around the world.