[Sub ID 4774] Trauma-informed approach (Centacare Kimberley)

Submission ID: 4774
Organisation name: Centacare Kimberley
Contact name: Ms Alma Cabassi
State: WA
Contact email: cabassi.alma@gmail.com
Contact number: 0419044136

Which priority group of the Try, Test and Learn Fund does your idea support?
Young parents

What need or issue are you trying to address?
Aim: To address the barriers young women with children face in engaging with education and employment due to early teen pregnancy, intergenerational trauma, grief and loss impacting on their emotional intelligence, long term resilience and leading to intergenerational welfare dependency. This has led to disconnection from education at an early age and a lack of employment skills.

What is your idea?
80% of young mothers new to parenting payment had a parent or guardian on the same payment during their own upbringing. 25% of young mothers 15-19 years are Indigenous. Recent data provided from Halls Creek District Hospital reports ( Interagency Meeting 21/02/17) that there has been a spike in teenage pregnancies in the region with a lowering of the age of first time parents as low as 11. Work for the dole and training programs delivered locally are struggling to engage with participants who have endured intergenerational trauma and remain non work ready. Intergenerational welfare dependency is a common theme throughout the Halls Creek Shire.

This project aims to change the narrative for young mothers by working with the underlying trauma, grief and loss, exposure to violence which inhibits learning, impairs emotional intelligence and resilience and workforce participation and readiness.

Centacare in partnership with Clinical Psychologist Cristobel Chamarette (Trauma Therapist) will work with 15-20 young mums over 12 months in a new way to address the underlying barriers to ongoing education and employment. The Program called Helping Families Heal offers a developmental, narrative therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Approach covering life story, emotional regulation and feelings, protective behaviours, self-harm, grief and loss, stages of change, leadership and mentoring, self-esteem, goal setting, literacy and numeracy