Goolburri

Child Placement Principle in action

Organisation

About the organisation

Goolburri Aboriginal Health Advancement Company Ltd. is a Community Controlled Health Service that supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous communities in the Toowoomba, Darling Downs and South West region.

The organisation was established in 1994 and has been operating for over 30 years “strengthening our communities and families through culturally safe and sensitive practices.”

“Goolburri wraps a safety blanket around our families, and they know we are here no matter how old they are, what stage of life in they are, what’s happening in their lives … its doesn’t matter to us what they can’t do, we work with them on what they can do even if they don’t believe they can at first. We never give up on them”

As a not-for-profit organisation, Goolburri provides General Practitioner (GP), Oral, Primary and Allied Health Services, with a range of Home and Community Care, Family Wellbeing, Aged Care Services, Early Numeracy and Literacy Support and NDIS services.

Importantly, Goolburri is responsive to the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families and communities within the Goolburri Region and support them to exercise control of their Health and Wellbeing. Services and supports are built and provided according to the following values:

• Quality: We are committed to the delivery of quality care and continual improvement
• Accountability: We take full responsibility for our behaviour, decisions and performance.
• Teamwork: We encourage active collaboration to solve problems, make decisions and achieve our vision and mission.

Goolburri is committed to the principles and philosophies of community control and recognising the fundamental right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities to determine the pace, shape and manner of change and decision-making at all levels.

Further, there is a whole-of-organisation commitment to the delivery of comprehensive Primary Health Care, encompassing clinical/medical care, illness prevention, social and emotional wellbeing, specific population health programs for health gain, secondary and tertiary health services, client/community advocacy and support.

“At Goolburri we have only one rule for our staff … be gentle, make no judgement as you have no idea what is going on in someone’s life”

Goolburri takes a holistic approach to health, whereby Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is not just the physical wellbeing of an individual but the social, emotional and cultural wellbeing of the community, in which each individual is able to achieve their potential and bring about wellbeing in their entire community.

The community

According to Census 2021, over 250,000 Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander people live in Queensland (an increase of 35% from the previous Census). Of this 26,000 (10 per cent) are resident in the areas Goolburri Aboriginal Health Advancement Co Ltd (‘Goolburri’) operates and services, with an actual increase of more than 30 per cent in the last five years.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 2021 Census population in the Greater Toowoomba region was 8,700, while in the Darling Downs and South West Region the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander was 17,339.

This is a substantial service area and population for Goolburri, and given  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders are, on average, younger than non-Indigenous Queenslanders with approximately one-third (35.4 per cent) aged less than 15 years.

This means that there are high numbers of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in the region, and when other social and emotional wellbeing factors are considered, the population data points to demand for Goolburri services increasing over the next few years.

The challenge

The Family Matters report 2024: Strong communities, strong culture, stronger children[1] (‘Family Matters’) reports that 41 per cent of all children in Out of Home Care (OOHC) are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Further, in 2022–23, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia were:

• 6 times more likely than non-Indigenous children to be reported to child protection authorities (i.e. subject to a notification)
• 5 times more likely to have notifications investigated
• 2 times more likely to have notifications substantiated
• 9 times more likely to be subject to a child protection order
• 8 times more likely to be in OOHC and on third-party parental responsibility orders (TPPRO).

Family Matters (2024) also reports that in Queensland, there has been a steady increase in OOHC entries, and a 13 per cent increase in the rate of over-representation since 2021. The proportion of investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Community Controlled Organisations (ATSICCOs) is static and insufficient and that only 18% of investment is in family support and 25 per cent of investment is in intensive family support. Juxta-posed to this level of investment, 33 per cent  of children received family support from an ATSICCO and 70 per cent of children received intensive family support from an ATSICCO.

There has been a small increase in funding allocated to Family Participation Program services, but Family Matters (2024) finds the level of investment remains inadequate. Further, Queensland has the second highest placement in residential care (15.8 per cent) nationally) and while there has been rapid investment transfer to ATSICCOs, with a 245 per cent increase in funding provided for care services for Aboriginal children in OOHC more work is needed for self-determination in investment processes and workforce development.

Against this backdrop of increasing populations and increasing over-representation, Goolburri seeks to provide family support and intensive family support, as well as offering care services that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and families through all life stage from conception to aged care.

[1] See https://www.snaicc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/241119-Family-Matters-Report-2024.pdf

Bunji Burri to Gunadoos

Bunji Burri to Gunadoos means from pregnancy to children in Kamilaroi language. It is an early year’s program that supports families from conception to five (5) years of age and which commenced in 2017 with just one client. It is currently funded through the Darling Downs and West Moreton Primary Health Network (PHN). Currently, there are 30 families registered, while at a school holiday early in 2025, there were 75 participants.

“We walk the roundabout with our families, and we are with them until they choose when and where to exit. We are empowering our families so then can get closer to the exit”

The core activity of Bunji Burri to Gunadoos  is a daily playgroup, that most often takes place at the local PCYC in Toowoomba, where access is allowed free of charge. The partnership with the PCYC is one of many partnerships that surrounds and strengthens the program.

According to Borinski and Robertson (2024)[2], playgroups are a soft entry point to early intervention services for at-risk families and may be combined with other more intensive or therapeutic interventions. The evidence base for supported playgroup models is emerging, but the early evidence suggests playgroups improve child outcomes, including language, cognition, behaviour, socialisation, transition to school. Further, they improve parent outcomes, including attachment, responsiveness, and social connection.

The elements that are thought to strengthen supported playgroup design and practice include having skilled playgroup staff, family-centred facilitation, engagement and relationship building, as well as referral and service linkage.

Additional key elements of successful supported playgroups delivered to Aboriginal families include:

• Aboriginal facilitators and the provision of culturally safe environments
• Allowing sufficient time to build relationships with families
• Improving service accessibility through either outreach services or providing transport for families (Borinski and Robertson (2024)

As can been seen as the story of Bunji Burri to Gunadoos  unfolds below, Goolburri is providing a playgroup that includes each of these critical elements and is, accordingly, achieving many of the outcomes research is increasingly identifying. An additional element is consistency, and the fact that the playgroup is never cancelled.

While numbers at the playgroup can fluctuate from one family to more than 10, so long as there is one family attending the playgroup goes ahead. For families that cannot make playgroup, the Goolburri team will make home visits.

Importantly, the program is more than a daily 1½ hour activity session for young children. The playgroup is an enabler for Goolburri to get to know families and children, build trust and support and then tailor such supports to the individual and collective needs of the families the team  are work with.

At the point of in-take into the program, families are provided with a booklet that allows them to provide background and state their goals in way that does not bring shame and respect their cultural background and context. They can bring with them whoever they want to playgroup and once goals are named and shared, the main supports offered are targeted towards the families achieving their stated goals.

“Bunji Burri to Gunadoos is not built around a strategy or the objectives of a funding body … its built around families and how we can support them to achieve their goals”

In achieving their goals, families are provided through the playgroup with several educational programs, activities, events and connections. These include:

• Mondays and Fridays playgroup include an additional fitness session which has largely been successful in boosting parents and caregivers confidence as they step outside of them themselves in a group setting.
• Circle of Security Parenting Program is based on decades of research focused on supporting and strengthening secure parent-child relationships. It is externally facilitated and is designed for all types of caregivers, including biological parents, grandparents, adoptive parents, and foster parents. The program helps parents and caregivers understand their child’s emotional world, support their ability to manage emotions, and enhance their self-esteem.
• The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program is an evidence-based initiative designed to help parents develop effective strategies for raising children and managing their behavior. It is also externally facilitated.
• The Tree of Life Program is a third externally facilitated program that helps children and families draw connections to family, extended family, identity, language, culture and country.

These three programs assist families to achieve their goals through building and strengthening parenting skills and connections to culture and identity that support enhanced social and emotional wellbeing.

Additional programs and activities include excursions to the zoo, the local pool, cultural activities (including during NAIDOC) such as making clapsticks, learning cultural dances and art. Some of the national and international days of significance (e.g. International Women’s Day, Mental Health Week) days are also acknowledged and celebrated.

“We had a young father was thrown in the deep end when he was left as a single parent with 3 and 4 year old girls. We just walked with him, even with the smallest things like how to do the girls hair. He never lost custody of the girls and then started a business in Brisbane. The family is doing well, and he is doing well as a Dad.”

Importantly, Bunji Burri to Gunadoos is an inclusive early years program than encourages participation from fathers and male caregivers – leading to the establishment of a men’s group – and is also seeing increasing numbers of members of the CALD community joining the group.

Further, through the program itself and additional supports from Goolburri, families are assisted with transport, paperwork (for housing, Centrelink etc.), making and attending GP appointment and receiving flu vaccines.

A network of external partners means that additional basic needs can be met. For example, clothing, vouchers and school packs through a partnership with the  local Lifeline Opportunity Shop and laptops through a partnership with the Give It Program.

Notably, one of the core elements of Bunji Burri to Gunadoos is the wrap around services and level of service integration that exists for each family according to their needs. Though an integrated service delivery model, the playgroup links in with maternal health care, pre and ante-natal support, the Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) program, Family Wellbeing Service, and the Family Participation Program.

“We take our time and do everything we can to build trust with the families. It’s their journey not ours and at the start both the parents and even the children can be non-trusting and stand offish. Sometimes we are seen as the enemy but over time we build their trust, and they see we are on their side … we are always on their side because we love seeing  our families grow and thrive ”

The importance of this internal service integration is that is significantly reduces the risk of families slipping through a service or support gap. Different Goolburri employees hold different parts of a family’s story and when given the permissions and authority needed by the family to share these story parts, a holistic perspective can be secured for the family, meaning enhanced and tailored service delivery.

This kind of service integration is built on, and is dependent on, trusting relationships with families who have not felt able to place their trust in family services and service providers to act in their best interests. This has at times included Aboriginal community controlled service providers.

After 7 ½ years, Bunji Burri to Gunadoos is going from strength to strength. A soft entry to the program, with a wrap around and totally integrated service model, is helping families and children thrive and grow and is contributing to Goolburri’s reputation as a trusted service provider to Aboriginal families and the wider community.

[2] Borinski, D. & Robertson, C. (2024), Supported playgroups as early intervention: what can we learn from the evidence?, Family and Community Services Insights Analysis and Research, NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Sydney.

Outcomes achieved

There are two types of outcomes being secured through the Bunji Burri to Gunadoos program. There are those outcomes being reported by families and those required to be reported by the funding body. These two do not always align. However, a strong relationship between funder (PHN) and funded (Goolburri) has led to some changes and adaptions to reporting requirements that better suits the organisation, program design and the way families and communities might define success.

Reportable outcomes as required by the funding body are more output than impact driven and include:

• Number of clients who received a service
• Number of referrals received into the service
• Number of new referrals accepted into the service for the first time
• Total number of hours-of-service provision undertaken for the period
• Average number of occasions of service delivered per client
• Number of clients who have met their Support Plan goals and have exited from the service (Treatment concluded)
• Percentage of clients who reported high level of satisfaction and experience with service.

The number of received services for FY24/25 was more than 1,200 and given the level of satisfaction with the service provided through Bunji Burris to Gunadoos is greater than 90% it is clear the program is having high levels of success.

The Friday morning fitness program has mothers and care givers step out of their comfort zone with an exercise and recreational activity that they would not normally undertake and not found at a standard gym. The highly qualified trainer is a format client of the Bunji Burris to Gunadoos program and because of the support she received and her participation in the program was able to keep her children with her and receive a qualification to run the fitness program. As a payback for the support she received from Goolburri, she provides the Friday morning fitness program for the playgroup families free of charge … ongoing

These measures are difficult to quantify numerically, but these are the measures that better define success, in terms of building stronger parents that can better contribute to their children’s development and success.

Those attending playground reported the following as some of the key benefits of their participation:

• Mum’s and care givers get a critical break each day and the playgroup times gives them space for themselves and to meet others
• It builds social connections for children and parents and fosters an increased sense of belonging to something that is positive in their world
• Families get to know and support each other in a happy environment where their children are thriving
• It builds an informal network of friendship and support as they sit in yarning circles sometimes and share challenges
• The children get to improve their gross motor skills, enjoy social interaction, unknowingly learn through play about inclusivity, and get to structure their own play.

The elements on which success is built, as reported by the Goolburri team, are included in Figure 2. These elements are essentially what characterises the approach on which success can be built.

Other elements of success include the service and playground being provided for free and therefore ensuring cost does not become a barrier to participation.

Further, the Goolburri bus is used for transporting families and children to playgroup and excursions, ensuring transport and isolation are not barriers to participation.

Two of the elements contained in Figure 2 are internal support and external partnerships. These are viewed as critical in the sense they are embedded elements of the program. Without internal support and external partnerships, the other elements do not have the opportunity to be as impactful. They are critical elements of the wrap around service provided with families at the heart / core of the Bunji Burri to Gunadoos program (see Figure 3)

The interface between the Bunji Burri to Gunadoos program and other Goolburri services and programs allows for referrals in and referrals out of the program. One of the most important interfaces is with the HIPPY program – a free, play-based learning initiative designed to support parents in becoming their child’s first teacher.

The program fits with Goolburri’s philosophy of empowerment as HIPPY empowers parents to take an active role in their children’s education, development and overall well-being. Through HIPPY, parents guide their young children’s early learning experiences, which helps prepare them for a successful transition to school. The ability for parents and children to move into the HIPPY program as they move out of the Bunji Burri to Gunadoos program ensures connection with the family are maintained and developmental issues identified through getting know families at playgroup can be gently handled and plans put in place that support parents.

The HIPPY program as a transition point for parents and children is demonstrated by two current employees of Goolburri having been parents in the Bunji Burri to Gunadoos program who then transitioned to parents in the HIPPY program, then trained as tutor for the HIPPY program before applying for a position within Goolburri. Parents and care givers get to be the child’s first teacher.

This is not only a strength of an integrated service model, it also demonstrates how safe parents and families feel in the care of Goolburri, and how services are successfully holding families as they transition between services and over the periods of their child’s development.

This is further highlighted through the interface between Bunji Burri to Gunadoos  and the Family Wellbeing Services (FWS). The close relationship of the two programs means Goolburri can capture the details and needs of the family before Child Safey has to be involved. A playgroup family that might need more intense support can be referred to FWS program, which then allows for a request for a FPP, giving cultural authority to the family. Sometimes while Bunji Burri to Gunadoos is working with the child, FWS is working with the parents. The internal coherence around service delivery at this point is critical to the family’s success.