Aunty Val, and Nathan representing Mulungu at Mossman High School, engaging with stakeholders such as Education QLD, YETI, Mossman Youth Support Services, and Intensive Family Support workers. This particular class has been developed by the school to engage indigenous youth, that were formerly identified as not engaging.
With the program kick off in June 2017, like all new programs, the journey was a rocky one, full of mistakes, learnings, adapting, flexibility, all with the end goal of best practice, for the best results for our families. The only way was up, and we have done exactly that – we are getting there. Our statistics and reputation have gone from strength to strength.
The success has been contributed to the leadership ensuring that staff have been provided with the tools and resources to do their jobs well through upskilling staff and regular communication, team building exercises, case conferencing and case co-ordination of our Family Services. We also recognise key pivotal staff members, and the success of our stakeholder engagements.
The increased engagement with stakeholders through our model of case management has seen the biggest improvement which has contributed to increased outcomes for our clients. We have gone from hesitantly attending child safety meetings, to inviting Child safety to our own driven care team meetings. This change has not only swung the power into our direction, but built the confidence of our staff members, and the confidence of our families and communities, in the strength of our organization to advocate for them.
With the intent of this program and the collaboration with the Department, sees the best service delivered to identified families in need and a swift response to the departments regarding high priority referrals. The services delivery happens with them for them and not to them. Our relationship and communication with stakeholders ensures that the service that they now provide to our families are what our families need and the quality of this delivery is of a medium to high level standard and not tokenistic.
The greatest success, is now witnessing CSO’s and investigating officers, not only respect our practice techniques, but tailor and often duplicate our methods. On a daily occurrence, we are now receiving calls from investigating officers, asking advice, and assistance with families prior to their engagement. The change has been the beginning of a symbiotic relationship that can only benefit all those involved, especially our direct clients.
Mulungu Family Services have an integrated whole of life model for primary health care and social and emotional wellbeing. Twelve months on we are still looking at innovative practices that improve the health and wellbeing of our families and ensure family led decision making is at the forefront to establish their ongoing storyline.
Arna Brosnan from the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women, who is the Regional Director for Northern Queensland Region has provided the below quote in relation to the Mulungu Family Wellbeing Service:
“Mulungu Family Well Being Service is striving ahead supporting and challenging families in the Northern Tablelands area to make the changes necessary to improve the long-term outcomes for their children.
The Service has been very proactive in working with parents encouraging them to become more involved with their children, to seek better choices and to engage with services that will help make sustainable changes that will bring lifelong benefits to their children’s lives.
This agency is proving to be a real leader in the sector.”
Good News Story
Mulungu’s Family Care Service was called to assist with a family in need. The parents had 2 children removed from the family and the concern was the return of a baby into the care of this family. The environment where the parents were living was overcrowded, violent and disruptive. Engagement was rough with not parents not wanting to engage and hence we accompanied the CSO’s to engage. On assessment and review we purchased resources to make the home safe and purchased medical assistance. The parents relapsed at the 8 week point with both parents incarcerated overnight. We same day sourced and relocated mum and her new borne to a safe place with a family member and sought assistance from a domestic violence service in Cairns. Mum consented to entering a 3mth rehabilitation program and with further support, we supported her to access her accommodation for her and her happy healthy thriving baby. Mum is now making an application for the return of her older children. We are proud of mum as she left the environment that had the impacting issues and is focused on a positive future.
Mulungu Family Care Service
Aunty Val cooking up a storm.
