Yorgum Healing Services set to deliver new service to support young people affected by domestic violence

Yorgum Healing Services Aboriginal Corporation will deliver a new service in Albany with a focus on Aboriginal children experiencing family and domestic violence at home. The State Government announced the new service on November 13. It is designed to keep young people feeling the effects of family and domestic violence at home on a positive track. The program will have its own building and team, who will work in close partnership with the existing Yorgum team in Albany. The State Government said the Indigenous Healing Service model was informed by traditional Aboriginal healing and could include yarning circles, group and individual counselling, community education sessions, and brief culturally based interventions. Minister for the Great Southern Reece Whitby said the new service was an important addition to domestic violence services in the region. “This new service in the Great Southern is an important step in helping Aboriginal children and young people impacted by family and domestic violence heal,” he said. “Yorgum’s deep cultural knowledge and connection to the local community will ensure families can access support that is not only effective, but also grounded in culture and understanding.” Yorgum chief executive officer Laurel Sellers said the program would be able to accommodate 15-20 families at a time, depending on its team’s case load. Children and families will be referred to the new service in Albany from around the Great Southern, including from Katanning and Mt Barker. “The big winner with this program will be less kids going into care, or kids at risk of going into care, getting the specific help they need and the support their families need to stop that from happening,” Ms Sellers said. “We have the experience of running similar programs, and the existing relationships with organisations in Albany to be able to do the best for the community.” Ms Sellers said children in the program would receive therapies and care approaches based on their individual needs and family situations, with outreach agencies also on board to help deliver whatever families needed. Yorgum also works closely with schools in the Great Southern to help children get the support they need to do well in the classroom. “We want kids to grow up healthy,” Ms Sellers said. “Some children who experience family and domestic violence in childhood carry that trauma into adulthood, and we want young people to be able to realise their potential for their lives as much as possible. “If children are facing domestic violence at home, they go to school dysregulated, and if they go to school dysregulated they can’t learn. “If we can help them to regulate their emotions before they get into the classroom, their capacity for learning is so much higher.” Ms Sellers said parents would remain closely involved in their children’s work with the program. “It’s important we can support parents as well in these situations, so the whole family is on the best path they can be for these kids,” she said. “The goal is that kids don’t go into care. “We want to see happy children and educated children who have healthy home lives and are much more able to achieve their potential.” 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) 13 YARN 13 92 76