CEI is excited to be partnering with the Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency (VACCA) in developing and implementing a healthy and respectful relationships package for Aboriginal children aged eight to 12 years, Deadly Kids, supported by AUD$2M in Australian Government funding.
“It’s important that children learn about respectful relationships early, because many of our families are entering into unhealthy relationships where violence is the norm,” said Muriel Bamblett, CEO of VACCA, at an event announcing the government funding.
“The data tells us that our people are overrepresented in family violence: 72% of Aboriginal children enter care for this reason. We know prevention is the way forward. We have to teach our children that they have a right to feel safe in their home, at school, in all environments.”
“Deadly Kids provides our children with a solid foundation for developing healthy and respectful relationships as they enter their adolescent years.”
The newly funded program builds on the success of VACCA’s Deadly Lovin’, an evidence-based, culturally informed healthy respectful relationships program for 12- to17-year-olds, also developed and implemented in partnership with CEI.
In both programs, core concepts and materials are developed in a “train-the-trainer” model, that VACCA staff deliver to other Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) to support their work with children and families across the State of Victoria.
“All this work is grounded in our ongoing collaboration with VACCA that brings together the best of international research evidence with Aboriginal cultural and community knowledge,” explains Tamara White, CEI Principal Advisor.
“In the Deadly Lovin’ program, this unique, blended knowledge approach – coupled with a strong focus on best-practice implementation – has helped embed the content into professionals’ day-to-day practice with young people. We’re excited to build on this same approach for Deadly Kids.”
“Our investment in projects like Deadly Kids recognises the importance of community-led action to prevent violence in First Nations communities,” said The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, Minister for Social Services.
“By working together with Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations and communities, we can work towards addressing – and ultimately ending – the disproportionate impact of gender-based violence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”
More about Deadly Kids
Deadly Kids aims to improve understanding, at an early age, of what a healthy and respectful relationship looks like. The focus is on supporting children aged eight to 12 years to build and maintain strong and healthy relationships with peers, friends and family.
Further, Deadly Kids addresses a significant gap in primary prevention through reaching Aboriginal children disengaged from school, who often miss out on existing school-based programs like Respectful Relationships.
Deadly Kids facilitators will receive training on healthy relationships, child development, the effects of trauma, and effective facilitation skills – underpinned by the key principles of cultural safety, self-esteem, and meeting participants where they are at.
The training package is intended to build the capacity of professionals working directly with Aboriginal children to deliver programs and activities that enhance understanding of healthy and respectful relationships, as well as conflict resolution, online safety, and maintaining positive peer groups. A flexible structure is offered, so facilitators can meet the needs of different groups and communities.
A key goal is that facilitators develop a shared language grounded in family violence prevention and that recognises the unique impact of family violence on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. As part of the program, facilitators form communities of practice, to build and enhance their practice and provide continuous improvement feedback to the project team.
Read VACCA’s media release HERE