On Saturday in Kaarta Gar-up (Kings Park), overlooking the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River), we launched our new Commitment to Aboriginal Children and Families 2020-2023.
Aunty Millie Penny and Aunty Kay Walley led a Welcome to Country and cleansing dance which set the scene for the launch. Glenn Pearson, Deputy Director Aboriginal Health, and our Executive Director Professor Jonathan Carapetis were joined by Board Chair Hon Julie Bishop who officially launched the Commitment.
Back in 2013, we launched our first Aboriginal Commitment which was a significant moment for The Kids. Since then, we’ve been embedding Aboriginal research in all that we do – the health of Aboriginal children is everyone’s business.
This refreshed Commitment flows from the Institute’s strategic plan which we launched last year. In that, the Board outlined the bold ambition for the Institute to become the international leader in Indigenous child health research and also committed that the first of the Grand Challenges undertaken by the Institute would be in Aboriginal Health.
In the strategic plan we said:
We will prioritise our partnerships with Aboriginal families and communities across Western Australia and beyond to improve the health and development of their children. We will not ignore, nor accept, the continued disparity in outcomes for Aboriginal kids compared with other Australian children.
Our Commitment builds on our genuine and strong partnerships with community, outlining a comprehensive approach, designed to further build our relationships, our research and our accountability. It means upskilling the whole organisation, continuing to embed Aboriginal health into every research area, and most importantly, that we continue to listen to and be guided by a strong Aboriginal voice in all that we do.
And as a clear sign of our intention to deepen the relationship we have with Aboriginal communities, the Institute has committed to develop a Walking Softly on Country policy to seek the permission from the Traditional Owners of the lands where the Institute has an office to work with them on their country for their children, youth and families.
We thank the Institute’s leadership team and Board for their support, the Aboriginal staff at The Kids for leading the way, the Elders and community that contribute in so many ways through their knowledge, guidance, and so much of their time, and to acknowledge the Institute researchers and staff who have worked with our families over the last 30 years to take on the challenge of ensuring that the health of Aboriginal children is everybody’s business.
Download the Commitment to Aboriginal Children and Families 2020-2023.