New partnership announcement expands and enhances health & wellbeing support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
24 May 2021: Three national Indigenous-led and controlled services have today signed a foundational partnership agreement to collaborate in delivering high quality, culturally informed and responsive programs to Indigenous communities affected by suicide and other social and emotional wellbeing trauma across Australia.
Indigenous Consulting Group and Corporate Culcha, as partners in the National Wellbeing Alliance, have partnered with Thirrili Ltd, who deliver the National Indigenous Postvention Service, to expand and enhance the work of all three organisations in supporting Indigenous families and communities.
Thirrili Ltd Chief Executive Officer, Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, comments: “This partnership will ensure our organisations collaborate on the critical work we each do with families and communities, to assist in restoring capacity for Indigenous Australians to improve their social, emotional and cultural wellbeing and to stem the high rates of suicide”.
National Wellbeing Alliance partner lead, Ms Gail Reynolds-Adamson, adds: “Our ability to collaborate to train local community members as a Social, Cultural and Emotional Wellbeing Champion and to support training, community capacity building and connections to services, will see greater impact and integration of our services, to support families and communities in areas where there is an identified risk and concern relating to mental health and suicide”.
The National Wellbeing Alliance, with a team of over 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander facilitators nationally, has been delivering Aboriginal Mental Health First Aid Training with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities across Australia for the past five years.
Thirrili Ltd. has been delivering the National Indigenous Postvention Service for 3 years, supporting individuals and families post a loss to suicide and other fatal traumatic incidents, through a network of staff across all jurisdictions, including partnerships with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations.
This partnership will see enhanced capability of the partners to collaborate in their work to support communities to co-design and deliver supports at the local and regional level.
Media enquiries including interviews please contact:
Thirrili Ltd: Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, CEO: 0434 563 623
National Wellbeing Alliance: Gail Reynolds-Adamson, Managing Director, Indigenous Consulting Group: 0402 717 605 / Paul Dodd, CEO Corporate Culcha: 0424 531 789.
