HIGHLIGHTS
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 34 times more likely than non-Indigenous women to be hospitalized because of violence and are more likely to be killed due to assault.
- Fear of child removal remains a strong deterrant for reporting of violence.
- Abt was selected to co-design a project to reduce family and domestic violence and the over representation of Indigenous children in out of home care in Darwin.
PROJECT
Co-design of project to close the gap for Aboriginal women and their children
The Challenge
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised because of violence than non-Indigenous women, report three times as many incidents of sexual violence, and are more likely to be killed due to assault.
Fear of child removal deters women from reporting violence or seeking assistance, a fear validated by the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care, ongoing institutional racism and the history of the Stolen Generations.
The Australian Government’s Closing the Gap Outcomes and Evidence Fund provides support to First Nations organisations to co-design, trial and evaluate projects that address these issues.
The Approach
Greater Darwin was selected for Closing the Gap funded projects. The Darwin Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisation Working Group was established to design, establish and oversee implementation of the project.
Together with Murawin, our First Nations consulting partner, Abt worked closely with the Working Group to develop a proposal and implementation plan for Australian Government approval.
Using Abt’s culturally safe and trauma-informed co-design methodology, the team facilitated a series of virtual and in-person co-design workshops. These involved sharing evidence-based research to inform the program model design, linking the Working Group to providers of relevant projects from other jurisdictions, and engaging with key stakeholders in Darwin.
The Results
The co-design represented the first occasion in which Darwin-based specialists in different areas had been brought together to design an innovative project that would address gaps and complement existing services.
By facilitating a cohesive and collaborative working environment, Abt achieved two significant outcomes:
- The development of an agreed project that will focus on the prevention and early intervention of domestic and family violence and child protection through addressing systemic issues.
- The establishment of a cohesive Working Group that will collaborate into the future on existing service provision and new opportunities with a focus on what is best for the community.