Positive Partnerships Get Together workshops in Canberra, supporting families, schools and service providers who care for or support Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children on the autism spectrum, and students with other diverse learning needs.
Back in October 2017, the Positive Partnerships team met at Winnunga Aboriginal Medical Service with a group of key drivers in the Canberra community, who support Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children on the autism spectrum, to consult on a series of workshops coming up in the community. We discussed the content of our workshops and how the approach would best meet the needs of the families. It was decided we would hold 2 sessions each time, a day session for parents and carers and an afternoon session for service providers. It was also an opportunity to recruit a local person to work with us in the role as Aboriginal Community Contact. Ebony Joseph from the Child Development Service proceeded to engage families to attend the workshop by providing transport, childcare, information and support.
On Wednesday 22 November 2017, Positive Partnerships held two successful workshop sessions at the Burringgiri Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre. These workshops were a chance for parents, carers, grandparents and service providers to share and discuss ways to help support young people on the autism spectrum in a safe and culturally supportive environment.
A beautiful sunny day nestled amongst the trees and surrounds, everyone gathered together for some robust discussions about their children. We listened to the many and varied journeys of autism and the different ways children learn, behave and cope with their environments by exploring a tool called ‘The Individual Child’s Storyboard’.
In the afternoon, service providers and school staff from the community who support Aboriginal families and children on the autism spectrum attended a session where we shared many of our tools and strategies. They left inspired and keen to try these practical approaches to building on the relationships with the families they support.
Ebony Joseph continued to work closely with the Positive Partnerships team over the next 2 months, keeping families engaged and looking at how we could support more people to attend our the next workshop.
It was another beautiful, sunny Canberra day on Wednesday 7 February 2018 when Positive Partnerships returned to the Burringgiri Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre for our second Get Together for community.
Both sessions provided a day for parents, carers, grandparents to share and discuss ways to help support children on the autism spectrum and those with other disabilities. Participants were introduced to a new resource ‘The Child’s Storybook’, and by listening to many and varied stories from families across the country, participants were then able to use this resource to celebrate the strengths and skills of their children while exploring the best way of understanding their behaviours and the way they learn. We ended the session by focusing on Working Together, ensuing everyone left with a planned approach to next steps.
Positive Partnerships would like to thank the Aboriginal community of Canberra who have been incredibly supportive in the planning, promotion and delivery of these fully funded and valuable workshops. Thank you to Winnunga, Gugan Gulwan and the Child Development Service for your support.
