What we do
NACCHO’s Child and Maternal Health work is dedicated to supporting the coordination and delivery of a number of programs that achieve strong outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, children and families.
Our goal is to foster thriving mums, babies and families through continuity of community-driven, culturally safe maternal, child and family health services.
Our initiatives
Delivery of Walan Bagaraygan: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Maternal, Child and Family Health Plan 2025-2035
NACCHO has co-designed a 10 year Maternal, Child and Family Health Plan with ACCHOs and an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander expert panel. The plan articulates a vision, framework and clear approach to coordinate and improve maternal, child and family health services by prioritising prevention and early support. The plan is informed by a technical review of the evidence-base, maternal and child health sector-wide survey, and four regional workshops with ACCHOs that identified strengths, barriers, gaps, and necessary workforce support for improving the well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers, children and families.
Connected beginnings
The Connected Beginnings program focuses on fostering the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children by enhancing the integration of early childhood, maternal and child health, family support services, and schools. Our aim is to ensure that children are nurtured, healthy, and prepared to excel in their educational journeys. In partnership with SNAICC, the Department of Education and Department of Health and Aged Care, NACCHO actively participates in the design and delivery of the Connected Beginnings program. We also collaborate with ACCHOs to promote culturally informed support and community engagement, strengthening the foundations for a brighter future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Replanting birthing trees
This transformative research program, led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and funded by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), aims to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma and harm. It addresses critical gaps in perinatal care by establishing culturally safe, trauma-integrated, holistic care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, promoting positive cycles of nurture and recovery.
Grounded in rigorous research and evidence from projects like “Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future” and “Birthing on Noongar Boodjar, Baggarrook,” this initiative involves a diverse transdisciplinary team of 48 First Nations and non-Indigenous Chief Investigators, alongside 17 partner organisations. Governance is inclusive, featuring representation from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies, Elders and older people, to ensure community accountability.
This program offers essential components such as:
- A resource repository for families.
- Evidence-based support frameworks to assess availability and accessibility.
- Culturally validated assessment tools.
- Workforce development resources to enhance care skills.
- Structured protocols and core outcomes for evaluation.
- Advocacy under the SNAICC Family Matters program to prevent child removal.
- Expertise development for supporting parents facing complex situations.
NACCHO oversees governance and research translation activities, aligning project outcomes with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and contributing to policy and practice transformation.
Our approach
Employing a Collective Impact approach, we prioritise place-based community co-design to create high-quality, culturally appropriate programs. We are committed to healing intergenerational trauma, addressing health inequities, and contributing to Closing the Gap to support mums, bubs and families to thrive.
Our impact
NACCHO’s child and maternal health program aligns with the Closing the Gap targets by addressing, healthy birth weight (outcome area 2), child development (outcome area 3), early childhood education (outcome area 4), and, strong families and communities (outcome area 8 and 13), and preventing entry into out of home care (outcome area 12) by ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers, children and families thrive in the early years of a child’s life.
Recognising that early experiences profoundly impact lifelong outcomes, this initiative utilises a Collective Impact approach characterised by a common agenda, continuous communication, mutually reinforcing activities, backbone support, and shared measurement. Co-design with local communities is a critical pillar of the program’s implementation, reflecting the importance of cultural authority and community control as a key principle of NACCHO’s Core Services and Outcomes Framework. For more information about the program, visit the Department of Education’s website.
Resources
NACCHO’s child and maternal health program resource library offers publications, training modules, and tools to support communities and health professionals.
Committees
Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership
NACCHO’s Child and Maternal Health team also supports NACCHO’s Chair to engage in the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership, co-developed between SNAICC and the Department of Education. The ECPP enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to work in genuine partnership with governments to drive community-led, early childhood care and development outcomes.
ACCHO locations
NACCHO oversees a network of 146 members, each running Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) across urban, regional, and remote Australia. These ACCHOs range from large facilities with multiple healthcare professionals providing comprehensive services to smaller centres focused on preventive care and health education, primarily delivered by Aboriginal Health Workers and nurses.
NACCHO’s Aged Care programs are delivered in selected locations across its network, ensuring culturally appropriate care reaches Elders and older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in diverse urban, regional, and remote communities.
Contact
For any inquiries or assistance, please contact the Child and Maternal Health team, here: mumsandbubs@naccho.org.au.
