Child and Maternal Health
Strong Mums, Strong Bubs, Strong Families
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
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, Disability and Ageing, 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.
- Connected Beginnings health partners – Australia
- Connected Beginnings health partners – WA
- Connected Beginnings health partners – NT
- Connected Beginnings health partners – SA
- Connected Beginnings health partners – QLD
- Connected Beginnings health partners – NSW/ACT
- Connected Beginnings health partners – VIC
- Connected Beginnings health partners – TAS
Replanting the Birthing Trees (RBT)
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:
- RBT 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
- healthy birth weight (outcome area 2),
- early childhood education (outcome area 3),
- child development (outcome area 4),
- strong families (outcome area 13), and
- by preventing entry into out of home care (outcome area 12).
Ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers, children and families thrive in the early years of a child’s life.
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day 2026 – In Our Words
Each year, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day celebrates the strength, culture and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Led nationally by SNAICC – National Voice for our Children, the 2026 theme, Living Our Truth, encourages all Australians to listen to children and celebrate their stories, experiences and aspirations.
To support this year’s campaign, NACCHO is proud to present In Our Words, a national initiative inviting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to share, through artwork and their own words, what growing up strong means to them.
Children’s artwork and stories will be brought together in a series of postcards that celebrate their creativity and perspectives while supporting ongoing advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and community-controlled health.
Together, these postcards will form an enduring collection that continues to amplify children’s voices well beyond National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day.
We encourage families and ACCHOs to participate by supporting children to create and submit their artwork and stories.
Resources
Resources to help you get involved, including the Participation Guide, Participation & Consent Form and campaign materials, are available below:
For questions about the campaign or making a submission, please contact the Child and Maternal Health team at mumsandbubs@naccho.org.au or on 02 5104 8521.
Resources
Mums & Bubs Success Stories
NACCHO values the work being done by our member services to deliver strong mums and bubs in our communities.
This booklet presents a number of success stories, showcasing incredible work across the country to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers, babies and families.
Thank you to those that have shared their stories, and keep up the great work!
You can contact mumsandbubs@naccho.org.au to obtain one hard copy of the booklet, until exhausted.
Replanting the Birthing Trees Resource Hub
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 148 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.
Contact
For any inquiries or assistance, please contact the Child and Maternal Health team, here: mumsandbubs@naccho.org.au.
