A multi-faceted community development and renewal process.
FASD occurs when women who are pregnant or breast feeding their children after birth AND they consume alcohol (in small or large amounts).
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and breast feeding after birth interferes with the development of babies. The impact of alcohol consumption takes many forms and variable severity. The impacts relate to the baby's developmental stage. They also relate to the duration of alcohol consumption. It can impact on organs such as kidneys, facial features, intellectual, emotional development, memory and brain processing functions.
In 2014-16, PATCHES completed the first Australian study of the impact of FASD in a high alcohol consuming community at Fitzroy in the Kimberley Region. They found 20% of babies born to Aboriginal Families had FASD of varying severity. In 2016 to the present, the Fitzroy Community has been undertaking follow-up treatment and rehabilitation.
The Rotary Aboriginal Reference Group (ARG) was approached to replicate this project in the Goldfields. The ARG was interested but was concerned:
- whether such expensive projects to identify children with FASD was leading to positive life improving outcomes for both children affected and their families, and
- whether deliberate whole community inclusion in such a project would improve the levels of community understanding and better prevention outcomes for both Aboriginal and non-indigenous families and their children.
Hence, the goals of the replica project were amended as follows based on Fitzroy feedback:
- Diagnosis,
- With a stronger emphasis on treatment, rehabilitation and family support, and
- Community development aimed at the whole community to increase knowledge of the cause of this disability and for the promotion of increased community support to victims and their families.
Kalgoorlie was suggested as an option for the project however the Health Department suggested remote communities such as Leonora and Laverton had a greater need. Leonora was selected as the primary community with Laverton a secondary option should there be lower than expected number of under 12-year-old children in Leonora.
The project began in 2019 with a visit from a team of Alaskan specialists sponsored by Rotary International who were asked to share their knowledge from projects in Alaska. The team contributed a lot of knowledge and expertise to the WA project. This pre-project training was of immeasurable value to all Western Australians who participated in the training, eg potential project leaders, health workers, physios, OTs, police, courts and Leonora families etc.
In the two years that followed, PATCHES identified 17 children having significant disabilities: 16 were diagnosed with FASD and one with intellectual disability. All children identified with FASD were Aboriginals. This meant a FASD incidence level of 24%.
Due to various factors, during the assessment period, PATCHES changed their model to restrict their role to assessment and identification of FASD as they no longer had the expertise to provide treatment, rehabilitation and family support. As a result, they opted to refer all Leonora FASD children and their families to the NDIS without reference to Rotary. The rehabilitation and treatment model suggested by the NDIS could not work in a remote community like Leonora and when it was clear NDIS would not accept alternate, less expensive models tailored to remote communities, the project managers decided to try and develop a support and treatment model for Leonora, focusing heavily on empowering community members to help their children and families. Most Aboriginal people seemed to see this approach as something they had been looking for for many years. The project manager decided the NDIS service model was totally inappropriate for Leonora because it was not designed to be inclusive and merely a waste of valuable funds.
In the meantime, the Leonora Youth Services leader developed a local model that improved the self-esteem and coping capacity of children with FASD, His father had a zoo on his farm. They collaborated and offered FASD children and youths an animal husbandry program with horse-riding. Children and youth who participated in the program gradually became ready to participate in the after-school youth Centre program that had been running in Leonora since 2016.
Heavey emphasis was placed on community development through the local Youth Group. Assisting Aboriginals to gain employment in the town, one-on-one educational programs that took into account the complexity of Leonora's 16 Language groups and their historical jealousies, ensured that the Youth Group was effective and that a Leadership development program for teenagers and young adults resulted in an improved collaboration and the emergence of new leaders to complement the town Elders and participate in activities that brought the town together as opposed to many past destructive strategies.
Today, the Leonora community has many more Aboriginal leaders and many Aboriginals have secure part-time and full-time jobs. There is less oppressive control of Aboriginal people and the foundations for a thriving multi-cultural community are starting to emerge despite the continuing presence of some racism. The streets of Leonora are generally quiet at night now versus when Bev and I first went to Leonora - children roamed the streets throughout the nights because their homes were characterised by heavy drinking on the part of parents, drugs and frequent domestic violence.
The Shire Council is now less oppressive in managing their problems. There is more hope and collaboration between cultural groups, though this could easily breakdown if not constantly attended to. The Council is more oriented to consultation and collaboration than in the recent past.
Thanks to Rotary for being prepared to work constructively in this community - that is, to consult and collaborate across different cultural groups, each with their own very different idiosyncrasies.
Nothing is easy to do! Nevertheless. progress is occurring and continues to occur even though our involvement in the town is more sporadic.
Bev and I looking to survey housing in the town so that there can be appropriate consultation in this area. Traditional government housing floor plans do not meet the needs of the community.
On behalf of the project team and the Leonora community, we thank:
- The Rotary Clubs of Osborne Park, Western Endeavour, Kalgoorlie, Boulder and Mandurah Districts, the youth service leaders Rene Reddingus and partner Shelley Coleman, Larnie Petersen from the Central Hotel and everyone else who has in some way been connected to this project.
The outcome is unfinished and there is a long way to go but Aboriginal people are now being consulted, listened to and more often, their choices are being accepted.
Aboriginal people are beginning to enjoy their acceptance and seem more prepared to collaborate and participate as opposed to choosing isolation within the town community.
A précis of the presentation delivered by RCWE member Bruce Dufty on 6th August 2024.