GUNAWIRRA STRATEGIC PLAN: 2014-2017
Section 1: Identity, Vision, Purpose, Philosophy and Values
Who we are: Gunawirra is a not-for-profit, member-based organisation made up of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal professionals working side by side for fundamental improvements in the life of Aboriginal families and their children from 0-5.
Our Vision is an Australia which deeply respects Aboriginal culture and history; in which Aboriginal people experience equality, respect and quality of life and their children grow to their full and rightful place in Australian society as resilient, empowered adults having the kind of early childhood which allows them to develop to their full potential.
Our Purpose is to promote the best possible development for Aboriginal children 0-5 in our programs and to empower Aboriginal parents of these children to intervene in their own lives, breaking the cycle of suffering caused by loss of culture, family, community, and country.
Our Philosophy and Values
· Deep respect for Aboriginal culture and concern to redress the harm of past wrongs.
· Warm welcome for Aboriginal involvement and leadership in shaping our services at all levels from governance ,management and program design to service users’ initiatives and feedback.
· Strong theoretical base in psychoanalytic thinking, attachment theory and early emotional, cognitive and healthy physical development of children.
· Multilayered service design thus respecting service users free choice in levels of involvement.
· Commitment to research, evaluation and measuring outcomes.
Section 2: Strategic Direction Orientation
Gunawirra’s strategic direction is grounded in the following considerations:
· Good enough nurturing in pregnancy and early childhood is the critical preparation for stable, emotionally connected , resilient and productive future adult life;
· Helping Aboriginal parents deal with their own trauma is critical for them to develop better parenting skills;
· Professionally designing unique, innovative and transformational programs – small models of excellence that are fully evaluated - will allow Gunawirra’s work to be replicated in widening circles of effectiveness;
· Helping Aboriginal professionals and pre-school teachers deal with the trauma in their own lives markedly enhances their personal and professional effectiveness with children in their care.
Strategic goal: No.1 Develop Gunawirra’s core program as the Five Big Ideas. Now partially implemented in 43 preschools. Objective is full implementation of Five Big Ideas in 25 preschools in outback isolated areas of NSW. That is 2,000 children, 700 parents and 250 teachers.
Outcomes / Measure / Target / ActivitiesChildren aged 4 to 6 attending preschool will demonstrate:
1.1 Self- respect and empowerment through improved life skills.
1.2. Improved emotional health in relationships with peers, family, teachers and community
Parents will be supported to:
1.3 Attach to their children, with a minimum of stress and anxiety, less emotional and physical neglect, more confidence as parents and value their parenting.
1.4 Parents more trust in preschool setting and more involvement. Giving children access to appropriate health services.
1.5 Reduction in drug and alcohol abuse – domestic violence.
Teachers
1.6 Involvement in the class, freed imagination in creating for and with children, understanding the meaning of early childhood trauma and relevance of child’s family background.
1.7 Talk with parents, create meaningful ties.
1.8 Understand the relevance of self care and her own childhood traumas. Teachers sharing with and supporting each other in centre. / 1.1 and 1.2 Externally conducted action research, using following data sources: focus groups, semi-structured individual interviews, questionnaires- before, midway and after.
Analysis: Thematic networks method of data analysis (Attride-Stirling, 2001).
1.3 , 1.4, 1.5 Parents of Aboriginal children approached by researcher:
before during and after project:
Focus Groups
Individual interviews
Questionnaires
Fed back into main Gunawirra teachers group with changes needed.
Questionnaires before midway and after.
Focus groups
Reporting methods
Individual sessions
Report back to main group. / Research demonstrate success.
Demonstrate closer ties with their children. Better links, trust in preschool, pride in self and culture and community
Better self care and peer support.
Better understanding of trauma. Encouragement of play and imagination in children, supporting parents. / Develop the Capacity to express emotion through art, music, dance, and aboriginal dreamtime stories.
Each child will receive five one hour lessons in each of the Five big Ideas. (25 Hours) Sessions utilize Puppets, games, music, dreamtime stories, art, excursions, community parent activities, nature.
These are gathered into Personal Health and Hygiene,
Nutrition, Healing for Troubles at Home. Trusting teacher,
My Culture my Identity, My land our environment. We employ more workers to teach the teachers, to develop the teachers understanding of trauma, to support the teachers isolation.
We need more workers to assist teachers and make links with community services.
Parents needed to come and help with cultural concepts - family background, people, totem. Help with teaching first aid, receive care packs, Little Doctors certificates.
No shame no blame, cooking days, growing gardens
Training seminars for each preschool on each module. Tools and equipment. Funding for growing gardens etc. working with parents and community
Reporting groups to design and test new ideas.
Visits and fortnightly sessions by telephone to preschool to support teachers
Attachment, play, trauma discussions
Linking in to other preschools
Strategic goal 2: We will further develop and consolidate the ISYAFP
Outcome / Measure / Target / ActivitiesWomen in the ISYAFP will:
1.1 improve their emotional health, personal development and confidence as mothers.
1.2 Improve their capacity to positively bond with their infants and preschool children
1.3 Form and maintain mutually supportive groups
1.4 Gain increased awareness of and pride in their traditional culture
1.5 Be more able to provide a safe environment for their children
1.6 Be better equipped to provide good nutrition for themselves and their children
1.7 Gain leadership skills
1.8 Consider the opportunity to participate in individual psychotherapy / Research and evaluation of the program, conducted by UWS. Data collected via interviews with clients, staff, volunteers examining experiences of groupwork and psychotherapy. / Research and evaluation demonstrate success. / Groupwork interventions.
Creative and artistic activities.
Infant massage training.
Input from relevant external individuals and organizations.
Visits to cultural events.
Cooking and nutrition programs.
Facilitation of Leadership Program.
Individual Psychotherapy.
Children and infants in ISYAFP will:
2.1 enjoy more secure and loving relationships with their mothers
2.2 attain their developmental milestones
2.3 remain in the care of their mothers / Research and evaluation of the program.
Observations and reports given by mothers and workers. / Research and evaluation demonstrates success. / Provide reliable and predictable framework.
Individual and group interventions.
Creative and play activities that help mothers and children engage with each other.
Students.
3.The ISYAFP will provide placements and internships for social work students. / Feedback and reporting from universities, students and supervisors. / Students successfully complete their placements. / Project manager to liaise with university staff, ensure quality learning opportunities, ensure students receive quality supervision.
Community.
4. The ISYAFP will ensure that relevant health and welfare agencies are knowledgeable about the services provided. / Appropriate referrals are made to the programs. / Regular attendance of new clients. / Agency visits, networking, attendance at interagency meetings, dissemination of brochures and other written information.
Program evaluation. The ISYAFP will evaluate the impact of the program on the client group. / Implementation of the research and evaluation project. / Research to commence in February 2014 as a pilot study. / Project manager to liaise with researchers at UWS.
Funding sought through ARC to conduct ongoing research.
Future growth of project. The ISYAFP will develop a group program specifically for young Aboriginal mothers. / Mothers aged 17 – 24 regularly attend the program. / Aim to commence program by February 2014. / Liaison and networking with referring agencies and community groups.
This program is contingent on sufficient funding.
Strategic goal 3: We will advocate, educate and disseminate our learning and programs
Outcome / Success measure / Target / Activities
3.1 / Gunawirra will be well recognised as a specialist professional resource for Aboriginal preschool children, particularly in the area of Trauma and emotional development. / Research into how well children able to use these tools to develop emotional understanding, imagination and life skills. / Preschool children research demonstrates success in dissemination tools that are useable, enjoyable, emotionally meaningful and educational. / Puppet program
First Aid Power point.
Nutrition Power point
Toys and educational crafted wooden toys
Distributed in all preschools where the project is underway.
3.2 / Gunawirra recognises the need for families to be involved and encouraging of their children at this stage, in the preschool and at home. Approaches to families of students experiencing problems by teachers through booklets. / Research into how have they used their literature. How well the families have utilised the knowledge imparted by Gunawirra through teacher’s knowledge. / Families with children in preschools will have successful outcomes in areas of life skills and involvement with their children as a result of literature and videos and tools. / Booklets
Professional sessions on problems and attachment etc.
3.3 / Gunawirra helps Teachers understand and respond to issues in early childhood trauma, life skills and education particularly in the areas of health hygiene, nutrition. / Research how useful teachers have found seminars and conferences and books and booklets and other resources such as wooden alphabet blocks. / Preschool teachers / Conferences
Papers
Seminars
Book
Book Chapters
Booklets
Working Committees
3.4 / Help to private and Corporate funders and general public in understanding the needs of preschool children. / Funding and public education acknowledging use and value of Gunawirra. / Success demonstrated in understanding the needs of Aboriginal preschool children. / Strategic Plan
Printed Annual Report
Booklets on projects
Videos of Gunawirra ideals and work
Strategic goal 4: We will build a funding model to achieve our strategies in a sustainable way
Outcome / Success measure / Target / Key Activities
Gunawirra will have demonstrably sustainable funding for its current and planned development. / That the budget is sustained. / That a basic amount is available for special needs .
4.1 Private wealth Individuals / That there is annual support from these / Personal requests Lunch. Art Exhibition. Puppet shows.
4.2 Grants from Trusts and Foundations / A minimum of 50% success from these submissions. / Over 50 submissions annually for $400,000 / Professionally written applications, after personal contact with funders. Reports given. Contact maintained
4.3 Corporate partnerships / Become main means of sustaining income. / Would cover up to 50% of funding required. / Boardroom lunches. Puppets. Reporting back . Booklets. Annual Reports. Puppets.
4.4 Events / Branding exercise and good way to advertise Gunawirra / Income not as important as advertising / Art Exhibition. Cocktail Party.
4.5 Government Funding. Gunawirra has no Government Funding at this time. / Adequate Funding of a continuing nature. / Cover some basic expenses to do with contract fees and rent etc. / Good professional submissions with charts and strategy and budget.
Strategic goal 5: We will build the infrastructure and governance systems to be sustainable
Outcome / Success measure / Target / Activities
5.1 / Gunawirra will have demonstrably sustainable organisation with excellent governance and management systems and capacity for growth / Satisfactory service to organisation’s work, to Board, workers and centres we serve. To our clients. / Measures to be modern and functional. Office workers and managers to work as a team to give best processes possible / Best Office equipment available. Good Management. Performing Office staff.
5.2 / IT and computer section / Fully functional and meeting needs of professional staff. / CRM to be fully implemented and established / IT person to be employed and knowledgeable
5.3 / Accountancy / Specialist BDJ Accountancy firm: To balance books to provide monthly reports to Board to cover auditing. / MYOB in order. Payments up to date. Documentation in order. Company secretary work in order / Invoice collection and
Payment - MYOB
Reports to Board.
ASIC - DGR requirements
Receipts and thank you letters.
5.4 / Contracts for workers and volunteers / Legally organised
Agreed on contracts for every worker and volunteer. / Every worker to have a contract.
Every volunteer to have a contract. / Contracts created and signed for every worker and volunteer.
5.5 / Insurance / Every necessary Blanket and Workers Compensation Insurance covered. / Every worker, every volunteer, every Board Member, accommodation, every client covered. / To find best Insurance (Workplace Australia) and absolutely have every thing covered for the protection of the agency its members and clients and Board.
5.6 / MOUs and Agency Agreements / Legally done pro bono / No work to be performed with outside agency without MOU and confidentiality agreements.