Balaa Support Services
Ngunya Jarjum’s Balaa Team are here to support our Aboriginal Families.
In the local Widjabul dialect, ‘Balaa’ means to ‘help’. We consider the name appropriate, as the services offered through Balaa are provided to compliment quality case planning for children and families that wrap-around the child and family to improve outcomes for Aboriginal families in Northern NSW across the whole of sector, from family preservation to long term out of home care.
Mapping Mob
Our variation of the ‘family finding’ model offers Aboriginal Australian the ability to link family to the child and support family for their child.
Supervised Family Time
Our Supervised Family Time service offers families the opportunity to be together and enjoy one another’s company in a safe, family friendly environment. Our team of family time workers are very experienced, and conduct supervision with a sharp eye for safety, compassion and understanding.
There are times that family time needs to be supervised to ensure the safety for child/ren and family members whether ordered through the Children’s Court or as agreed through Family Law Court. Quality family time ensures that Jarjums are able to maintain meaningful relationships with their immediate and extended family, even while not being able to live in the same home. We provide a safe, neutral and flexible service for parents, children and their families.
Ngunya Jarjum have a team of highly skilled family time supervisors, experienced at ensuring that children get the most out of their time with family and experienced at supporting family to engage in interactive play during family time for the children.
We recognise that every family is different and will require contact arrangements specific to their family’s needs. We assess each case individually and provide the supervision required for each family.
The family time agreement and guidelines are provided to ensure transparent expectations and create an environment suitable to host the most effective family time (contact) visits.
We offer centre based secure visits, time at community venues (such as parks and activities) and can also host online video visits. We are happy to also discuss and support a variety of other ways that family members can stay connected.
Child Car Restraint Fitting
Members of our Balaa team hold qualifications obtained in cooperation with NSW Transport to provide staff information sessions on the installation of child car restraints.
The Ngunya Jarjum Balaa staff are trained to show you how to put child seats in your car properly. Complete the referral form below to get a quote for us to deliver an info session for your team to ensure safe transport of children for your workplace.
Did you know?
• Aboriginal people are around 2.7 times more likely to be killed in car accidents.
• 1.7 times more likely to suffer serious injury as a result of accident.
• It is Law that all children must be safely fastened in the correct child car seat for their age and size.
• All Funded Services have a responsibility to children to ensure secure, safe transport in vehicles.
"TunedIn" Mentoring
Our Aboriginal youth mentoring tailors individual support to a child or young person, providing a one to one relationship based service for youth from all backgrounds.
Our Aboriginal youth mentoring tailors individual support to a child or young person, providing a one to one relationship based service for youth from all backgrounds. This service can be used to:
Connect the young person to cultural practices
Support young people to explore their cultural identity with safety.
Support young people to identify their own goals
Nurture the young person to develop self-confidence.
Listen to the young person and support development of problem solving skills.
Introduce new ideas and opportunities.
Explore services the young person may be wanting to connect with.
Explore employment opportunities.
Any other progressive purpose / goal
Professional Services
Professional services to support you to do your job well for our community may include reaching out for Cultural professional advice and/or information to support your decision making.
Ngunya Jarjum have expert staff in Child Protection, Leadership, Education, Disability and Disaster welfare, all encompassed with cultural wisdom. Our scope of services cover from early intervention to out of home care and includes a culturally founded family preservation model, unique and responsive to the needs of Aboriginal families.
Professional services are not limited or restricted – if you have a need for a service not covered in our Balaa list – this is the referral form for you !
Use this referral to describe your service needs. Some of the services referred through professional services include:
• Reconciliation Action Plans
• Aboriginal Consultation
• Cultural Case planning
• Complex Case review / discussions
• Mediation Services for parent/caregiver and adolescents
• Others….
Not sure if we can do it ? – call us and ask.
"CluedIn" Tutoring
Our one on one tutoring service individually matches the tutor to jarjum to be sure that our jarjum is getting the most of their time with the tutor.
The tutor engages with different learning styles and capacity to bring the best out in the little ones, helping open thinking and learning pathways – while supporting the Jarjums to enjoy the experience of learning.We embed cultural practices as learning tools, supporting the understanding of relationship to land, water and sky in each tutoring session.
Family Led Decision Making
Given the right opportunity, a purposeful subject and access to resources, our families can reach decisions about some of the most tricky and touchy subjects.
Given the right opportunity, a purposeful subject and access to resources, our families can reach decisions about some of the most tricky and touchy subjects. Ngunya Jarjum are able to host two forms of family discussions to meet the needs of the family that you are working with:
1. Family YarnUps – We host an informal yarning environment promoting a safe environment for family members to hold difficult discussion/s, supporting them to use existing frameworks to formalise agreements if they choose (e.g. registering Parenting agreements). Based on over 60,000 years of Indigenous Cultural intelligence and wisdom, tried and tested over time to be the most effective form of family led decision making for our families when accessed at a point of crisis, as an early response to changes in family needs.
2. Family Group Conferencing – a more structured and formal facilitation process using our fully accredited facilitators to guide discussions with families toward outcomes against specific goals, with purpose (e.g. Johnny cant live with his Mum and Dad due to safety concerns, who would the family like to nominate to be assessed to care for Johnny?). This model empowers families to lead their own decisions when facing systemic intervention such as State child protection.
Transport Services
Our transport services are available to families, carers and Jarjums alike to ensure safe travel from once place to the next. Shopping, medical appointments, education and training, or following through with cultural connections – there are lots of reasons why we might need to be on the move from place to place.
Our friendly staff are fully trained in the installation of child restraints, are fully licensed and hold all essential workplace clearances for a child safe organization. We take great care to provide:
- A responsive and helpful service
- Reliable services
- Door to door transport options
- Extra help strapping in children / securing bags
.
BalaaSupport Services can be contacted directly on balaa @ ngunyajarjum.com or by calling us on the office number listed below