Empowering Families
About us
Yerrabi Yurwang’s Empowering Families Program supports Aboriginal children, young people, and families to thrive by reducing involvement with statutory systems. We walk alongside of mob to overcome challenges and prevent separation through our culturally appropriate, wholistic, trauma-informed, wrap-around and practical support pathways.
We work to prevent Aboriginal children and young people from entering or re-entering the ACT OoHC and/or Youth Justice Systems — and to help bring Aboriginal families back together when separation has occurred.
our support pathways
We help Aboriginal children, young people and families when they need and provide support at every step — whether it’s early help, crisis or longer-term support, or help for young people leaving care.
Our Support Pathways Include:
- Prevention – We support families early, before things reach crisis. This can include advice, referrals, advocacy, and gentle help to build routines and connections. Our goal is to strengthen family wellbeing and prevent Aboriginal families becoming involved with child protection or youth justice systems in the ACT.
- Preservation – We provide high-intensity, practical and wraparound support to Aboriginal families involved with statutory systems and facing serious challenges like housing instability, family violence, mental health, or substance use. Our aim is to help families stabilise, address challenges, build capacity, and keep their children safely at home.
- Restoration – We help bring Aboriginal families back together when children have been removed from their care by the government. We work closely with parents, kin and carers to prepare for a child’s return home — helping families strengthen parenting skills, rebuild relationships, and heal after separation. We work with families, services and the system to protect and promote rights, culture, connection, and wellbeing. Through advocacy, planning, and coordinated support, we help bring families back together, ensuring their long-term safety, stability and wellbeing.
- Aftercare Support – We support Aboriginal young people aged 17–24 who have been in Out of Home Care (OoHC) and need extra help as they transition into adulthood. We help young people to build confidence and life skills through culturally safe care coordination, advocacy, mentoring, outreach, family and community reconnection. Our support is flexible and responsive, empowering young people as they navigate life after care—on their own terms, at their own pace.
Yerrabi’s Empowering Families Program is a free and voluntary service that is available to eligible Aboriginal children, young people, and families who are seeking support.
Who We support
We support Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children, young people and families who are either:
Experiencing challenges that may place children at risk of entering Out of Home Care (OoHC)
At risk of, or involved with the ACT Child Protection and/ or Youth Justice systems
Working towards restoration where children are currently in OoHC
Aged 17-24 and have been OoHC, and need additional support to transistion safely into adulthood
How We Support
We walk alongside Aboriginal children, young people, and families to strengthen life skills, support family functioning, and promote safety and wellbeing. We also advocate across systems like housing, child protection, justice, education, and health to help navigate complex challenges.
We support families and community members who are going through challenges such as:
- Parenting struggles
- Legal issues & court matters
- Housing problems
- Family, domestic and sexual violence
- Mental health and wellbeing challenges
- Alcohol and drug use
- Involvement with child protection and/or youth justice systems
- Family breakdown, and other big challenges
Our work supports safety, stability, wellbeing and healing. We offer wholistic, flexible and wraparound support that includes:
- Culturally safe case management
- Advocacy
- Outreach and home visits
- Life skills development
- Health and wellbeing support
- Parenting education courses and groups
- Safety planning and crisis support
- Referrals to specialist services and supports
- Facilitating Aboriginal Family Led Decision Making
- Practical help with day-to-day needs
We also connect people to Yerrabi’s broader services and supports—like our Health Hub, community-led cultural groups and youth programs.
our way
Our work is led by community, underpinned by rights, and driven by our knowledge that: every Aboriginal child deserves to grow up safe, loved, and deeply connected to kin, culture, community and Country. Our way of working is committed to:
- Putting culture first – Upholding the cultural rights and best interests of Aboriginal children, young people, families, and communities in every decision, plan, and action.
- Keeping children safe and connected – Supporting Aboriginal families to stay together or safely reunite through strengths-based, self-determined, culturally appropriate and community-led support.
- Walking with families, not ahead – Respecting Aboriginal family ways of knowing, being and doing, centring relational ways of working, and always working at the pace that feels right for them.
- Restoring and sustaining connection – Prioritising Aboriginal family knowledge, healing, and cultural identity as core to wellbeing and safety.
- Challenging systems, not families – Advocating for justice, accountability, and systemic change when the system causes harm to Aboriginal children, young people and families.
- Working with integrity – Grounding all work in trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and rights-based practice that protects and promotes Aboriginal human rights, self-determination and all elements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Placement Principle.
what success looks like
- Statutory involvement is prevented, reduced, or exited
- Aboriginal children and young people remain safely at home or are safely returned to their family
- Aboriginal families are safer, healthier, stronger, more connected, and equitably supported to thrive
- Aboriginal Parents and families feel more confident, equipped and empowered
- Aboriginal children, young people and families feel safe, seen, and supported in culture and community
- Aboriginal children, young people and families live free from racism and oppression, with their rights protected, culture nurtured and dignity upheld
We welcome referrals from families, community members and service providers. To make a referral to the Empowering Families Team, you can:
Download, complete and email the referral form to referrals@yerrabi.org.au
Or visit us at the Yarramundi Cultural Centre, 245 Lady Denman Drive, Acton ACT, 26016.
Download Empowering Families Information Here