Waijungbah Jarjums is a co-designed model of care that was built in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and through meaningful partnerships with the local community and organisations with one goal: to not only safely bring jarjums into the world but welcome them into the community.
The model combines both the Birthing on Country project and the First 1,000 Days Australia principles and is founded on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing, but is so much more.
Waijungbah Jarjums was developed in partnership with Kalwun Health Services and the Yugambeh Region Aboriginal Corporation Alliance to build a service that meets the needs of locals. Governance of Waijungbah Jarjums sits with the Waijungbah Jarjums Consumer Advisory Group who continues to develop the model of care to best suit the local communities’ wants and needs.
Gold Coast Health’s Waijungbah Jarjums—which means place of mother and child—is proudly supported by Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Clinical Excellence Queensland and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Division.
Waijungbah Jarjums
Summary
Aim
To create a better journey with better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island children and families by offering:
- their own midwife who will provide antenatal care, will be on call for labour and birth and provide postnatal care for up to six weeks
- a child health nurse who will provide care from six weeks until your jarjum is two
- a health worker who will support the delivery of culturally safe care and navigation through the healthcare system.
Benefits
- improved low birth weights
- increased numbers of mothers choosing to breastfeed
- reduction in premature births and higher attendances for antenatal appointments
Background
Starting at a new hospital in the area, proud Ngunnawal woman and Clinical Midwife Consultant Cassandra Nest noticed that very few women were identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander when accessing the Midwifery Group Practice.
This seemingly small observation was the catalyst for transformational change within Gold Coast Health’s Women’s, Newborns and Children’s Service as they empowered Cassandra to work alongside the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to co-design a new model of care that best meets their maternal and child health needs.
Solutions Implemented
- antenatal and postnatal education
- Indigenous-led hypnobirthing course
- breastfeeding support
- blood tests and vaccinations
- healthy hearing screening
- child health assessments
- cultural connection and yarning circles
- Welcome Jarjum to Community events
- home visits or care in a location that suits you
- support with transport and parking options.
Evaluation and Results
Feedback from clinicians indicates this model of care is very scalable and an exemplar for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait care across Australia.
Feedback from the community shows this model of care make them feel advocated for and they feel safe.
This initiative improved people's experience at the Gold Coast University Hospital.
Lessons Learnt
Such a service needs to be driven by the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait community. As such, the Advisory Group is very important in its success.
