Social and Emotional Well Being Program
Program goal
The goal is to build and strengthen the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal families and communities through appropriate interventions, including a better understanding of the role of social and cultural relationships as determinants of health.
Program overview
The focus of this program is to identify pathways and methods whereby resilience can be built on and enhanced to measurably improve the wellbeing and social outcomes or life chances of individuals, families and groups. It is important to understand how resilience is promoted within Aboriginal family and social relationships despite the adverse impacts of social change and colonisation.
For more information about the program, download the Program statement and/or the Social and Emotional Wellbeing Brochure.
Research priorities
An industry roundtable was held on 7 September 2006 to provide guidance in identifying the priorities for research in this program. Discussions also helped to shape the program statement, which was then presented to the Board on 26 September 2006 to set out the parameters of the program.
Program Team
Program Manager: Vanessa Harris
Program Leaders: Tom Brideson, Melisah Feeney, Gary Robinson, Wendy Edmondson, Anne-Marie Mioche
Research priorities identified by the roundtable went to the Board for ranking. The Board endorsed the below seven priority areas for program activity. Current projects were identified which address these priority areas and where gaps were identified new projects were funded.
1. Families - in particular, resilience and children.
2. Resourcing and service provision around SEWB - including issues such as under resourcing, short term funding and constraints of funding availability in relation to the actual nature and scope of need.
3. Activism/Advocacy - focusing on activist/advocacy skills required and training to develop these skills.
4. Workforce - key issues around workforce skills that support SEWB interventions.
5. Research transfer and capacity development - issues such as supporting research transfer; building a network of researchers and practitioners in this field through regular events, and establishing a central home for resources about SEWB.
6. Evaluating what is currently working and why? - How to ensure that knowledge is passed on to funders and service providers.
7. Spirituality - What is the evidence for how spirituality affects, promotes or enhances Indigenous SEWB outcomes?
All projects
For a full list of Social and Emotional Wellbeing projects, go to Research projects.
Brochures