HEALS (Hearing EAr health Language and Speech services) project

A key outcome for CRE and the SEARCH program has been the collection, for the first time, of information about hearing and speech development. In 2014, the NSW Ministry of Health approved $800,000 to continue providing ENT surgery and speech therapy services to children identified through SEARCH and children attending the ACCHSs who have been identified with speech and language delays and middle ear disease. The deliverables for 2014 included completion of service provision for HEALS project, completion of qualitative studies and the economic modelling for the scale up of HEALS into a state wide model.The research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Strategy

Mental healthcare pathways for urban Aboriginal children

Social and emotional wellbeing problems are the chief health issue experienced by young Australians. The small amount of information available suggests that Aboriginal young people experience even higher levels of mental health related harm. Little is known about the pathways that Aboriginal children and adolescents with mental health concerns take when accessing specialized care and to what extent services are available, accessible and culturally appropriate. Further, although GPs are generally considered the gatekeepers to accessing specialist mental health services it is unclear the extent to which they feel confident and equipped to detect, assess and refer children for suspected mental health concerns, particularly in Aboriginal children. This compilation of work sought to understand whether current guidelines and treatment pathways meet the needs of Aboriginal young people presenting with SEWB-related concerns and the extent to which GPs, nurses and Aboriginal Health Workers feel confident and equipped to deal with the mental health concerns they see in the children they deal with in their work at the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). To gain this understanding two systematic reviews and a qualitative study were conducted.The research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Strategy.This work was supported through grants to SEARCH from the Australian Primary Care Research Institute, the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (grant numbers 358457, 512685, 1023998 and 1035378), the NSW Ministry of Health, beyondblue and the Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund. The CRE and SEARCH are conducted in partnership with the AH&MRC and four Aboriginal medical services across NSW: Awabakal Limited, Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation, Sydney West Aboriginal Health Service, and Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation

Perspectives on childhood resilience among the Aboriginal community: an interview study

Australian Aboriginal children are exposed to a number of adversities that have been attributed to the downstream effects of European colonisation. Childhood adversities increase the risk of negative health and social outcomes that can contribute to longstanding mental and physical health 'gaps' between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people and the high rates of youth suicide observed. Despite these challenges, most Aboriginal children are resilient and show remarkable adaption during difficult circumstances. Resilience is often mentioned in conjunction with Aboriginal people, yet there is comparatively little research investigating Aboriginal resilience in Australia, including the aetiology of resilience and strategies for promoting resilience in children. A better understanding of the factors that can enhance children�s resilience will aid in the development of targeted programs to promote better health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal children who face long-standing adversity. This research was based on face-face interviews with Aboriginal health service professionals, youth workers and adult community members and aimed to describe the perspectives of members of urban and regional Aboriginal communities on childhood resilience, including how resilience can be enhanced.The research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Strategy

Knowledge exchange and research capacity building in urban Aboriginal health

The Centre for Research Excellence (CRE) on urban Aboriginal Child Health is linked to this unique base of information on 1600 children and their parents/ caregivers. The Centre is designed to: (a) increase the translation of knowledge arising from the SEARCH program and additional data collection undertaken as part of the CRE; (b) to enable ACCHSs to effectively use the information emerging from SEARCH to improve the quality of primary care, and; (c) enhance research capacity in primary health care within ACCHSs by increasing their capacity to undertake multidisciplinary research and knowledge translation in primary care. This work will provide evidence to support sustainable and transferable improvements in Aboriginal primary health care and, ultimately, health outcomes.The research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Strategy