Constructions and experiences of the Gunawirra early intervention program for young Aboriginal mothers

This report describes the outcomes of a research study examining the experience of a mother’s group for Aboriginal women, from the perspective of the mothers and the professional stakeholders. The groups are based at Gunawirra, a not‐for‐profit organisation based in Sydney. The organisation undertakes a range of early intervention programmes designed to promote and support wellbeing among Indigenous families. Among the programmes offered by Gunawirra is the Young Aboriginal Mothers Program. The Young Aboriginal Mothers Program is based at Gunawirra House in Rozelle, Central Sydney. The organisation currently has three mothers groups that meet weekly at Gunawirra House. In contrast to mothers groups offered by most services in Sydney, the mothers groups at Gunawirra provide long term support to mothers for the first five years of their child’s life. The first and longest running group was initiated in March 2012. This group is for mothers aged 25 years and older who have babies and older pre‐schoolers. The second group was initiated in March 2014 and is for younger mothers aged between 14 and 24 years who have babies and toddlers. The third group has been initiated more recently by the organisation in 2015 and was outside the scope of this research study. All of the groups are open to Indigenous mothers and mothers of Indigenous children