Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future

Information for service providers

Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future is an Aboriginal-led research project.

The project aims to ensure parents receive skilled, sensitive, trauma-integrated care, so that pregnancy and birth are a time of healing that makes families stronger.

The Latrobe Valley region is piloting a healing model of care that includes service provider training and mentorship.

Get involved to

  • contribute to promoting healthy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) families
  • contribute to closing the gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Indigenous Australians.
  • enrich your skills in working with Aboriginal families, ensuring that the perinatal care they receive is trauma-informed and safe.

This training is available to any service provider caring for Aboriginal parents in the perinatal period in the Latrobe Valley area, including

  • Midwives
  • Nurses
  • Obstetricians
  • GPs
  • Administrative and reception staff on Thomson and Agnes ward
  • Lactation consultants
  • Allied health practitioners; e.g., social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, physiological therapist etc
  • Management staff
  • Paediatricians
  • Ultrasonographers

Be part of a great opportunity to develop an exemplar site for trauma-informed care which can be used as a model for other services across Australia.

Register your interest

Training opportunities

Introductory training is a self-directed online introduction to complex trauma and trauma-informed care.

Delivery: self-paced online

Intermediate training is an in-depth exploration of Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing, diversity and systemic factors impacting Aboriginal experiences of trauma.

It covers the neurobiology of trauma, practical clinical skills for addressing trauma symptoms, practice using case studies to enhance safety, minimise traumatisation, and support recovery and healing.

Delivery: face-to-face and/or online

Advanced training is an intensive mentor training.

Experience a deep reflective practice workshop where you will gain skills and confidence in implementing a strengths-based, culturally informed and trauma-integrated healing approach for working with Aboriginal parents experiencing complex trauma.

Delivery: face-to-face workshop

Register your interest

Participate in the research project

There are two ways you participate in the research aspect of this project, through interviews or by providing feedback.

Interviews are an opportunity to provide information about the care provided to Aboriginal parents, how equipped you feel providing trauma-informed care and any barriers you faced.

Take part in one hour phone or face-to-face interview with the research team before and/or after the training.

Feedback is an opportunity to regularly provide information in your thoughts and experiences implementing trauma-informed care throughout the implementation period.

Feedback will be colelcted through an online portal, and you will receive updates as the project evolves.

Register your interest

Contact the research team

The research team can be contacted by email at hpnf-project@unimelb.edu.au