About Us
The FASD Health Resource, developed by the Marulu Team at Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre in the Fitzroy Valley, Western Australia, draws on expertise from our community and collaborators.
Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre (MWRC)
VISION
We work in partnership with Aboriginal families and Communities to strengthen systems and sustain purposeful, engaged, and healthy lives.
PURPOSE
Marninwarntikura (also known as Marnin) is a community led centre of inspiration for Aboriginal women and their families.
We support Fitzroy Valley families by:
- Providing strengths-based and trauma responsive services
- Promoting safety and wellbeing
- Undertaking innovative and community led research
- Engaging in two-way learning – balancing Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing with other contemporary world views.
- Supporting children to have a strong start in life
- Working to strengthen families across all stages of life
- Creating livelihoods that enable people to thrive
- Employing professional, ethical and passionate people working in ‘two-way’ teams, combining expertise, knowledge and skills
Our purpose and vision is realised through diverse teams working to address complex needs including trauma, FASD, and family and domestic violence, while creating opportunities for healing and wellbeing and helping women and their families to thrive.
LILILWAN RESEARCH
In 2009, in response to specific concerns within the Fitzroy Valley, MWRC with community partners and Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services, in collaboration with The George Institute for Global Health and the University of Sydney, initiated a population based prevalence study to document the extent and nature of FASD in the Fitzroy Valley. Lililwan is a Kriol word meaning 'all the little ones'.
Findings from the study demonstrated that the Valley had amongst the highest prevalence rate of FASD in the world.
FIND OUT MORE
Explore the Marninwarntikura and Marulu Strategy websites and connect with us on Facebook:
Marninwarntikura: www.mwrc.com.au and Marninwarntikura Facebook
Marulu Strategy: www.marulustrategy.com.au and Marulu Strategy Facebook.
MARULU TEAM
The Marulu team was established to respond to the findings of the Lililwan Research, build capacity of families, enhance services and build evidence through community led resources.
Explore more about the Marulu Strategy at https://www.marulustrategy.com.au/
Our FASD Health Resource Team
Sue Thomas
Sue Thomas is the Strategic Priority lead at Marninwarntikura. She has extensive experience as a Principal and educator in the Kimberley, and has led numerous education and research initiatives, including the Marulu strategy, the development of resources, the Marurra U and the Bigiswun social and emotional wellbeing service.
Jane Weston
Jane Weston is an education writer with an extensive career developing education resources for international and Australian educators in a variety of learning areas. She is the co-author of the Health Resource as well as a number of FASD resources written for the Fitzroy Valley and broader education community, including 'FASD and complex trauma: a resource for educators' and 'FASD and early life trauma: what early childhood educators need to know.'
Dr Lauren Rice
Dr Lauren Rice is a Research Fellow at the University of Sydney who has been based in the Fitzroy Valley leading the Bigiswun Kid Project on the ground. She co led the development of the report ‘People don’t know what good looks like’ creating equity for people with disability in the Fitzroy Valley 2021. As part of this Health Resource she worked with community navigators to capture community insights and develop the community informed principles.
Emma Bear
Emma Bear is a Walmajarri , Gooniyandi and Ngarinyin woman from the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. She is a co- researcher, Community Navigator and Youth Mentor on the Bigiswun Kid Project. Emma guided the research, co led interviews and helped with analysis of the data.
Mudge Bedford
Mudge Bedford is a Bunuba/ Karajarri man from the Kimberley region of Western Australia. He is a co-researcher, community navigator and youth mentor on the Bigiswun Kid Project Team as well as an advocate for people with disability in his community.
Emily Carter AM
Emily is the CEO of Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre, Fitzroy Crossing WA. She leads multiple projects addressing complex needs and supports the community through advocacy and high impact initiatives. Emily is an acknowledged Australian expert in the field of FASD and community engagement.
Professor Elizabeth Elliott AO
Professor Elizabeth Elliott AO is a Distinguished Professor in Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Sydney; Consultant Paediatrician at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, Westmead. She has been working on community led projects in the Fitzroy Valley since 2009, including leading the Lililwan and Bigiswun projects and is an acknowledged Australian and international expert in the field of FASD and a contributor to the Australian FASD diagnostic guidelines.
Marurra U Team
The Marurra U team is a partnership between Royal Far West and Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre. Marurra U, is a Bunuba word meaning to 'embrace with love and care'. The team works withinin the Fitzroy Valley to enhance therapeutic services, build capacity and create a connected system of supports for Fitzroy Valley children and families. The team comprises community navigators/family support workers, allied health professionals and researchers from the University of Sydney.
KAMS Team
Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre (MWRC) and Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service (KAMS) are members of a consortium delivering Allied Health Services to the Valley as part of the Kimberley Supports, Remote Early Childhood Support (RECS) program. Allied Health professionals work with community navigators/family support workers to develop culturally safe disability services for children (0 -9) and their families.
Della Bedford
Della Bedford is a Bunuba Wiyi Miliwundi Moi woman from Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Mendella has worked in various health and community development roles throughout her career, and is currently the Bigiswun Social and Emotional Wellbeing Counsellor at Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre (MWRC) in Fitzroy Crossing.
Pauline Lodge
Pauline Lodge is the Marulu Clinical Lead at Marninwarntikura. Pauline is a Social Worker, Educator, Sensorimotor Psychotherapist, and Synergetic Play Therapist. She assists organisations to implement trauma responsive policies and practices. Pauline has worked throughout Australia and the UK in the childhood trauma sector for over three decades, leading and delivering clinical services and developing and delivering a range of accredited and non-accredited training packages.
Rachel Kennedy
Rachel is an educator, content manager and web designer who specialises in creating clear, engaging digital experiences. She has worked with Marninwarntikura to develop their websites that focus on usability, storytelling, and meaningful content to help Marninwarntikura bring their message online.
