History of the Fitzroy Valley
Community led initiatives
Since 2009, MWRC has led child health research in the Fitzroy Valley. Beginning with the Lililwan project, which provided children with comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessments and established the prevalence of FASD, through to the Marurra-U project, which provides a model of care for young children with FASD and complex neurodevelopmental needs, the community has secured funding to implement and continue a range of services.
Parents, carers, health professionals and teachers have been supported in managing and helping children with FASD and other types of neurodiversity, and communities have learned about FASD and been empowered to act through the Marulu Strategy.
Each sequential project addressed priorities identified by community leaders, and working with the research partners, developed strong, trusting relationships, committed to two-way learning over time.
View Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations Leading the Way in Child Health Research.
Local Leadership
In 2007, local women successfully lobbied for the restriction on sale of take-away full-strength alcohol, i.e. packaged liquor, exceeding a concentration of ethanol in liquor of 2.7% These restrictions were implemented indefinitely in 2008.
One year after introducing the restrictions, an independent evaluation showed a 28% reduction in alcohol-related police tasks, a 36% reduction in alcohol-related presentations to hospital and a 14% increase in school attendance.
Ongoing advocacy has continued to maintain the alcohol restrictions and strive for a safer and healthier community.
View the Yajilarra video exploring the campaign to ban full strength alcohol in Fitzroy Crossing.
Marulu Strategy (In Bunuba language Marulu means precious, worth nurturing)
Born from concerns about the impact of alcohol related harms in the community, MWRC, NCHS, the USYD and the George Institute formed a partnership with a goal of identifying and responding to FASD and ELT.
View the Marulu strategy website
Lililwan Project (In Kimberley Kriol Lililwan means ‘all the little ones’)
Following community consultation in 2009, the Lililwan project commenced in 2010, aiming to determine the prevalence of alcohol use in pregnancy, FASD and early life trauma in the community and coordinate ongoing support for affected children and families.
View The Lililwan Project: study protocol (2012)
View The Lililwan Collaboration: Inquiry into Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) 2012.
Picture Talk Project
Following the success of research processes in the Lililwan study, the partnership formally investigated consent processes and local understanding of research in very remote Aboriginal communities.
View The picture talk project: Aboriginal community input on consent for research
View Seeking consent for research with indigenous communities: a systematic review
Health Services Project
Researchers documented health services used by the Lililwan cohort, conducted an audit of child health services in the Fitzroy Valley, noting significant fragmentation, complexity and barriers to success, and did a scoping review on services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children nationally.
View Emergency Department Presentations by Children in Remote Australia: A Population-based Study
Marurra-U Partnership
Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre and Royal Far West form the Marurra-U Partnership for provision of allied health services and trauma informed care for children less than 12 years old and their families.
View Models of care for Indigenous children in rural and remote settings: A global scoping review (2025)
Jandu Yani U Project (Bunuba for words meaning ‘all the families’)
In this project, parent coaches were trained in the Indigenous Triple P program, to support parents and carers of children with FASD and complex trauma.
View the 2019 JANDU YANI U Final Report
Marurra U Partnership Yiyili School Telecare Pilot
In 2018 Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre (MWRC)’s Marulu Team, worked with Royal Far West (RFW) to co-design a pilot delivering specialist paediatric allied health services into Yiyili Aboriginal Community school, as a part of the Marurra U Partnership. The pilot was also developed in collaboration with Yiyili Community School and local staff at the Western Australia Country Health Service (WACHS).
View Marurra-U Partnership: Yiyili School Telecare Pilot - End of Pilot Assessment Summary
Bigiswun Kid Project (Bigiswun is a Kriol term meaning ‘adolescents’)
With the Lililwan cohort now in adolescence, Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre invited researchers back to investigate the health and wellbeing of these young people a decade later, identifying strengths and needs.
View What are the Aboriginal world views of disability in the Fitzroy Valley - Stubbs, 2025
Marurra-U Research
Following co-design beginning in 2019, Marninwarntikura Women's Resource
Centre, Royal Far West and University of Sydney received a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant in 2021 to describe and evaluate a hybrid model of trauma-informed telecare and in person services for children with FASD or other complex neurodevelopmental needs, their families and educators.
View the The Marurra-U Partnership Research