Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and their families will be able to further strengthen their connection to culture with carefully curated Cultural Care Packages developed by MacKillop Family Services.
Born out of MacKillop’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and managed by our Aboriginal Service Development team with assistance from local MacKillop staff across Victoria, Western Australia, and New South Wales, the new Cultural Care Packages are available for every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child or young person in care With MacKillop. They seek to:
- Increase understanding, value and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge and rights through cultural learning
- Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to know and be strong in their culture and be connected to their community, family and country.
Each package is unique as they are assembled by the local MacKillop office with the child/young person’s age and location in mind. They include dolls and soft toys, small special cultural objects, accessories, clothing, and books, all with cultural significance for the child or young person. Where possible, the products in the care packages will be purchased from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses.
We are proud to have the books, ‘Our Home, Our Heartbeat’ by Hip Hop artist Adam Briggs; and 'Took the Children Away’ by Archie Roach in our resource library and Cultural Care Packages.
'Our Home, Our Heartbeat, was recently awarded the 2021 Australian Book Industry Award for Children's Picture Book of the Year. The book features illustrations of renowned Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander figures and celebrates Indigenous resilience and salutes emerging generations of the oldest continuous culture on earth.
Archie Roach’s ‘Took the Children Away’ book illustrates the lyrics to his powerful song about the enforced separation of Indigenous children from their families and the impact it had on them, their family and community.
The MacKillop team have been progressing with delivering the Cultural Care Packages to every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child and young person in our care, reaching Blacktown, Wollongong, Rural NSW, the Pilbara, Melbourne and Regional Victoria.
To find out more about what MacKillop Family Services is doing to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, read our Reconciliation Action Plan.
