Holding Space for the Modern Matriarchy A Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network Model for Keeping Families Healthy Together

This report is an evaluation of the Keeping Families Healthy Together model, its key insights, strategies and outcomes. An Aboriginal womenled model of care developed within the Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network (BHFLHN), with a particular focus on the Gawler region of South Australia, the model is grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems, cultural governance and relational accountability. In a policy and service landscape often shaped by risk aversion and statutory intervention, Keeping Families Healthy Together redefines the role of health services in child protection by placing relational governance, cultural authority and Aboriginal matriarchal leadership at the centre of care. Rather than treating health and child protection as separate domains, this model demonstrates how culturally grounded health care can act as a protective factor. It strengthens families, keeps children safe and supports community continuity, particularly during pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth and the early years of a child’s life.