Karabena Consulting was engaged to evaluate the co-design process underpinning South Australia’s Child and Maternal Continuity of Care Protocols (CCP) Program. The project aimed to strengthen how Aboriginal voices inform the design of culturally safe, coordinated care for Aboriginal children aged 0–4 years and mothers of Aboriginal babies.
July 2024 - June 2025
Koori Maternity Services are a vital part of Victoria’s maternity system, providing culturally safe, holistic, and community-based care for Aboriginal women, non-Aboriginal women having Aboriginal babies, and their families. Delivered across 14 sites (11 through Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and three through public hospitals), KMS offers care that goes beyond clinical support.
February 2025 - June 2025
In response to Recommendation 69 of the Family is Culture Review, the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and BOCSAR developed the Linked Data Asset (LinDA). This is an internal DCJ client centred database that links records from social housing, homelessness, child protection, out-of-home care (OOHC), and justice. The data can be used to highlight opportunities for cross-sectional policy responses, inform targeted service delivery and build analytical models that identify client risk.
December 2024 – May 2025
Since 2018, Murray Primary Health Network (PHN) has been commissioning dual diagnosis services for First Nations peoples across six Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs). These services support First Nations peoples experiencing both mental health and substance use challenges. Over the years, significant data has been shared with MPHN. Given anticipated changes to funding arrangements, a review is needed to help inform future commissioning arrangements.
December 2024 – May 2025
Karabena Consulting worked with the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS), Corrections Victoria, Justice Health and GEO to develop and document an Integrated Aboriginal Justice Health Model for implementation at Marngoneet Correctional Centre. The model supports the social, emotional, cultural, and physical wellbeing of Aboriginal people in custody through integrated care, continuity of support post-release, and lived-experience peer workforces.
February 2025 – May 2025
Read MoreThe Aboriginal Youth Cautioning Program (AYCP) was developed in collaboration with Aboriginal communities and in accordance with principles of Aboriginal self-determination outlined within the Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement Phase 4 (AJA4). The aim of the AYCP is to increase and enhance the use of police cautioning through a community-led model, based on principles of early intervention, harm reduction and community involvement, to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal young people in the criminal justice system. Initially established as a pilot program, the AYCP has now expanded into an ongoing State-wide program, operating for over four years.
August 2024 – March 2025
Read MoreKarabena Consulting was engaged by the DTP to deliver a two-stage project focused on improving road safety outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria.
The first stage (September 2023 – January 2024) involved a comprehensive review of literature, examining evidence-based strategies and actions to enhance road safety for First Nations communities in Victoria.
September 2023 – January 2025
Read MoreAs two stages of OCHRE evaluation demonstrate, there were many achievements over 2013- 2023 including ARA being established over significant parts (but not all) of NSW. But a statewide healing program did not progress beyond the consultation stage. There was also slow progress in transferring decision-making powers to Aboriginal communities. From 2018-2019 onwards, OCHRE was increasingly overshadowed by the negotiation and roll out of the Closing the Gap program in NSW.
Read MoreKarabena Consulting (Karabena) was engaged by the Department of Health (DH) to conduct a lapsing program evaluation of the Strong Brother Strong Sister (SBSS) suicide prevention and social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) program.
This evaluation sought to assess the program’s implementation, outcomes, and impact, and by analysing this data determine its overall effectiveness, efficiency, and cost effectiveness. Further, Karabena examined the potential risk, to both individuals and the community, if program funding is not renewed
August 2024 – December 2024
Read MoreIn 2023, the Victorian Government committed to integrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge in antenatal, Maternal and Child Health (MCH), and early parenting services to strengthen the early years health sector for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families in Victoria from preconception to school age.
August 2023 – August 2024
Read MoreThe Better Futures and Home Stretch Programs, an initiative of DFFH, aim to provide structure, guidance, and support to young people transitioning from care services to adulthood.
March 2024 – November 2024
Read MoreKarabena Consulting facilitated a workshop for the Community Relations and Heritage Division of the DPC on 16 October 2024. The workshop focused on DISC profiles, internal division relationships, and directional communication strategies. The goal was to improve communication among team members, enhancing both personal understanding and the overall efficiency of the division.
Read MoreKarabena Consulting worked with VAHS to design and implement a comprehensive strategy to enhance workplace safety, health, and inclusion for Aboriginal staff. The project was part of VAHS's broader efforts to promote respectful environments for their staff in Victoria and address cultural safety.
The project provided VAHS with practical tools and strategies to ensure compliance with occupational health and safety (OHS) standards and to promote a safer, more inclusive environment for employees.
May 2024 – October 2024
Read MoreIn collaboration with Karen Milward Consulting Services, Karabena Consulting worked on developing the Cultural Capability Framework Implementation Action Plan (Action Plan) and the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for DEECA.
September 2024 – October 2024
Read MoreKarabena Consulting (Karabena) was engaged by the Department of Health (DH) to conduct a lapsing program evaluation of the Strong Brother Strong Sister (SBSS) suicide prevention and social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) program.
This evaluation sought to assess the program’s implementation, outcomes, and impact, and by analysing this data determine its overall effectiveness, efficiency, and cost effectiveness. Further, Karabena examined the potential risk, to both individuals and the community, if program funding is not renewed
March 2024 – October 2024
Read MoreThe Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System (2021) recommended a review of approaches to perinatal mental health screening to address inclusivity, cultural appropriateness and the therapeutic context of screening (recommendation 18.2).
A subsequent independent review of perinatal mental health screening in Victoria (2023) delivered ten recommendations in response to the findings of the Royal Commission, including a recommendation for the development of the Victorian perinatal mental health screening guidelines (‘the guidelines’), informed by co-design approaches with Aboriginal people.
May 2024 - October 2024
Read MoreKarabena Consulting worked with Link-Up Victoria to identify the needs and aspirations of members of the Stolen Generations and their families. The project was part of Link-Up Victoria’s broader efforts to support cultural reconnection, healing, and intergenerational empowerment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria.
March 2024 – September 2024
Read MoreThe Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) engaged Karabena Consulting to assess how its work in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination can be strengthened through enhanced governance and power-sharing with First Nations partners.
April 2024 - September 2024
Read MoreKarabena was engaged by WMHSP to help understand the enablers and barriers to cultural safety and access in Emergency Departments (ED) for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and their families.
To achieve this, Karabena undertook site visits to the EDs at both RMH and RCH, semi-structured discussions with staff at RMH’s First Nations Health Unit and RCH’s Wadja Aboriginal Family Place, and consultations with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community members.
March 2024 – September 2024
Read MoreThe Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 (the Act) provides a safe legal framework for eligible people who are suffering and dying to choose the manner and timing of their death.
Karabena Consulting was engaged by CERE to evaluate the first five years of the Act. Focusing on experiences with death, dying and voluntary assisted dying (VAD) accessibility, key consultation questions addressed how VAD systems meet First Nations peoples’ needs, barriers to compliance, and the safety and compassion of VAD processes. The goal of this project was to review how the Act is operating for First Nations communities.
April – June 2024
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