Regional Visit Report

Pilbara

(Karratha, Wickham, Roebourne, South Hedland)

12 to 15 October 2015

Facts about children and young people in the Pilbara[1]

Around 13,000 children and young people aged 0 to 17 years live in the Pilbara[2]
Almost 20 per cent of the region’s population of children and young people are Aboriginal[3]
According to the 2011 Census,the Pilbara has the State’s lowest proportion of one parent families (14%compared to 17.3% for WA)[4]

In 2012 the Australian Early Development Census found that 21.4 per cent of children entering fulltime school in the Pilbara are ‘developmentally vulnerable’ on one or more domains – this is less than the WA rate (23%) and national rate (22%)[5]
There are 4,538 children and young people in Karratha(statistical area 2),which is almost a quarter of the city’s population.
Aboriginal children and young people represent 8 per cent of the 0 to 17 year-olds living in Karratha
34 per cent of all children and young people living in the Pilbara reside in Karratha and 27 per cent live in Port or South Hedland
In Roebourne(statistical area 2)[6] there are 1,139 children and young people representing 16 per cent of Roebourne’s population[7]
In Roebourne almost 30 per cent of children and young people are Aboriginal[8]
In South Hedland(statistical area 2) there are 2,715children and young people, representing 26.2 per cent of the town’spopulation[9]
Aboriginal children and young people in South Hedlandrepresent 25 per cent of all children and young peoplein the town and 37 per cent of its Aboriginal population[10]
Wickhamhas significantlylower numbersof children entering fulltime school who are developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains –from 37.9 per cent in 2009 to 16.1 per cent in 2012.[11]
The Pilbara has one of the highest reported rates of Aboriginal women who smoked tobacco during pregnancy for WA (51.6%)[12]

The Acting Commissioner Jenni Perkins talks with a young familyat Karratha Community House’s Bookworms playgroup for languages other than English.

Who did the Acting Commissioner meet?

In Karratha the Commissioner met with the principal and students fromKarratha Senior High School, and representatives from:

The Karratha Early Years Groupthatincluded representatives from theCity of Karratha, Department of Education,Pilbara Preparatory, Karratha Family Centre, Karratha Community house Inc., Local Information Network Karratha (LINK), Chevron Ear Health Program,Empowering People in Communities (EPIC), Regional Development Australia Pilbara, Population Health, Pilbara Institute,and Capacity Speech Pathology

Disability Services Commission
Crossroads West Karratha Youth Accommodation Service
Karratha Community House Inc.
The Regional Youth Coordinators Network,which included representatives from Mission Australia, Department of Education,School Drug Education and Road Aware (SDERA), City of Karratha,The Base,Youth Shed,Mawarnkarra Health Service Aboriginal Corporation,The Department for Child Protection and Family Support,Regional Development Australia Pilbara, and the Department of Sport and Recreation.

In Roebourne the Commissioner met with representatives from Gurlu Gurlu Maya Roebourne Early Learning Centre, Roebourne District High School and Boonderu Music Academy.

In Wickham the Commissioner spoke to staff and the young people who attend Wickham Wirra Club Homework Centre.

Acting Commissioner Jenni Perkins accepting a pair of tapping sticks from Chief Executive Officer of Boonderu Music Academy Qynn Beardman, located at Roebourne District High School.

In South Hedland the Commissioner met with the principal and students from South Hedland Primary School as well as representatives from:

Youth Involvement Council (YIC)
South Hedland Child and Parent Centre
Members of the Pilbara Regional Aboriginal Education Advisory Council
Pilbara Regional Youth Justice Service
Department for Child Protection and Family Support

Representatives from the Hedland Youth Stakeholder Action Group which includes theWA Police, WA Country Health Service,EPIC,JD Hardie Youth Zone,Town of Port Hedland,Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation, and Pilbara Regional Youth Justice Service.

What the Acting Commissioner heard from Karratha

The Commissioner heard of many positive examples of schools working closely with the community by offering their facilities to organisations afterhours. For example EPIC,a Karratha Inclusive Program initiative, is providing activities for children of all ages during school holidays, and many local Aboriginal children and young people arealso taking up recreational activities with the support of the KidSport program.

Other initiatives include:

A variety of organisations provide playgroups, school readiness programs, birth circles and informal ‘mums and bubs’ programs.

Population health provides injury prevention, speech pathology, dietetics, child health/immunisations, and occupational therapy services.
LINK has a parenting support service, organises workshops, seminars events and has a resource library, and supports the wellbeing of new families to the town by providing a welcome pack.

City of Karratha funds a youth centre in Karratha.
Chevron Ear Health Program is providing outreach screening for children.

A number of issues impacting children and young people were raised in Karratha, including:

a lack of services for young people, including mental health services (for example, the organisation headspace is not available), with limited options for young people to go to
transport continues to be a barrier for young people, with the costs of travel prohibitive for young people to be engaged in programs/sports
difficulty for young people to find support to meet the requirements of obtaining a drivers’ licence
lower literacy and numeracy skills particularly in Aboriginal children and young people is creating a barrier to school attendance, leading to disengagement from education
a transient workforce means staff continuity is an issue for service providers and children sometimes experience gaps in assistance.

WA Commissioner for Children and Young People Manager Policy Trish Heath presenting at the ‘Focus on children and young people’workshop in Karratha, attended by more than 30 people from organisations across the Pilbara. The Commissioner attended the discussion session at this forum.

What the Acting Commissioner heard from Wickham

The Commissioner learnt that the Wickham Wirra Homework Club has provided an after-school program since 2009 where about 40 children from pre-primary to Year 6 can read, complete homework or participate in other activities for three nights a week. It operates next to the City of Karratha’s youth centre, The Base, which attracts a mix of children from different backgrounds.

One primary school exists in Wickham, therefore olderstudents attend high school in Roebourne or Karratha. The town lacks activities for young people, although there is an outdoor movie cinema and a new aquatic centre. Children tend to walk to places they have to go in town rather than using public transport.

What the Acting Commissioner heard from Roebourne

Organisationshighlighted a number of positive developments to the area, including:

a ‘kindy link’ program thatis assisting Gurlu Gurlu Maya Roebourne Early Learning Centre and Roebourne District High School in working together to smooth the transition between early childhood and school
the Boonderu Music Academy, launched at Roebourne District High School,which is helping students engage in music, Aboriginal languages and folklore, as well as education and encouraging them to achieve their full potential.
Yaandina that provides mothers groups, playgroups for children as well as counselling services to the community
regular meetings between the various organisations in Roebourne that have strengthened community ties and support.
Gurlu Gurlu Maya Roebourne Early Learning Centre that, in conjunction with Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd (NYFL),hascreated the SOLID program,which provides information on a variety of wellbeing matters to the community. Gurlu Gurlu Maya has strong engagement in the community due in part to its program of training local Aboriginal staff and facilitators.

Local service providers raised local issues.

School attendance rates continue to be a challenge. Informal dialogue with families in the community is helping to broaden understanding of education and its importance.
Similarto other towns in regional WA, incidents of drug use, especially with ‘ice’ is occurring, which is a new phenomenon impacting families.
Access to transport and services continue to be a barrier for young people.

Acting Commissioner for Children and Young People Jenni Perkins with theYear 11 leadership group from Karratha Senior High School

What the Acting Commissioner heard from South Hedland

The Commissioner heard that a variety of organisations are working within the area to deliver meaningful programs:

Gumula Aboriginal Corporation and Child Australia haveactivity programsfor families with young children.
A Second Bite program, delivered through Best Start and South Hedland Child and Parent Centre, is bringing healthy foods to families in need.
The Youth Involvement Councildelivers a variety of services including their outreach Mingle Mob bus service for children and young people, and will soon open their new centre, whichcatersto the needs of varying age groups.
JD Hardie Centre operates a SLAM basketball diversionary program that sees up to 100 young people playing in a fortnightly basketball competition.
Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation (WMHSAC)providesmale and female counsellors at their wellbeing centre and runs culturally appropriate programs in addition to their health services.
A horsemanship program for vulnerable young peopleis run in partnership withWMHSAC and Pilbara Regional Youth Justice,which buildsinterpersonal skills and self-esteem in participants.
A new skate park has opened (the largest in the Southern hemisphere).
Yandeyarra Remote Community School runs junior football on weekends.

Several issues impacting children and young people in South Hedland were raised including:

a number of important programs are facing funding challenges
the incidence of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) continuesto affect many young people, including those in contact with the youth justice system, and obtaining a diagnosis is oftendifficult
reliable and affordable modes of public transport continues to be an issue
there is demand for more activities and diversionary programs to engage young people
a lack of ‘in situ’ drug and alcohol rehabilitation places is impacting families
many organisations tend to focus on supporting children with higher mental health, learning or disability needs, meaning children with mild to moderate issues lack adequate support.

What the Acting Commissioner heard from children and young people

The Commissioner met with many groups of children and young people from across the four towns. This included:

members of the Year 11 leadership group at Karratha Senior High School
approximately 40 children in Wickham at the Wickham Wirra Club Homework Centre
a discussion with approximately 35 Year 5 and 6 students at South Hedland Primary School. She was also given a tour of the school’s classrooms to greet the students
approximately 10 children at YIC’s Youth Centre (temporarily located at the JD Hardie Youth Zone).

When asked what they enjoyed about living in their towns, young people said: it’s hot;you all know each other; many cultures can come together; there’s a pool; you can hunt kangaroos/turkey; there’s nice people and there’s places to fish.

The things they liked to do in their spare time include cooking, BBQs, playing games, catching up with people, go to the JD Hardie Centre(in South Hedland) and going to Wirra Club (in Wickham).

South Hedland Primary School students Bob Ryan and Juan Franklin reading copies of ‘This is Me’ – a publication released by the Commissioner for Children and Young People featuring positive stories of Aboriginal children and young people in WA.

When asked what changes they would make to their communities if they were in charge, the students said they would: remove the prickles from grass on the ovals, create more shade on footpaths, have ‘better shops’, more activities like laser tag/ten pin bowling/trampolining places,less vandalism and glass on the roads, and to make sure there was no violence or smoking in the community.

The Commissioner heard a number of ideas to better support children and young people, including creating somequiet places(in Karratha)with air conditioning to hang out and study in becausethe library is too noisy, as well as a bigger food shop (in Wickham)as it runs out of items sometimes, and creating shade and toilets next to the skate park shade (in South Hedland).

Commissioner’s comments

In my visit to the Pilbara I was impressed with the level of collaboration that exists between the various organisations that are dedicated to supporting the health and wellbeing needs of local children and young people.

Although each community has a unique population and diverse needs, it was clear some common themes emerged from my discussions with local agencies and service providers.

In all communities there are still some vulnerable cohorts of children and young people that many organisations are working to support. Remaining engaged in traditional schooling and education continues to be a challenge for some.

The importance of developing relationships with parents and helping them to be supportive of education was considered a crucial step in engaging students, as well as supporting students with lower literacy and numeracy levels, developing greater cultural awareness amongst teaching staff, and maintaining investment in early childhood programs.

A lack of resources to support the mental health of children and young people is also affecting the long-term wellbeing of many.

It was encouraging to see the investment in communities in after-school care, youth centres and holiday programs, as well as local sporting and recreational infrastructure, which are providing positive environments for children and young people to interact.

I would like to thank all of the organisations that met with me for sharing theirviews and concerns that you see in your community, as well as the successes and achievements you have had. I particularly like to thank the principals of the schools I visited, Boonderu Music Academy and the Youth Involvement Councilfor opening their doors to me and helping me to meet local children and young people.

A very big thank you also to all the children and young people I met for talking and sharing their ideas with me. Many of you spoke with a great sense of pride for yourlocal communities, schools and regions.

The information gathered from my visit will continue to support the office’s work in advocating for the wellbeing of all children and young people in WA.

Jenni Perkins

Acting Commissioner for Children and Young People WA