Formats

The Marumali programs have been developed and are delivered by a survivor of removal policies. The workshops are delivered in a variety of formats; each designed to meet the needs of different groups of participants. In addition to the standard program formats, the program can be tailored to meet the specific needs of a particular client group.

Standard Marumali programs:

Marumali Program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Service Providers (5 days)

This five-day program is based on a model of healing developed by an Aboriginal survivor of removal policies. It aims to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service providers in the provision of safe, appropriate and effective support to survivors of removal and assimilation policies.

Participants are equipped with strategies to deal with issues of trauma associated with removal practices in a variety of settings, strategies which respect the rights of survivors to control the pace, direction and outcome of their own healing journey.

The workshop environment is comfortable, friendly and supportive and encourages participation. It offers a culturally appropriate forum for participants to discuss colonisation, grief, loss, identity and other issues of a sensitive nature, and allows for identity to be affirmed and strengthened.

This workshop is specifically for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people who support survivors to heal. It has been attended by medical and allied health professionals, social and emotional wellbeing workers, counsellors, psychologists, Link Up staff and staff within the justice sector.

Marumali Risk Management Workshop for Workers (2 days)

The two-day workshop provides an in-depth look at the Marumali journey of healing with an eye to identifying the risks and protective factors and how to manage thse to ensure the safest possible journey for the survivor. What is ‘normal’ human distress for survivors and what is not, how to refer, and who to, are examined during the workshop. Duty of care, confidentiality, professional supervision, and self-care for the worker is also covered.

It provides:

  • An overview of the impact of removal policies on Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander individuals, families & communities
  • Outline of the historical context in which Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander children were removed from their families and communities
  • Common types of removal / separation & their effects on those removed, their families & communities
  • The transgenerational effects of removal & how this might show itself
  • Social & emotional wellbeing and its limits
  • Roles of mental health services & service providers & referral pathways
  • Duty of care to clients
  • Client confidentiality and its limits
  • Concepts of risk management & strategies
  • Risks associated with each stage of the Marumali journey of healing & how these might be managed
  • The boundaries between normal human distress & psychopathology
  • Resilience, recovery & healing
  • Risks and vulnerabilities to workers & how these might be managed
  • Self-care plan for workers

The Marumali Program (5 days) plus the Marumali Risk Management Workshop for Workers (2 days) forms the unit of competency which the Marumali Program is accredited against HLTAHW402A Assess and support client's social and emotional wellbeing. This unit of competency is from the nationally endorsed Health Training Package (HLT07). The program is delivered in association with the Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council's (AHMRC) Aboriginal Health College and is a core unit of the Certificate IV and Diploma in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health (Community Stream) - Social and Emotional Wellbeing which is offered by the Aboriginal Health College.

 

Marumali Program for Non-Indigenous Service Providers (2 days)

This two-day program looks at some of the unique social and emotional issues faced by survivors of removal policies, and equips participants with some of the skills required to respond appropriately if support is required.

Specifically, it offers insight into:

  • The impact of removal policies on Aboriginal individuals, families & communities
  • The losses and trauma survivors of removal policies need to deal with as part of their healing process
  • Some of the common clinical errors survivors of removal policies face when accessing mental health services.
  • The early stages of the Marumali healing journey and some of the risks and support needed for each stage
  • An appropriate role for non-indigenous service providers offering assistance to survivors of removal policies.

This workshop work has been attended by medical and allied health professionals including social and emotional wellbeing workers, counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists.

Marumali Healing Workshop (5 day)

This workshop can be delivered in a 5 day format and is specifically for survivors of removal policies and their families, offers a culturally appropriate and supportive forum for participants to discuss colonisation, grief, loss, identity and other issues of a sensitive nature, and allows for identity to be affirmed and strengthened. Specifically the workshop offers insight into:

  • Common types of removal / separation & their effects on those removed, their families & communities
  • Silence & transgenerational effects
  • Outlines the stages of Marumali healing journey
  • Importance of identity & belonging place & spiritual dimensions of healing

Marumali Program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inmates (5 days)

This five-day program aims to provide a culturally appropriate ‘model of healing’ to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inmates within correctional facilities.

Specifically, the workshop:

  • Equips participants with strategies to deal with issues of trauma associated with removal
  • Allows participants to control the pace, direction and outcome of their own healing journey.
  • Offers a culturally appropriate forum for participants to discuss sensitive issues, including colonisation, grief, loss and identity.
  • Encourages the affirming and strengthening of identity in a culturally appropriate and supportive environment

In addition to this, the Marumali Program contributes to the implementation of recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (1991)

Marumali Youth Program

This program is new and has been developed specifically for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Out-of-Home-Care.  It aims to enhance their social and emotional wellbeing by strengthening their identity and sense of belonging and their connections to family, community, country, culture and spirituality.

 

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