The 3 Aboriginal implementation officers helping deliver a Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) parenting program know exactly how important it is to have specialised and confidential parental support in a remote community.

Kayleen Puruntatameri, Aileen Tiparui and Maggie Kerinaiua were taking part as mothers when Play to Connect was first set up in the Tiwi Islands to support families through learning and play.

It was this first-hand experience and cultural knowledge that led the trio to step up as the Play to Connect Tiwi team and, later, become the 2022 Ryan Family Prize winners in recognition of their innovative and collaborative adaptation of the program.

The Menzies’s Play to Connect team works with parents and children from 3-to 7-years-old to learn about child development through participation in creative child-led play.

In the interactive sessions, parents sit with their children. Together they choose what they want to do: paint, build or play an interactive game. The parent then practices special skills for play including how to let the child lead, to listen, to watch and give positive feedback.

Play to Connect Program Coordinator Carolin Stock said the local Tiwi implementation officers were participants themselves before progressing to work for Menzies more than 5 years ago.

“As mothers, the women gained a lot from the initial program. Over the years they’ve been able to feed this knowledge back into the program and adapt it, and become an essential part of the Menzies workforce,” said Ms Stock.

The Tiwi team were awarded the Ryan Family Prize last year in recognition of their outstanding contributions to Menzies and their work going above and beyond to help make Menzies a great place to work, and to help Menzies achieve excellence. 

The women have been supporting families in the community by delivering parenting workshops and providing individualized home visit support. They also collect data regarding family issues and make recommendations to the community board about how to support families and children in the community.

“They not only guide the Play to Connect program through their professional and cultural knowledge, but they also draw on their community knowledge to support several other Menzies projects on the Tiwi Islands,” said Ms Stock.

Image 1:  The team was celebrated for their work, receiving the 2022 Ryan Family Prize award. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tiwi team piloted a new form of home visiting support for Tiwi Island families in Wurrumiyanga. The local women adapted the delivery model to meet the National Public Health pandemic guidelines while continuously supporting parents and families who were caring for children under the restrictions.

“This challenge of adapting to the uncertainties and operational hurdles was an insightful learning experience, highlighting the importance of innovative teamwork,” said Ms Stock.

Feedback from parents was overwhelmingly positive. 

One mother of 3 said: “It’s good to get reminded, sometimes we forget, then we growl and get angry with the kids. When you (P2C team) come then you remind us that it is important to have this good time with them (children), to have fun together.” 

A father of 4 told the team: “We can use this (content of the activity bag) to have fun, that’s good.” 

The home visits continue to be led by the local Tiwi team and are now central to the community-driven approach. Members of the team were also recently involved in 2 Menzies studies, co-authoring 2 peer reviewed papers to expand their knowledge of research and data analysis. 

“The Tiwi team continuously demonstrate how their knowledge, commitment, and determination is central in supporting families,” said Ms Stock. 

"This is evident through program co-design, delivery and ongoing research activities, to achieve sustainable health and community improvement.”

To read more about the work the Centre for Child Development and Education is doing to support families, check out our website: Strong Parents and Children - Menzies 

Hero banner image: Maggie Kerinaiua, Aileen Tiparui and Kayleen Puruntatameri joined Play to Connect as participants, now they’re helping lead the work.