Starting at a new hospital in the area, proud Ngunnawal woman and Clinical Midwife Consultant Cassandra Nest noticed that very few women were identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander when accessing their service.

This seemingly small observation was the catalyst for transformational change within Gold Coast Health’s Women’s and Newborn Service as they empowered Cassandra to design a new model of care to improve engagement with the local First Nations community.

The resulting model combines both Birthing on Country and First 1000 Days Australia principles, but is so much more. Truly co-designed, the model was built in consultation with families and through meaningful partnerships with the local community and organisations with one goal: to not only safely bring jarjums into the world but welcome them into the community.

Little did they know it would also improve engagement with the health system at its broadest level.

Waijungbah Jarjums is proudly supported by Clinical Excellence Queensland, with invaluable partnership with Kalwun Health Services and the Yugambeh Region Aboriginal Corporation Alliance to build a service that meets the needs of locals.

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