About healing in Aboriginal communities in NSW

Learn how Aboriginal Affairs NSW supports healing. Many Aboriginal people still feel the impact of past injustices and intergenerational trauma. We’re committed to understanding and addressing this.

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Healing is not just an individual journey. It involves government, communities, and organisations working together to achieve change.

Understanding healing

There are many approaches needed to promote healing and wellbeing in communities. 

At Aboriginal Affairs NSW, our approaches to healing include:

  • Acknowledging Past Wrongs: Healing only comes from acknowledging historical injustices, like racial assimilation policies.
  • Recognising intergenerational trauma: Many families still feel the effects of these past policies due to the trauma passed down from one generation to the next.
  • Building Partnerships: We work with communities, policy makers, and service providers to support healing.
  • Listening to Aboriginal Perspectives: We value the real-life experiences of Aboriginal people. This helps us develop inclusive responses.
  • Promoting Culture: We encourage Aboriginal languages and cultural revitalisation in NSW.
  • Community connections: We help Aboriginal communities connect with government and non-government organisations.

Our policies

The NSW Government was the first government in Australia to incorporate healing into Aboriginal affairs policy through: 

Our programs

We have many programs aimed at supporting healing and wellbeing. These include:

Contact Aboriginal Affairs NSW

For more information about our healing policies and programs contact us:

Phone: 1800 019 998
Email: enquiries@aboriginalaffairs.nsw.gov.au

Web pages: Aboriginal Affairs NSW 

General support

The Healing Foundation supports the healing of Stolen Generations survivors and families. They provide Community self-care resources

13YARN provides crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

 

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