The supportive and respectful relationships between the Strong Women Workers and Aboriginal Coordinators were identified as a key strength of the Program.
This was perfect timing again, because the adviser was looking for an Aboriginal Programming Coordinator.
As well, a senior Department of Health staff member and four Aboriginal Program Coordinators participated as advisors but were not directly involved in data collection or analysis.
Coordinators (always Aboriginal women) were employed by the Department to support the community-based Strong Women Workers.
First, the workers with the largest number of direct links (larger degree centrality = larger node size) were the Site B Coordinator, another non-Aboriginal worker in the mainstream health service (MHS) and two non-Aboriginal workers in the Aboriginal Medical Service AMSS).
Sean Walsh is a ranger coordinator with the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, which represents nine traditional owner tribal groups covering 1.2m hectares along the Great Barrier Reef coast and inland areas.
Wes Morris is coordinator of the Kimberley Aboriginal Language and Culture Centre which runs the Yiriman Project, a culture-based program led by elders from four language groups that aims to reduce suicide by making young people resilient in their culture.
Students engaged the Anglicare Aboriginal counsellor and the Staying Home Leaving Violence coordinator who helped the woman consider her options.
Communities were selected based on a purposive sampling strategy to maximise diversity in program history, Aboriginal culture and geographic dispersal; advice from Program Coordinators; and the communities' ability to participate.
Although the study was initially conceived to include Aboriginal pregnant women, this was not done because the Aboriginal hospital coordinator left the position and the team decided that without an Aboriginal coordinator/liaison it was not appropriate to proceed.
