NAAJA Throughcare Strategic Planning Days

On 2-3 November 2023, NAAJA Throughcare held our annual Strategic Planning Days at the Free Spirit Resort in Darwin; we were extremely fortunate to have both regional teams in attendance. The only notable absence was our Kunga Stopping Violence Program Case Managers who were preparing to travel to QLD for the 2023 Sisters Inside 10th International Conference the following week. We were however exceptionally pleased to have Kunga Stopping Violence Program Coordinator, Rachel Neary with us.

Having the team together was especially significant this year following a 12–18 month period of low staff numbers, particularly within our Central Australian teams. Currently, with the exception of one vacancy in the Top End, NAAJA Throughcare is fully staffed – a sign that we are attracting, nurturing and retaining staff whose values align with the work of NAAJA and the Throughcare Program.

As the nature of our work is rooted in human relationships – with our clients and with each other, it was uplifting to see this feature as a key theme amongst our team’s shared reflections. This is notable as this reflection came through when staff were instructed to reflect on ‘what’s working well’ over the previous months in their respective teams/work unit. A small selection of comments from our team include:

  • Fluid – looking out for each other, that our colleagues are familiar with each other’s clients and are known to them, it is easy to trust and depend on each other to cover.
  • Open and collaborative with learning from each other.
  • Building rapport and trust with our clients – ensuring they get the care and support they need.

Looking outward, our team were introduced to other aspects of NAAJA which was helpful for many to understand how Throughcare interacts with the other NAAJA programs and services. It was important that staff who are new to the organisation are well versed as an important source of community knowledge to support our clients, most notably the Custody Notification Service and the Criminal Legal Section.

NAAJA ADULT THROUGHCARE PROGRAM

NAAJA’s Adult Throughcare Program is a voluntary service providing case management support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people incarcerated at the Darwin Correctional Centre and the Alice Springs Correctional Centre with the key aim of helping clients stay out of prison once they leave. Our Program started in 2009 and is funded by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA).

Intensive Case Managers

Our Intensive Case Managers help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in prison get ready to be released by talking to them about their needs and goals, and helping them to develop good holistic post-release plans. We start working with people in prison six months before their release dates, and can help them with:

  • Ongoing counselling and rehabilitation,
  • Accommodation,
  • Employment,
  • Education and training,
  • Health,
  • Access to pro-social activities and connections;
  • Obtaining identification,
  • Planning to open a bank account or obtain a drivers licence;
  • Addressing outstanding fines;
  • Life and problem solving skills, and,
  • Reconnection to family and community.

We also provide clients with ongoing case management after they leave prison to support them to achieve and further develop their post-release plans. Our aim is to provide support to our clients in the early, and often stressful, times immediately following release from custody; while also working to empower them by reducing the intensity of support as they become more able to independently navigate “life on the outside” for themselves. We do not work with our clients for a defined period of time post-release but instead remain engaged for as long as the client and Case Manager mutually agree there is a need for an intensive case management service.

Two of our Darwin-based Intensive Case Managers work specifically with people who are in prison because of domestic and family violence.

Eligibility:

Our Program is voluntary and we work with people who are ready to make positive changes in their lives. Given the demand for our service provision, we do our best to channel our resources to the people who most need our help. We therefore work with people with high needs, including:

  • Homelessness or marginal accommodation,
  • No income, disengagement from Centrelink, or unstable income,
  • Literacy and numeracy issues, and/or English as second, third or fourth language,
  • Problematic family relationships. Involvement with welfare agencies, history of family violence, cultural/payback issues,
  • Lack of community supports,
  • Substance misuse issues, and
  • Health, including mental health issues, and/or physical disabilities.

Intensive Case Managers work with 15 people at any one time. Capping case loads at this number means we are able to provide each client with high quality case management support to help them achieve their goals.

We accept referrals from people in prison, as well as from members of their family. We also accept referrals from the wider NAAJA Team, the NT’s Correctional Centres, NT Community Corrections, the Parole Board, lawyers and other service providers.

Those wishing to make a referral to the Adult Throughcare Team should complete a NAAJA Throughcare Referral Form (DOC or PDF) and forward it via email to referrals-throughcare@naaja.org.au.

For any and all enquires, please contact the Alice Springs based Adult Team Coordinator on 08 7902 9311 or the Palmerston based Adult Team Coordinator on 08 8931 7400.