Organisation: 
Yeddung Mura
Focus: 
Restorative Practice
Restorative Justice

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About this Profile

Profile admin:
Priestley Obed's picture
Priestley Obed

Profile source: An interview on behalf of the NED Foundation.

Interviewee: Priestley Obed
Interviewee role:
  • CEO

About the Organisation

Field of Interest: 

Yeddung Mura was founded to assist people exiting prison or other justice systems to reconnect with their community. It is a grassroots organisation that works directly with and in community to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Yeddung Mura is a great believer in the Restorative Process and all of its programs are designed with a clear focus on four key areas as mentioned in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander whole of government Agreement:

  1. Construction of Identity
  2. Building Strong Family Connections
  3. Link up Community Connections
  4. Social Inclusion

Two of the key findings from the COAG 'Prison to Work Report' published in 2016 were:

  • Finding 7:
    • "There is insufficient transitional support and through care."
    • "Availability of evidence based services to support a prisoner to transition to the community is scarce. Where there are available services, the ability for ex-prisoners to access them is limited."
  • Finding 8:
    • "There is insufficient stable accommodation, including transitional housing."
    • "Accommodation was consistently cited as the single biggest barrier to ex-offenders finding employment after prison. The lack of transitional housing was raised frequently by prisoners, employment and other service providers as a serious barrier to employment. Apart from the physical safety and stability it affords, transitional housing also helps ex-offenders reintegrate into the community.

Yeddung Mura has been keenly aware of these issues and has been developing programs to provide solutions. The proposed Reintegration Program aims to provide ex-prisoners with the stable accommodation and the transitional support they need to gain self sufficiency, enabling them to reintegrate into the community.

The purpose of Yeddung Mura is to reduce prison recidivism and improve public safety through addressing the educational, employment, healthcare, housing, and family relationship needs of prisoners re-entering society by providing support and connection to needed services in the community after prisoners have been released.

Motivation: 

A significant gap had been identified within the release and parole arrangements for Aboriginal prisoners who did not have strong connections to the community.

Prisoners and their families are characterised by complex needs and high levels of social exclusion. A strong connection to the community is crucial to supporting the successful reintegration of offenders after release from prison, thereby seeking to reduce re-offending. The high growing social and financial cost of imprisonment makes it imperative that a coordinated support program is put in place to reduce re-offending and return to prison.

Yeddung Mura has partnered with ACT Corrective Services through-care program to encourage offenders to reconnect with community.

Yeddung Mura's Reintegration Program has been successfully delivered in a culturally appropriate way to meet the following objectives:

  • Successful return from prison to independent and productive membership of the community.
  • Using Aboriginal identity and values to motivate changes in offending behaviour
  • Reduce recidivism
  • Display resilience in the face of stress
  • Maintenance and restoration of identity and
  • Self-esteem in the context of negative historical and social influences.

Yeddung Mura programs provide a unique, safe, accepting healing place that is culturally safe and takes account of different experiences, ways of communicating, values, kinship, families and insights into healing that recognise the impact of trans-generational trauma, history and experiences on current life situations of Aboriginal men and women exiting jail.

Yeddung Mura programs promote pride in Aboriginal culture and create a sense of belonging and hope for the future, based on the belief that knowing who you are as an Aboriginal person is central to any positive life.
 

Brings to the Discussion: 

All of our paid staff are Aboriginal people in the local community. They have a clear understanding of community dynamics and have a great rapport with the community.

Yeddung Mura is committed to Aboriginal employment and will employ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and used appropriate indigenous services wherever possible.

Yeddung Mura staff have a specific career development plan and identifies three different levels of staffing resources.

Entry Level-staff will have the basic qualification requirements of the job and will be supporting clients with transport and shopping needs.

Mid Level-Staff will have the required basic qualifications and will have commenced Cert IV studies in both Mental Health and Alcohol and Drugs. They will use their motivational interviewing skills to assist clients with their needs.

Senior Level-staff are experienced employees who have completed Cert IV in both Mental Health and Alcohol and Drugs and have intensive case management skills to manage clients with complex needs. They are responsible for providing reports and attending meetings with the department. They would be providing advocacy for clients in their meetings with housing and other service providers.

Yedding Mura has a combination of both part time and full time staff as part of its service delivery staffing resources strategy. This provides balance in staffing resources and develops efficiencies to meet client needs as well as tackling known issues such as staff absences and burnout. This provides more staff resources in delivering the outcomes.
 

Organisational Structure: 
  • Not for profit
Jurisdiction: 
  • Community based
  • Family Court
  • Federal Court
  • Local Court
  • Public prison system
  • Supreme Court
Services Offered: 
  • Advocacy
  • ATSI health and well being
  • Counselling
  • Peer support services
  • Support groups

Organisation Location and Reach

Location: 
Fadden, ACT, 2904
Area Covered: 
Territory -ACT

Organisation Internet Presence