Aboriginal women in the Fitzroy Valley have held a vital role in creating safe and nourishing communities for many thousands of years. Since 1991 and the establishment of the Marninwarntikura Women’s Group and subsequently the Women’s Shelter in 1995 the Fitzroy Valley women have continued to set the agenda for positive change in their communities. The Shelter was the first funded service operating out of Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre, and as such, remains the heart of the organisation.

In 2003 the Family Support and Legal Team was introduced under the Aboriginal Family Violence Legal Prevention Services funding provided through NIAA. The purpose was to provide legal and therapeutic supports to women and families across the Fitzroy Valley who have been impacted by family and domestic violence.

The Family Support and Legal Team is responsible for providing culturally appropriate legal representation and non-legal holistic support services primarily in safety, wellbeing and strengthening family capacity.

While the Shelter is oriented in responding to crisis and the Family Support and Legal Team can provide ongoing support, collectively, we work together to meet the needs of women, children, and families.

In operating within a trauma-informed, healing aware, and holistic framework of support we work with women and communities to find solutions that effectively address the impact and challenges experienced in relation to family and domestic violence. In recognition of this shared commitment and the positive impact we can have when working collaboratively, in 2022 the programs were united under one Manager and renamed to better reflect our core business. This is how we have come to be The Strengthening Families Team.

Frameworks that guide our work

A Client Centred Approach