Background: The acquisition of speech and language is a key phase of development for all children. Language use and revitalization are protective factors in the health of Indigenous populations. Many Indigenous families and communities support their children’s communication by telling stories, reading books and maintaining cultural heritage. This study used an all-teach all-learn framework to increase access to services and resources for community support of children’s speech, language and communication.

Aims: To identify and co-create culturally appropriate context-specific resources and services to support Indigenous children’s speech, language and communication at an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) in rural Australia.

Method: An ACCHO invited researchers from Charles Sturt University (CSU) to co-create resources and services to support children’s speech, language and communication. The project was a sub-study of “Evidence-informed practice development in rural Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services: An action research approach”. During 2023 the CSU and ACCHO leadership team and staff met to plan the project. In 2024 grant funding was secured and ethical approval was gained from the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council and CSU to undertake the action research (plan, implement, review).

Results: Two action research cycles are described.
Cycle 1. Identification of potential resources, services, and relevant knowledge was undertaken during the personal and public involvement (PPI) phase. Yarning occurred with people in community and services at ACCHOs, community libraries, community and Indigenous health and education services, conferences, and online. Topics included community trust, culturally appropriate services, relevant funding models, resource and service exemplars. An international scoping review was undertaken and after screening in Covidence, 75 of the 2100 papers were included in the scoping review. Papers documented evidence for services, interventions, and resources used within Indigenous communities across the world.
Cycle 2. Resources identified in cycle 1 were obtained and were reviewed by ACCHO staff. The second research cycle involved 32 ACCHO staff submitting 149 ratings of 56 books over 2.5 months. Overall, the books scored a consistently high rating (4.34/5), considering the cover (4.32/5), artwork (4.38/5), and text (4.30/5). Participants wanted the majority (83.89%) of books for their service. Positive features included: vocabulary, story development, ease of reading, artwork, opportunity to think and learn, Indigenous language, history, and culture. Negative features included difficulty pronouncing Indigenous words, grammar, lack of storyline, and visual appeal (text, cover, artwork), but many had “no negatives”.

Conclusions: The perceived quality, relevance, and usefulness of culturally appropriate resources and services provide quantitative and qualitative evidence to inform the ACCHO’s decision-making. Numerous quality Indigenous Australian children’s books exist. The inclusion of Indigenous content, the artwork, text, story, and messages are important when selecting Indigenous Australian children’s literature.

Implications for children and families: We are working together to support children to grow strong and be able to talk, listen and learn.

Implications for practitioners: This project reflects the co-design process of discovery that was specific to one ACCHO, yet provides an overview of relevant processes for establishing new services.

Key words: Indigenous voices, communication, community services, interdisciplinary, innovation, international communities, regional/rural communities, vulnerable communities, workforce issues.

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goals