Author Identifier

Janelle Caddy: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8552-2216

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

School

School of Arts and Humanities

First Supervisor

Eyal Gringart

Second Supervisor

Darren Garvey

Abstract

This study developed an Elder-informed approach to community service provision for Aboriginal people with intergenerational trauma in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The research question was: what are the perspectives of Aboriginal Elders in the Gascoyne regions’ regarding effective community service provision for Aboriginal people who have experienced intergenerational trauma? The research involved four Aboriginal Elders, representing several Gascoyne Yamatji language groups, and the insights of two Reference Groups. Reference group A was made up of community service providers, and group B comprised community members. This research was conducted from a decolonising perspective, centralising Aboriginal tools of data collection, analysis, and member checking. These tools include researcher positioning aligned with Martin and Mirraboopa (2003) Knowing, Being, Doing – encouraged in social work practice by Bessarab (2015), yarning and cultural activities such as painting with participants and yarning on Country as the primary forms of data collection; Dadirri as a primary form of analysis, and yarning, Dadirri, and being on Country to facilitate member-checking. Data collection was conducted through individual in-person yarns with Elders, over the phone, on and off Country. The framework generated in this research project, named The Underground Rivers Framework, employs a decolonising approach to community service provision that includes cultural reflexivity, three domains of essential underlying knowledge being: Aboriginal philosophical grounding; local truth telling; cultural approaches to healing; and culturally attuned emotional competence. Responses to the calls for decolonising approaches to trauma-informed community service provision have generated promising ideas. These findings and the accompanying framework have significant implications for community service provision in the Gascoyne region for Aboriginal people with intergenerational trauma and highlight the need for strong investment from organisations to support staff emotionally, intellectually, and logistically, to effectively support this population. Practical implications of the Underground Rivers Framework are discussed, and future research directions are proposed.

Access Note

Access to this thesis is embargoed until 10th February 2030

DOI

10.25958/3dfm-4e33

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Available for download on Sunday, February 10, 2030

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