Parkerville Children and Youth Care

Over the past few months, our Therapeutic Services team and Western Australia Police Force Child Sexual Abuse team have been travelling across regional WA to listen, and to learn.

Over 150 people, including Government agencies, community service organisations, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), schools, people with lived experience, and community members, shared their insights, experiences and ideas.

Together, these conversations are helping shape how the response to child sexual abuse in regional communities can be strengthened, so survivors and their families can better navigate complex systems, access support, and heal and rebuild trust.

We’re deeply grateful for the openness, honesty and commitment shown by everyone involved.

These insights will now be developed into a report, with recommendations to be released later this year.

A learning environment can make all the difference.

Parkerville Grove School’s campus has been purposefully designed to feel safe, calm and predictable - reducing sensory overload and supporting focus, regulation and connection for young people impacted by trauma and adversity.

Spaces for quiet time, movement and flexibility are built into every school day, helping young people feel ready to learn.

The school opens Term 3 for Years 7–10.

🔗 Learn more about the campus and learning environment - https://www.parkervillegroveschool.wa.edu.au/

Learning about the law can feel intimidating — but it doesn’t have to be.

Recently, our Education, Employment and Training (EET) students spent the day with the team at Mallesons, in a relaxed, welcoming space where they could ask questions, hear real experiences, and learn more about their legal rights.

EET supports young people who have had their education disrupted by life circumstances, helping them build skills, confidence and pathways into employment training or further study.

The day focused on practical topics like workplace law and employee rights, understanding tax file numbers, and building financial literacy — helping students feel more informed, confident, and prepared as they enter the workforce.

This is what meaningful corporate partnership looks like: when organisations share knowledge, open doors, and create opportunities that can genuinely shape a young person’s future.

💬 What’s one workplace experience that helped you see new possibilities?

Some young people need school to feel calmer, smaller and more predictable.

Parkerville Grove School is a specialist secondary school opening Term 3, 2026 for students in Years 7–10 who have experienced trauma or significant adversity, and who need a different kind of school to feel safe, rebuild and start to thrive.

With small classes, consistent routines and a healing‑first, we focus on safety and readiness to learn - without pressure.

If you’re a parent or carer supporting a young person where mainstream school hasn’t been working, we'd love to help you find out whether Parkerville Grove School is the next step.

🔗 parkervillegroveschool.wa.edu.au

💛 Healing, safety and belonging must be culturally grounded.

During National Reconciliation Week, we reflect on the importance of truth‑telling, listening, and walking alongside Aboriginal families and communities.

At Parkerville, we work to strengthen culturally safe, respectful practice — and to learn from community‑led approaches that support children to stay connected to identity, culture and Country.

This year’s theme, “All In”, is a call to action.

It reminds us that reconciliation is not the responsibility of one person, one team, or one week of the year, it requires all of us. Every conversation, every relationship, every act of learning and accountability contributes to meaningful change.

We continue to learn, reflect and be accountable - guided by Aboriginal voices and community-led approaches that support children's healing, belonging and wellbeing.

Reconciliation is not a moment. It’s an ongoing responsibility — reflected in how we listen, learn and act.

Reconciliation WA Reconciliation Australia

💛 Children who have experienced trauma don’t always say it out loud. They often show it — through their bodies, behaviour and learning.

Some children become hyper‑alert, scanning and flinching. Others withdraw, shut down or struggle to sleep. Many carry shame, self‑blame, or find it hard to concentrate at school.

These are not ‘bad behaviours’. They are protective responses shaped by a child’s world.

Parkerville’s adverse childhood experiences (ACES) data helps explain why. In a recent analysis of more than 1400 children supported by Parkerville, 39% had experienced child sexual abuse.*

For most of those children, the abuse did not occur in isolation. It clustered with family and domestic violence, emotional abuse, neglect, housing insecurity, food insecurity, and physical harm.

When children are living with multiple, overlapping stressors like these, it makes sense that distress often shows up in their bodies, behaviour and learning rather than in words.

That’s why Parkerville’s therapeutic support starts with safety and understanding. We help children make sense of what they’re feeling, build emotional regulation, and reconnect with safe relationships — because healing happens over time.

👉 Learn more: parkerville.org.au

💬 What signs tell you a child might be carrying more than they can say?

*Please note: This data reflects disclosures made by clients who chose to report these experiences and does not represent all clients. Nonetheless, it provides valuable insight into the issues affecting those we support.

💛 Celebrating Ruby’s — and the people behind it.

Recently, the Ruby’s team gathered to celebrate what Ruby’s has achieved — a shared moment to recognise the collaboration, commitment and care that have shaped the service.

That work was proudly recognised exernally late last year when Ruby’s received the IPAA Award: Silver - Best Practice in Innovation, acknowledging a service designed to do things differently and respond to real community need.

Ruby’s is a youth homelessness prevention service that works alongside young people and their families to address conflict early, strengthen relationships and keep young people safely connected to home. Since its launch, the service has delivered meaningful outcomes for families, while continuing to learn, adapt and strengthen how support is offered.

🟢 73% of young people left the program with a reunified relationship with their families.
🟢 60% of young people improved their ability to manage emotions and resolve family conflict, while 80% improved their communication skills.

We’re incredibly proud of Ruby’s — and of the people who continue to build and improve the service together.

✨ A shared achievement. A great service. And a lot to celebrate.

When a child finds the courage to speak, there is no second chance to get the response right.

At Parkerville, we are ready for that moment — with calm, trained professionals and wraparound care that supports children and families not just once, but for as long as healing takes.

Stories like Shona’s remind us why this matters. Children don’t choose when they speak up. When they do, they deserve to be met with belief, safety and expert care, without barriers.

While much of our work is government funded, community support plays a critical role in keeping care accessible and responsive. It helps ensure we can be ready when children reach out, and stay beside families through recovery and healing.

This tax time, your support helps make that possible.

💛 Donate before 30 June.
🔗 parkerville.org.au/tax

All donations over $2 are tax deductible.

The first three years of life are not a warm‑up — they are foundational to lifelong wellbeing.

It was powerful to see the Midland Medicare Mental Health Kids Hub highlighted on a national stage at the Family & Relationship Services Australia National Conference 2026 in Brisbane.

Our Senior Service Manager Early Intervention, Elise, and Rochelle from Pregnancy to Parenthood, one of our partners at the Midland Medicare Mental Health Kids Hub, shared how the Kids Hub supports children aged 0 – 12 and the adults who care for them, including babies and very young children.

Through the Kids Hub, families can access free mental health support in one welcoming place. This includes specialist parent and infant mental health support, play‑based support for young children, and workshops that help parents and carers to strengthen early relationships, respond to stress or trauma early, and support healthy development.

By bringing different supports together in one location, the Kids Hub makes it easier for families to get the right help early, before challenges become more complex.

We’re proud to see the Kids Hub contributing to national conversations about early intervention and prevention for young children and families.

Learn more: midlandmmhkidshub.com.au

Western Australian Mental Health Commission Koya Aboriginal Corporation MIFWA - supporting mental wellness and recovery