A new door-to-door mental health initiative in a First Nations community in Queensland has highlighted the importance of designing and delivering projects which are specifically tailored to the needs of Aboriginal communities.
The Assisting Communities through Direct Connection (ACDC) project, led by Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA), encountered challenges when implemented in Cherbourg — a small community 170 kilometres northwest of Brisbane where Indigenous people make up 96 per cent of the population.
While the project had previously operated in over 20 locations across Australia, its approach did not translate effectively in this context.
A report by the Centre for Social Impact at The University of Western Australia and care provider Each found engaging Cherbourg residents was less successful than in other locations.
It also revealed the Aboriginal doorknocking team — made up of Aboriginal Community Connectors — felt significant pressure and strain in delivering the program within their own community.
The report stressed the need for structural change within mainstream institutions, particularly in how projects are commissioned and managed, to ensure culturally safe systems that support First Nations people.
Each lead Murryann (Annie) Reeves said mainstream service delivery often fails because it does not ask First Nations communities what they need or how they prefer to access support.
"Fortunately, in this instance, we had the opportunity to collaborate with Community and our funder to create a service that people wanted to engage with," the Yagara woman said.
CMHA Chief Executive Kerry Hawkins said it became clear early on that the project's original design didn't suit the specific needs of the Cherbourg community.
"As an organisation we realised it was necessary to let go of some control and give the Community leads space to see what worked for them," Ms Hawkins said.
In response, CMHA and Each worked together to redesign the project to make it culturally safe and more appropriate. Instead of traditional doorknocking, Aboriginal Community Connectors shifted to community-focused approaches — such as attending football games, hosting barbecues, and initiating conversations that respected cultural protocols and comfort levels.
These adapted strategies demonstrated that building relationships and practising deep listening were crucial in a First Nations setting. Conversations centred on social and emotional wellbeing — rather than clinical language — were more effective but often neglected by mainstream services.
"It emphasised the need for local leadership to drive decision-making, reminding stakeholders that every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community is different, and that success depends on deep local knowledge, flexibility and trust," Ms Hawkins said.
The experience in Cherbourg serves as a powerful reminder that one-size-fits-all approaches don't often work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as they do in many non-Indigenous ones.
Instead, culturally safe, community-led models that prioritise trust, flexibility, and local knowledge are key to building lasting, effective support systems.
As governments and organisations continue to invest in mental health and wellbeing, the lessons from Cherbourg underscore the urgent need to embed First Nations leadership and self-determination at every stage of project design and delivery.
