In the Kimberley Region of Western Australia, historical and ongoing trauma due to dispossession from land, the Stolen Generation, and health access inequity caused by remoteness profoundly affect Indigenous communities. This paper presents a grassroots project designed to build skills among local health workers, educators, and parents in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through hands-on trauma-informed care. The project prioritises cultural sensitivity and accessibility to address the profound social isolation exacerbated by conventional top-down mental health models.

Our approach fosters collaboration between the Kimberley Mental Health & Drug Service, including Aboriginal health workers and communities, sharing knowledge on how to respond to traumatised adults and children with a healing response that is both scientifically grounded and integrated with local knowledge and culture. This collaborative strategy ensures that care practices are culturally appropriate, enhancing local capacity for mental health support and ensuring the sustainability of these practices.

We aim to showcase this experience through an interactive 90-minute hands-on workshop so participants can fully engage with the program. Part of the workshop will be presented in Kriol, emphasizing the integration of the local language to foster a deeper understanding among participants. By actively engaging in our approach, participants will gain practical skills in identifying stress signals, using holistic methods to achieve bodily regulation, and adapting these techniques to support children's mental health. This hands-on approach not only empowers participants but also serves as a model for delivering culturally inclusive and equitable access to mental health resources.

By sharing this model at the 2024 Indigenous Wellbeing Conference, we aim to highlight how equitable access to mental health resources can be achieved through community collaboration and cultural inclusiveness, offering a replicable model for addressing social isolation within diverse populations.