Narratives flow through our lives and lived experience and many people don’t realise how much power they have. Narratives influence our day-to-day living, they influence our work, our relationships, our beliefs, our society and can also inform our opinions and bias, whether positive or negative. Narratives are used by people to define issues and people who may differ from the majority or dominant culture. Sometimes we construct a narrative, because it suits us and our experience, other times we adopt one that is so embedded that it has become the status quo. But how often do we critically deconstruct narratives or actively and consciously look at them to find out why and how they came to be and what their purpose is?

In this webinar, we will discuss the deficit narrative around Aboriginal/Indigenous women and Aboriginality/Indigeneity as a risk factor in and of itself. We explore how and why Indigenous women are perceived to be ‘at more risk’ than other women and are putting their babies at risk because of their race and identity, something we cannot separate themselves from.

Valerie Ah Chee - Indigenous Research Midwife
Valerie is a proud Bindjareb woman from the Nyoongar Nation in the South West of Western Australia with family connections to the Palkyu people of the Pilbara, a mother of six and grandmother of five beautiful grandchildren with another soon. Through her husband, Valerie's children also identify as Nyikina and Yawaru from the Kimberley. Valerie graduated as a Registered Midwife in 2015 and has worked clinically in Perth at the Armadale Health Service, in Midland at St John of God Public Hospital and in Adelaide at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Her dive into research started as an Indigenous Project Officer at Ngangk Yira Institute for Change on Baby Coming You Ready? Project: a comprehensive and culturally safe way to assess the social and emotional health and wellbeing of Aboriginal women in the perinatal period, with a focus on strength and resilience. As an Aboriginal woman and midwife, Valerie's own experiences birthing in the system generated her interest to improve outcomes in Aboriginal maternal and infant health, more specifically, embedding cultural safety in the pregnancy and birth space and improving the health of Aboriginal women from a strength-based, cultural perspective. Valerie is now an Indigenous Research Midwife at the Stillbirth CRE, working on the cultural adaptation of the Safer Baby Bundle and developing a Healthy Yarning Guide for non-Indigenous health care professionals to talk about stillbirth and stillbirth prevention.

Janinne Gliddon
Aboriginal Senior Research Fellow, Yorga, Maaman and Koolanga Research and Advocacy Centre, Ngangk Yira Institute for Change, Murdoch University. A proud Badimia Yamatji and Ballardong Nyoongar senior woman, Janinne is the Aboriginal Senior Research Fellow for the FEALING Program at the Ngangk Yira Institute for Change. Janinne is leading the development of a Doula Education program (in the FEALING program funded by the Ian Potter Foundation), and supporting the ‘Because of Her, We Will!’ leadership for the application to Lotterywest which will create a rich and critical enduring legacy of Aboriginal women’s cultural knowledges and practices. Janinne is also the current Chairperson of the Stillbirth CRE Indigenous Advisory Group since January 2024 and looks forward to working with the national advisory group in support our women, families and communities providing advice to the Stillbirth CRE in ensuring that all Indigenous research conducted is Indigenous led, culturally responsive and secure. For over 30 years Janinne has had a varied public service career in public housing field and since 2008, in the health sector, with a focus on women’s health through two senior positions within the Department of Health in WA.

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