NSW yarning circle program helping change the lives of Indigenous parolees
Her childhood was spent in out-of-home care, followed by years in and out of custody.
Sarah's experience led to a life of addiction, and she became disconnected from family.
"I've had a very hard journey. I never got to know my family, my mother's side or my father's side," she said.
All five of her children were subsequently removed from her care.
But a new program has given Sarah hope.
Every fortnight, she joins a small group of other offenders reporting for parole or serving community orders in the yard of a Western Sydney community building.
They meet here instead of attending an office in a bid to boost engagement and reduce the prospects of reoffending.
It's a move Parramatta Community Corrections manager Samah Hasham said was having an immeasurable impact.
"Traditional interview rooms [are] very sterile, and they can be very intimidating for our clients," she said.
"But having the yarning circle has really changed that. Just having an open space, having the greenery, and having people that will listen."
The Parramatta Community Corrections program runs in partnership with the Uniting Church — who donated the space — to gather for lunch, get essentials and have a yarn.
Anaiwan woman and Aboriginal client engagement and cultural officer specialist Pamela Simon leads the sessions and said the idea came from the offenders themselves, who used similar programs in custody.
"In culture, we know how powerful [yarning circles] can be bringing everyone together, supporting each other, and getting through the corrections orders but also the main thing for me is to get them out of custody," she said.
The program — the first of its kind in Sydney — also connects attendees with government services to help with housing, debt and employment.
For Sarah, it's helped get her youngest baby back in her care.
Her partner and father to her baby is also attending the program and has had a similar journey through addiction and custody.
But a phone call to Ms Simon changed everything for him.
"I've been on the drugs since I was nine, 10, now I'm 42 ... without Pam I would've been still on the drugs," he said.
"It's really good to come to the yarning circle, talk about your life story. [I'm] just trying to go forward in life now.
"It's been awesome; I got my baby home."
Data released in May from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research showed a surge in Aboriginal incarceration pushed the state's prison population to a five-year high — rising to 13,103 in March this year.
Of that number, 4,244 were Aboriginal prisoners. It's an increase of 14 per cent since November 2023.
NSW Corrections Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said the state government was always looking at alternative methods to reduce recidivism.
"By having a supportive environment in a safe space that actually is sensitive to the cultural understanding of our Indigenous inmates shows that we should always look at different ways," he said.
Dunghutti and Wiradjuri man Leeton McGuinness knows the power of a yarning circle.
He lost his father and brother by the age of 21 and has been in and out of prison most of his life.
But time at The Glen Centre — an Indigenous-led rehabilitation facility on the Central Coast — to treat a methamphetamine addiction has turned his life around.
He's now a case manager and spends time helping others through the same journey, like the Parramatta program's participants.
"I had the weight of the world in my backpack, but once I started unloading it, it starts to get lighter and lighter," he said.
It's a weight that is starting to feel lighter for Cameron* too.
He was hesitant to attend the yarning circle first, but now after participating for the last year after decades in prison, he feels right "at home".
Cameron travels from outside of his local area to attend.
"I can open up and talk about things and not be looked down upon," he said.
"It's just good to come somewhere where I can relate to other blokes and not feel like I'm being put on show, not made a spectacle of … and not be stigmatised.
"The fortnight that I don't have to come, I still come."
Ms Simon said the 18-month program had become so successful that some participants are continuing to attend after they've completed their orders.
"We're only seeing snippets of people making those lifestyle changes and not going back to custody, finishing orders and getting their babies home," she said.
"I'd like to see that across New South Wales because if it makes a difference in one person's life, it can make a difference in everyone's."
* Names have been changed for privacy reasons
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