The Looking Forward Aboriginal Mental Health Project is a participatory action research project aimed at increasing access to and the responsiveness of the mental health and drug and alcohol service system for Nyoongar families living in the south-east Perth metropolitan corridor (Armadale to Bentley), whose lives are affected by mental illness. A key outcome of the project is the development and implementation of a culturally secure systems change framework for mental health service delivery, which enhances the skills base of the mental health workforce by bringing them together with Nyoongar Elders so as to better respond to the mental health needs of Aboriginal families.