Cultural safety training and on-Country cultural experience

• Consider Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander experiences of health and illness.
• Explain the historical impact on contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• Have increased confidence to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the primary care setting.
• Evaluate your practice’s cultural safety and implement steps to provide culturally safe and acceptable health care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.
• Appraise the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural perspectives as individual and social determinants of health and wellbeing.

Component 1 is a self-paced e-learning module that must be completed before attending the face-to-face component (2). It will take approximately 1 hour to complete online. Delivered by Ochre and Salt, it comprises:

• history and culture as they apply to Aboriginal experiences of health care
• examining the over representation of Aboriginal people in health/mental health domains
• defining and exploring trauma and its impact in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
• the social determinants of health and how health behaviours can influence access and experiences of health care.

Component 2 is a face-to-face cultural excursion that includes a 2-hour cultural engagement workshop, catered lunch and afternoon tea; a 2-hour on-Country cultural experience at Niigi Niigi (Sealy Lookout); and a hand-crafted local Aboriginal gift.

Agenda:

8:30am – cultural engagement workshop at BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort, delivered by Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation. The workshop includes:

• how history impacts the present
• the importance of culture, kinship, family, language and land
• discrimination, stereotypes and myths
• Aboriginal holistic views
• practical ‘where to from here’ strategies on how to engage with Aboriginal communities
• practical strategies on how to create a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people within your clinical workplace
• direction and empowerment of staff to successfully build rapport and relationships with Aboriginal clients
• the importance of cultural learning for Aboriginal patients and staff
• investigation of how Aboriginal cultural values and worldviews can be implemented into organisations and primary care systems.

10:30am – catered morning tea.

11:15am – transport by bus to Niigi Niigi (Sealy Lookout).

11:30am – immerse yourself in Gumbaynggirr culture through stories, songs, language, native plants and a guided walking tour. Delivered by Wajaana Yaam Gumbaynggirr Adventure Tours in partnership with Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation. Participants will:

• enjoy 360-degree views of Orara East State Forest
• hear the Dreaming stories of how the land was made to the north
• participate and experience speaking traditional language
• taste Aunty Jenny’s damper and bushtucker.

1:30pm – lunch at the Nyanggan Gapi Café.

2:15pm – return to the bus to be transported back to BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort.

Component 3 – a self-paced e-learning module that must be completed within 6 weeks of attending the face-to-face component (2). It will take approximately 2 hours to complete. Delivered by Ochre and Salt. The module consists of:

• the meaning of ‘cultural safety’ in health care settings
• optimising cultural safety in physical health care environments
• the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identification in health and mental health care
• recognising and responding to limitations in health and mental health literacy
• building trust and rapport in interpersonal care relationships
• creating a sense of control and ownership in health care journeys.