Promoting Cultural Safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

This project examines cultural safety within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, exploring cultural aspects, historical and current issues, and the impacts of discrimination and trauma. It reflects on the importance of cultural awareness in work practices, proposes strategies to address key issues like substance abuse and lack of education, and outlines a health education program focused on substance abuse. The project details partnerships within the Aboriginal community, research methodologies, and the use of cultural safety strategies such as avoiding stereotypes and building trust. The project further includes program evaluation methods and emphasizes the crucial role of elders and community engagement to improve well-being and foster cultural safety.

Promote aboriginal and Torres Strait islander cultural
safety

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROJECT TASK 1..........................................................................................................................1
Exploring various aspects of their culture and prevailing issues affecting the aboriginal
community..................................................................................................................................1
PROJECT TASK 2..........................................................................................................................2
Reflect awareness of their own and other cultures in work practices.........................................2
PROJECT TASK 3..........................................................................................................................2
Addressing key issues prevailing within the Aboriginal community.........................................2
PROJECT TASK 4..........................................................................................................................4
Planning a service or program which affects the community health system and other service..4
PROJECT TASK 5..........................................................................................................................4
Deciding on the service or program to be implemented for the community..............................4
PROJECT TASK 6..........................................................................................................................5
Evaluating your plan and proposed outcomes against which cultural safety strategies can be
measured.....................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

PROJECT TASK 1
Exploring various aspects of their culture and prevailing issues affecting the aboriginal
community.
Aboriginal community i.e., indigenous Australians are the people who has lived within the
familiar heritage for the group of people who has lived within the Australia before the British
colonisation. They mainly comprise of the aboriginal community.
Cultural practices and concepts including importance of dreaming. The culture of the Australian
aboriginal culture is that it mainly comprise of the number of ceremonies and practices which is
mainly centred on the belief related to the dreamtime and other set of mythology. Family, law,
land, language and the ceremonies are the key interconnected elements within the indigenous
culture (Kearns and et.al., 2015). The indigenous culture has lived for over 50000 years.
Importance of law in the Aboriginal community is crucial because indigenous Australians
focuses on maintaining and protecting the spirituality of the country as well as the physical
features. Indigenous Australian customary law is referred to as the specific legal system and the
key practice which states unique constitutional rights.
Importance of kinship in the Aboriginal community is the heart of the indigenous society.
The position of the person within the kinship system mainly establishes relationship to others and
others with the prescribed set of responsibilities associated with the land, resources and people.
Kinship helps in deciding who will marry whom and also helps in determining the rights and
obligations of members. Impacts of European settlement within the Aboriginal community
associated with the loss of land and culture and stolen generation.
Political, Economic issues and Social issues affecting the Aboriginal community are
injustice, ineffective cultural practice, racism, poverty, homelessness, family breakdown, debt,
financial hardship, crime, social isolation, domestic violence, etc. Historical and cultural factors
or issues that affect the Aboriginal community are lack of medical care, lack of service, decaying
infrastructure, lack of education, high degree of crime rates, and excessive use of substance
abuse. Impacts of discrimination, trauma, exclusion and negative attitudes has significant degree
of impact on the aboriginal community. This influence their well- being.
Factors that contribute to their ill health within the aboriginal community is linked with the bio-
medical and behavioural set of health risk (McGrath, 2020). The behavioural risk mainly
comprise of poor nutrition, smoking, extensive substance abuse, excessive alcohol consumption
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and physical inactivity leads to ill health within the aboriginal community. Common diseases
experienced by Aboriginal group of people are lung cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, kidney
disease and heart disease.
PROJECT TASK 2
Reflect awareness of their own and other cultures in work practices.
I have worked within the health and social care sector and I have noticed that, there is an
inclination and prejudice against the indigenous aboriginal people within Australia. The cultural
background as well as the values mainly impact the interactions with the people related with the
indigenous community (Schwab, 2018). One of the key critical issue which in turn has been
faced by the aboriginal community is associated with the key relationship between the
indigenous and non- indigenous community. Another major issue is linked with the language
barrier which in turn impose greater issue among the aboriginal and Torres community. Cultural
awareness linked with the aboriginal community is considered to be significant which helps in
showing respect associated with the culture which helps in aiding people in order to work with
the aboriginal community. The cultural awareness in turn is considered to be prominent in
building high degree of relationship in order to work in a more effective manner (Gould and
et.al., 2015). I believe that, I have significant knowledge and capability to work in an inclusive
manner with the aboriginal community. I have the capability to better interact with the people
and understand their culture, language, needs and viewpoints. The cultural safety of the
indigenous aboriginal community is that, it helps in creating safe set of environment for the
aboriginal community. The cultural safety is significant as it ensures that, there is no challenge,
assault, denial of the experience and the identity. The cultural safety is considered is considered
to be prominent because it helps in sharing respect, meaning and also leads to shared degree of
knowledge. I will focus on creating cultural set of competence by sharing knowledge, policies,
attitude, and behaviour and will also work with the culturally diverse set of population. The
cultural competence is ensured by honouring due respect towards their culture as well as the
attitude.
PROJECT TASK 3
Addressing key issues prevailing within the Aboriginal community.
I believe that, appropriate education program must be carried out which helps in making people
aware about the aboriginal community. An appropriate set of healthcare system helps in reducing
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the ill health within the aboriginal community. This eventually is useful in improving the health
conditions and well- being within the aboriginal community. Dispelling the myths related with
the aboriginal indigenous community and joining campaigns is considered to be as one of the
most effective measure which helps in resolving the key associated issues linked with the
injustice, ineffective cultural practice, racism, poverty, homelessness, family breakdown, debt,
financial hardship, crime, social isolation, domestic violence, etc. Moreover, joining the
aboriginal support group, equal access to the health and social care services and providing
significant support helps in providing medical care, lack of service, decaying infrastructure, lack
of education, high degree of crime rates, and excessive use of substance abuse. Western
education and the lack of knowledge associated with the aboriginal community is mainly related
with the group (Chenhall and Senior, 2018). Moreover, there seems to be increase in the
television and the communication within the rural areas with added pressure among the life of
individual person. Moreover, the aboriginal customary rules and the western authority mainly
impact the aboriginal community and leads to dispossession and the settlement process. Key
objectives of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 tends to effectively establish the
Torres strait regional authority is useful in promoting the well- being of the aboriginal
community and also helps in improving the key significant position linked with the community
service. Moreover, The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 is
considered to be prominent for encouraging the cultural safety and also protecting the area from
any threat of the injury and improve its well- being. Moreover, aboriginal people in turn has been
deprived of powers in the past which leads to several political, social and economic issues within
the aboriginal community. The power in turn has been rested on the main part of religious dogma
and the key performance of the rituals. The power is also acquired with the key medium of
kinship and the major mastery of religion. Moreover, it has been examined by me that, impact of
the trauma has significant influence on the ability of the aboriginal person to make decision
because of the direct impact on the mental health (Altman and Smith, 2018). Also trauma
influence the communication which results in lack of relationship and also has difficulty in
retailing key relevant information. Moreover, trauma also affects the understanding power and
affects the well-being of the person.
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PROJECT TASK 4
Planning a service or program which affects the community health system and other service.
Health education on substance abuse program will be planned which helps in improving the
wellbeing of the persons within the indigenous and aboriginal people. I will effectively establish
the appropriate set of partnerships with the staff within the aboriginal community is done by
carrying out various programmes and also understand their needs and requirements. . I will
effectively establish the appropriate set of partnerships with the indigenous aboriginal
community by developing key relationship and developing service agreement and also builds
trust. This is also done by acknowledging the key relationship and attain greater operational
efficiency. Networking with the aboriginal community helps in attaining significant degree of
outcomes. Conducting research is considered to be as one of the most effective measure which
helps in supporting effective degree of partnership with the staff as well as the aboriginal
indigenous community (Alford, 2015). The use of the suitable protocol and also creating cross
cultural training awareness helps in supporting effective degree of partnership with the staff. This
helps in facilitating affordability, accessibility, acceptability and accountability in order to
promote health care. The key significant strategies which helps in supporting the cultural safety
mainly includes:
 The key significant strategy which helps in supporting the cultural safety is through
avoiding and recognizing stereotypical barriers.
 The key significant strategies which helps in supporting the cultural safety is done by
developing trust.
 The key significant strategies which helps in supporting the cultural safety is done
through reflecting on own cultural attitude, belief and culture.
These strategies helps in would encourage self- determination and community control among the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the implementation of the health program.
PROJECT TASK 5
Deciding on the service or program to be implemented for the community.
The program in turn has been significantly evaluated using:
 Appropriate evaluation questions
 Evaluating the healthcare program
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 Developing program design
These are effective methods which helps in measuring the cultural safety strategies within the
program (Freeman and et.al., 2016). This way it is useful in reviewing the complexity linked
with the program to attain higher operational goals and efficiency.
PROJECT TASK 6
Evaluating your plan and proposed outcomes against which cultural safety strategies can be
measured.
As per the healthcare program of reducing the use of the some and substance abuse helps in
improving the health condition of the person. High degree of support has been needed which is
useful in supporting and strengthening the contemporary degree of role of the older within the
indigenous community (What role does an Elder have in Indigenous Communities?, 2017). Aboriginal
interpreters and colleagues as cultural brokers when liaising with an elder or persons approved of
by relevant local community elders. Elders has approved relevant local community elders and
reviewed plan with the proposed outcomes this is useful in effectively facilitating the session.
Elders play crucial role in making others understand to accept the aboriginal indigenous
community. This helps in creating cultural safety and creating cultural awareness to improve
their wellbeing. Elders engaging in communities leads to creating cultural safety and creating
cultural awareness to improve their wellbeing.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Alford, K.A., 2015. Indigenous health expenditure deficits obscured in Closing the Gap
reports. Med J Aust, 203(10), p.403.
Altman, J. and Smith, D.E., 2018. Compensating indigenous Australian'losers': a community-
oriented approach from the Aboriginal social policy arena. Canberra, ACT: Centre for
Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), The Australian National University.
Chenhall, R.D. and Senior, K., 2018. Living the social determinants of health: Assemblages in a
remote Aboriginal community. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 32(2), pp.177-195.
Freeman, T and et.al., 2016. Case study of an aboriginal community-controlled health service in
Australia: universal, rights-based, publicly funded comprehensive primary health care in
action. Health and human rights, 18(2), p.93.
Gould, G.S and et.al., 2015. Using the risk behaviour diagnosis scale to understand Australian
Aboriginal smoking—a cross-sectional validation survey in regional New South
Wales. Preventive Medicine Reports, 2, pp.4-9.
Kearns, T.M and et.al., 2015. Impact of an ivermectin mass drug administration on scabies
prevalence in a remote Australian Aboriginal community. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 9(10),
p.e0004151.
McGrath, A. ed., 2020. Contested ground: Australian Aborigines under the British crown.
Routledge.
Schwab, R., 2018. Educational'failure'and educational'success' in an Aboriginal community.
Canberra, ACT: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR), The Australian
National University.
Online
What role does an Elder have in Indigenous Communities?. 2017. [ONLINE]. Available through<
https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2017/07/07/what-role-does-elder-have-indigenous-
communities>
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