Purpose
This project aims to improve mental health support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families, and communities. It will do this by co-designing and evaluating training and professional development resources to support culturally safe practice among non-Indigenous mental health practitioners.
Background
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience high rates of mental health challenges due to the impacts of colonisation and ongoing discrimination. Culturally safe care (care that respects, affirms, and empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples) is essential to addressing these inequities.
In Australia, all registered health professionals have an obligation to provide culturally safe care in line with regulatory codes and competencies. But many non-Indigenous practitioners report limited preparation or guidance to provide this care, particularly when working with children and families. This project will address this gap by creating resources to build confidence, knowledge, and practical skills in culturally safe practice.
The project will be guided by an Indigenous governance framework and supported by two advisory groups:
- An Aboriginal advisory group of people with professional or lived experience of mental health.
- A non-Indigenous advisory group of practitioners who are recognised as working in culturally safe ways by their Aboriginal peers.
What this project involves
This project is made up of five studies:
- A scoping review to examine existing training and professional development programs that aim to build cultural safety and related competencies among health professionals working with First Nations peoples.
- A nationwide survey of mental health practitioners to explore current training experiences, confidence working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultural responsiveness, and training needs.
- Qualitative interviews with non-Indigenous practitioners who are recognised for working in culturally safe ways to understand how these skills are developed.
- Co-design workshops with Aboriginal Mental Health Workers to co-design professional development resources and training.
- Pilot testing of the newly developed resources with pre-service mental health practitioners to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness.