Why are Indigenous people in Australia still disadvantaged with regard to health/ community services?
Indigenous people have worse health, higher mortality, lower literacy and numeracy, and higher overcrowding, child imprisonment and child abuse have increased in Aboriginal culture from 2002 – 2009. Research shows that Indigenous people are socially excluded and high numbers face poverty.
Resources
The Close the Gap Campaign is a growing national movement. In 2007 the first National Close the Gap Day was held. It involved five large State events and more than 300 community events. National Close the Gap Day has become an annual event since 2009. Australians across every state and territory participate in this event. Health services, schools,
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http://det.wa.edu.au/aboriginaleducation/theme/carnelian/detcms/navigation/teaching-and-learning/aieo-guidelines/aieo-program-teachers/cultural-awareness/
Strategies that enhance the ability to be culturally safe include:
• reflecting on one’s own culture, attitudes and beliefs about ‘others’
• clear, value free, open and respectful
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Involve community members. This includes involvement in both planning and implementation of the service.
Identify pressing needs. It is important to communicate with community members in order to identify their most pressing needs. Experience suggests that it is often best to start with small and achievable objectives, rather than trying to take on too much too early. Early successes often have a "ripple" effect, inspiring community confidence and motivating service staff.
Utilise existing networks, services, and resources. Some Indigenous projects have very successfully "piggybacked" services on the back of existing activities, social events, and structures. https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/working-indigenous-children-families-and-communities service providers can take cultural issues (including the focus on self-determination) into consideration and increase participation in services
Respectful relationships and opportunities for meaningful involvement by Indigenous people should be built into all stages of an evaluation, including evaluation planning and