Page 2962 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 15 August 2018
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Growing healthy families recognises the central role of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in informing the development and implementation of culturally safe and responsive supports and services. Using a strengths-based approach, child and family workers build on the aspirations and needs of each family to provide a tailored program for each family they work with. Through this program the child and family centres have grown their understanding, practice and service offer to ensure that children’s and families’ experiences are culturally safe and inclusive.
Working alongside the community, staff have co-designed, tested and refined a range of programs and approaches in their work with children and families. As a result we have seen more children and families connected with the child and family centres as safe places, and increased participation in a range of mainstream programs as well as targeted supports.
Over the past year the growing healthy families program has been transitioned to become a core program of the child and family centres. The revised model focuses on strengthened governance; community engagement; data; staff recruitment, professional development and training; and innovative programs and partnerships.
MR PETTERSSON: Minister, how is professional development and training helping to improve cultural awareness and culturally sensitive practice in child and family centres?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mr Pettersson for his supplementary. The work to transition growing healthy families as a core program of the child and family centres has included: providing innovative and relevant professional development to staff in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues; and reviewing and changing recruitment practices to strengthen the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and to embed lead-practice working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families in recruitment documentation and practice.
The conversation—talking excellence project is an example of the innovative approach being taken to professional development and training at the child and family centres. The conversation provides an engagement opportunity for staff to hear from community leaders across the government, community and business sectors. In an interview format, including a Q&A segment, guests talk about what is going on in their areas of interest and responsibility and also their hopes, dreams and vision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
To date the conversation guests have included: Mr Michael De’Ath in his role as Director-General of the Community Services Directorate; Mr Justin Mohamed, prior to commencing his new role as Victorian Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People; and Dr Kaye Price, a highly respected academic and policy-maker in the field of education. The number of staff attending the conversation continues to grow, and the Community Services Directorate is working with the Education Directorate on ideas for future speakers.
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