Page 2963 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 15 August 2018
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Of course, this is just one way child and family centre staff are engaged in a conversation about how we best support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in the ACT. Child and family centre staff are also encouraged to access the broad range of cultural competence training available to all Community Services Directorate staff.
MR STEEL: Minister, what other opportunities in the Community Services Directorate are there to increase the cultural competence of its staff?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mr Steel for his supplementary question. The Community Services Directorate has recently released its strategic plan, “Empowering people”, based on extensive consultation with staff. The plan is underpinned by a cultural integrity statement, and one of its five key principles is:
Positive life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are placed at the centre of what we do.
While CSD has long had a strong commitment to cultural awareness, it is progressively increasing the range of cultural competency training and development opportunities available for its staff, including launching a cultural e-learning program in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and establishing the creating excellence project to develop supports and pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees.
Recently, 96 staff from across CSD participated in cultural safety masterclasses delivered by Associate Professor Richard Frankland, Associate Dean (Inclusion and Diversity), University of Melbourne. The masterclasses focused on cultural safety and cultural loads, creating policy about alleviating cultural loads, creating culturally safe pathways, and determining culturally safe environments. I understand that feedback from staff who attended was overwhelmingly positive, and 200 additional places are being offered across eight sessions in early September and mid-October 2018.
CSD has also arranged three screenings of the 2017 film After the apology, directed by Professor Larissa Behrendt. The film follows the journey of four Aboriginal grandmothers challenging government policy to bring their grandchildren home. While confronting, it provides an opportunity for staff to reflect on past and current practices to ensure that we are moving towards culturally safe practices that better support our community. The first session was held on 12 July, with 130 staff in attendance. The next two screenings are being held on Thursday, 16 August and 13 September. I look forward to joining staff at the September screening. (Time expired.)
Centenary Hospital for Women and Children—upgrade program
MR HANSON: My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Minister, I refer to your media release of 1 June 2017 in which you advised that the upgrade of the Centenary women’s and children’s hospital was due for completion in 2020-21. The acting minister for health, Mr Rattenbury, advised in an estimates
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