Cultural Awareness Training and Education
Last updated February 22, 2024
The HNECC-PHN has a fundamental commitment to achieve meaningful and sustainable improvements in health outcomes for Aboriginal communities living within the region.
Cultural competency is set of congruent behaviours, attitudes and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals to enable that system, agency or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.
A fundamental step towards improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people is to assist the mainstream health system better understand and incorporate Aboriginal culture and customs.
We strongly believe our commitment to place Aboriginal people and communities at the centre of the decision-making process and implementing a whole of organisation approach to Aboriginal health will lead to improved health outcomes for Aboriginal people and communities within our region.
Our First Nations Health Access Team can provide free cultural awareness support with an email, phone call or a practice visit. First Nations health can be complex, it is a sensitive area that requires cultural understanding and this is where we can help.
These are the topics we can provide free training on:
- Integrated Team Care (ITC) Program
- MBS 715 Health Check
- CTG PBS Co-Payment
- Practice Incentive Program (PIP) Indigenous Health Incentive (IHI)
- Asking the Question (Indigenous Identification)
- Allied Health
- Cultural Safety in Primary Care
- Close the Gap Initiative
Contact the First Nations Health Access Team directly to organise a visit in your practice.
Online cultural awareness training
About CCCA - Centre For Cultural Competence Australia
7 Steps On Demand | Cultural Awareness Training | Evolve Communities (evolves.com.au)
Core cultural learning | AIATSIS
Online Training – Arrilla - Indigenous cultural competency trainers, advisors and consultants
Register of Cultural Awareness Training Providers
The PHN encourages primary care providers to participate in ongoing First Nations Cultural Awareness training. These programs can occur online, in the work place, or in a community setting where learning First Nations culture takes place on Aboriginal country.
The PHN is developing a Register of Cultural Awareness Training Providers that lists online and Hunter New England and Central Coast training providers. All principal presenters are First Nations people. The register will be updated regularly to ensure information is current and to provide opportunities for emerging First Nations businesses in this area. Please note that the organisations self-nominate for listing and the information included is provided by the training providers.
If you are a provider of cultural awareness training and would like to be included on the register, please complete and submit the application form.
A member of the First Nations Health Access team will then contact you to confirm your details and add your organisation to the register.
Significant Dates Australian First Nations
This resource is to support primary health care providers enhance the cultural responsiveness of their staff, premises and services. The ideas included can be used to acknowledge, engage and learn more about some of the dates that are significant to Australia’s First Nations people.
Healing Forums
The PHN Healing Forums across Taree, Inverell and Cessnock were designed to increase access to First Nations community-identified approaches to improving the healing and wellbeing needs of HNECC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The forums aimed to:
- Empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to identify and design local, culturally relevant approaches to meeting the healing and wellbeing needs of their community.
- Resource localised approaches to healing that are led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to address mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, and connection to culture, family and land.
- Integrate community healing programs with existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health clinical services – including both Aboriginal Community Controlled and mainstream services – to ensure services holistically meet the clinical and cultural healing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
- Promote community development and meaningful partnerships to strengthen the sustainability, community governance and service delivery of community healing programs.