EOI: Cultural Training Grants for Allied Health
What is the problem we’re trying to solve?
The Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network (The PHN) has a fundamental commitment to achieving meaningful and sustainable improvements in health outcomes for First Nations people living within the region. A fundamental step towards improving these health outcomes is to assist the health system to better understand and incorporate First Nations culture and customs to create culturally safe healthcare environments.
A key component of creating a culturally safe environment is to foster cultural awareness among staff. Cultural [A(1] awareness is a basic understanding that there is diversity in cultures across the population and is the first step towards developing cultural competency. Cultural competency is a process of ongoing learning that extends beyond individual skills or knowledge to influence the way a system or service operates across cultures.
What are we doing about it?
The PHN strongly believes in our commitment to place First Nations people and communities at the centre of decision-making processes, and that implementing a whole-of-organisation approach to First Nations health will lead to improved health outcomes for First Nations people within our region.
To support the development of cultural awareness within allied health practices in our region – and with the aim of creating culturally competent practices – The PHN is partnering with registered cultural training organisation Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) to provide grants for interested allied health practitioners/allied health practices to engage in cultural awareness and cultural responsiveness training.
Specifically, we are offering:
- 30 x fully funded positions in IAHA’s Level 1 – Introduction to Cultural Responsiveness training program (valued at $165.00 per person); and
- 5 x fully funded positions in IAHA’s Culturally Responsive Program (valued at $770.00 per person). This includes Level 1 – Introduction to Cultural Responsiveness (above), Level 2 – Unpacking the Framework, and Level 3 – Putting it all into Action.
Level 1 – Introduction to Cultural Responsiveness is a self-paced, online program that takes approximately three to four hours to complete. The program covers everything you need to get started on your Culturally Responsive journey, including: the meaning of culture and traditions, language and terminology, cultural safety definitions, and why we need to be responsive.
Level 2 – Unpacking the Framework is a self-paced, online program that takes approximately five hours to complete. It allows participants to begin the process of Knowing, Being, and Doing to create a culturally safe practice, and dives deeper into the IAHA Culturally Responsive Framework. Level 1 is a prerequisite for Level 2.
Level 3 – Putting it all into Action is a live, interactive, online workshop designed to help participants to reflect on what they’ve learned in Levels 1 and 2 and to bring it all together to complete their own individual action plans towards creating a culturally responsive workplace. Levels 1 and 2 are prerequisites for Level 3.
Further information on these programs can be found on IAHA’s website.
Who is eligible?
To be considered for a cultural training grant, you will need to demonstrate that you/your practice is:
- A private allied health practice operating in the Hunter, New England, or Central Coast region
- At least one allied health professional works in the practice as specified by Allied Health Professions Australia
- A desire and commitment to increase your/your practice’s cultural awareness, with the aim of heading towards cultural competency
- The time and capacity to complete this training within the next twelve months
Terms and Conditions
Please note: Only two people per practice will be able to apply for a training grant.
References:
[A(1]Source: Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Action 1.21: Improving cultural competency | Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care