Share

Aboriginal Health Programs and Resources

At HETI, we play an important role in supporting closing the gap in health by developing education and training for NSW Health professionals to deliver culturally safe and inclusive care. Through our programs, we:

  1. Strengthen the capability and cultural awareness of the NSW Health workforce
  2. Support Aboriginal staff wellbeing
  3. Embed partnerships with Aboriginal communities into healthcare practice
  4. Promote culturally inclusive care to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people.

The modules and learning paths listed below are available to NSW Health staff on My Health Learning.

Building strong partnerships across the NSW Health workforce

Aboriginal Allied Health Network (AAHN) – The Aboriginal Allied Health Network is a partnership between HETI, Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) and the Ministry of Health to provide culturally safe peer networking, support, information exchange, leadership and professional development. The network brings together Aboriginal staff who are allied health professionals, assistants, technicians, cadets, mental health clinicians and trainees from across NSW Health.

Aboriginal Medical Workforce Recruitment Pathway – HETI partners with the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) to deliver the Aboriginal medical workforce recruitment pathway to prevocational training in NSW.

NSW Aboriginal Trainee Doctors' Forum – Bringing together Aboriginal Medical trainees from across NSW, the Aboriginal Trainee Doctors’ Forum is a collaboration between HETI, the Ministry of Health's Aboriginal Workforce team, and the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA).

Rural Interprofessional Seminar Series – Supports health education in remote areas. The rural inter-professional seminar series provides professional development opportunities for rural health professionals. Topics are aligned with NSW Health's key priority areas, with a strong emphasis on enhancing health and wellbeing for Aboriginal people and communities.

Training Support Unit for AMIHS and BSF Services – The Training Support Unit (TSU) has strong, established relationship with Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Health Services (AMIHS), Building Strong Foundations for Aboriginal Children, Families and Communities (BSF); and staff working collaboratively and in partnership with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations in NSW. The focus is to deliver culturally appropriate maternity and child health care education and training tailored to the needs of Aboriginal families and communities.

Supporting wellbeing of Aboriginal staff in NSW Health

Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing eLearning module (course code: 420049395) – supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal staff working in NSW Health.

Strengthening partnerships with Aboriginal people to enhance healthcare practices

Asking the Question: Improving the Identification of Aboriginal People (course code: 103260592) – build knowledge and understanding about how to ask an Aboriginal person about their cultural status, dealing with different responses, and implications for health service delivery.

Improving Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing (8ALF020) – HETI Higher Education professional development unit, exploring core concepts of collaboration with Aboriginal people and communities; and how these may apply in assisting individuals with mental ill health.

Respecting the Difference: Know the Difference, Be the Difference Learning Path (course code: 434620806) – build positive and meaningful relationships with Aboriginal people who may be clients, visitors or Aboriginal staff, and to improve confidence in establishing appropriate and sustainable connections.

NSW Health Aboriginal Allied Health Cultural Mentoring Learning Package – a comprehensive learning package that equips mentors and mentees with the skills and knowledge to build strong, culturally responsive mentoring relationships. A dedicated module also supports supervisors and managers in fostering inclusive workplaces and effectively supporting mentees.

  • Mentees and Managers learning pathway (course code: 607396910)
  • Supervisors and Managers learning pathway (course code: 595107321)

Building capability in culturally inclusive care to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people

Care considerations for Aboriginal people experiencing homelessness or at risk (course code: 130147029) – build knowledge and understanding of the common challenges and approaches to care for aboriginal people experiencing homelessness, or at risk.

Culturally Inclusive Care for Aboriginal People Living with Dementia (course code: 400643360) – build cultural knowledge which underpins culturally relevant care for Aboriginal people living with dementia, their families and communities.

Enabling culturally sensitive end of life care for Aboriginal people Learning Path (course code: 395607014) – understand the barriers that Aboriginal people have towards accessing culturally sensitive end-of-life care.

Health for Older Aboriginal People (course code: 238259398) – how to provide health services to meet the needs of older Aboriginal people.

Strengthening Foundations Learning Path (course code: 45421712) – professional development program that supports staff working with Aboriginal clients and communities from the AMIHS and BSF Programs and the practice of health professionals working in partnership with these services.

  • Respectful partnerships when working alongside Aboriginal families, community and services (course code: 328188717) – improve the way Aboriginal health workers and clinicians function as a team.
  • Supporting Aboriginal Families after Childbirth (course code: 522930064) - support engagement with Aboriginal families and communities during the postnatal period and transitioning to child and family health services.
  • Supporting Aboriginal families during pregnancy (course code: 360543197) – improve the way Aboriginal health workers and clinicians work in partnership to provide culturally safe support to families during pregnancy.
  • Supporting Aboriginal Children and Families in the early years (course code: 618263380) - designed for healthcare professionals working with Aboriginal children, their families, and communities during the period of a child’s life from eight weeks to the age of five.
  • Yarning about Quitting (course code: 84056788) – improve health professionals' confidence and skills to engage in effective and culturally-appropriate conversations with Aboriginal pregnant women and mothers about quitting smoking (module under redevelopment).

Jumbunna Podcast – features interviews with Aboriginal guests, offering unique and authentic perspectives on cultural opportunities within health care settings for the NSW Health workforce. Targeted specifically for staff working in Aboriginal health services, each episode highlights the strengths and successes of Aboriginal communities, providing invaluable knowledge and fostering a deeper understanding of culturally responsive care.

Other courses and modules for healthcare professionals working with Aboriginals people

Implementing trauma informed care (course code: 427297565) – demonstrates the principles of trauma-informed care in practice and focuses on how everyone can implement trauma-informed care in their work context.

Father Inclusive Practice (course code: 518672698) – practical strategies and insights from clinicians and parents on engaging fathers in the delivery of healthcare.