Insert Title Here Aboriginal Engagement & Employment Project: An Overview
Jan 09, 2016
Insert Title Here
Aboriginal Engagement & Employment Project:
An Overview
Project objective
• Commissioned by NDS WA
• Objective – to design and plan a program that will: – provide employment opportunities for Aboriginal
within the disability sector– address barriers for Aboriginal people with a disability
in accessing programs and services
The Case
• Aboriginal people have severe or profound disability rates 2.4 times those of non-Aboriginal people
• Only about 1/3rd are using specialist disability services
• Main cause of under use – lack of engagement between disability services providers and the Aboriginal community
The Case cont.
• Research shows Aboriginal communities are more likely to engage with services that have:– strong connections with Aboriginal communities– high levels of cultural competency– Aboriginal staff
Situation in WA – Survey of NDS Members
• Percentage of Aboriginal service users by agency – 24 responses
54%
25%
8%
13%
<5%Aboriginal
5-10%Aboriginal
11-21%Aboriginal
21+%Aboriginal
Situation in WA – Survey of NDS Members cont.
• Extent of community engagement activities by agency
Moderate -considerable
Active promotion to Aboriginal community 19%
Attend Aboriginal inter-agency meetings 24%
Relationship with ACCOs 24%
Partnership with ACCOs 29%
Working relationships with Aboriginal workers 33%
Reconciliation Action Plan 24%
Culturally respectful service delivery 66%
Situation in WA – Survey of NDS Members cont.
• 86% of agencies provide cultural awareness training• Slightly under half the agencies employ Aboriginal staff• 17 agencies are either very interested or somewhat
interested in:– Increased recruitment and retention of Aboriginal staff– Partnering with NDS on traineeship/cadetship
opportunities– Participating in a pilot on workforce development– Partnering with Aboriginal organisations
NDS NSW Model
• Aboriginal Resources and Pathways• Began as a pilot, now extended• Aims to promote effective ways for disability services to
deliver services and support to Aboriginal people.– Focus on identifying inhibitors and enablers in
partnership– Developing local networks – 13 established, 6 under
development
NDS NSW Model cont.
• Aboriginal Jobs Together• Aims:
– to increase Aboriginal employment in the non-government disability sector;
– build the capacity of organisations to employ Aboriginal people
– assist Aboriginal people to meet the skills requirements of disability organisations.
• Target 110 trainees/cadets – 40 trainees employed & 5 cadets to date
Building cultural competency and an Aboriginal workforce
• Cultural competency underpins both effective service provision and building an Aboriginal workforce
• Full cultural competence means reflecting an awareness of Aboriginal perspectives in direct service delivery, policy and procedural framework, administrative and business structures and human resource practices
• Becoming culturally secure can mean significant cultural change
• Cultural awareness training is essential and a Reconciliation Action Plan is recommended
Take a risk
• ‘We must take calculated risks, commit to achieving targets and find new ways of working if we care to make a long term difference’.
Public Sector Commission’s Aboriginal Workforce Strategy 2011-2015,
p.6
The proposed Aboriginal Engagement and Employment Initiative
• Principles:– Community participation– Appropriate service delivery (including the right staff)– Cultural protection– Partnerships– Capacity building– Sustainability
• Draws on Aboriginal Resources and Pathways and Aboriginal Jobs Together
The proposed Aboriginal Engagement and Employment Initiative cont.
• Objectives– Establish the local evidence base on Aboriginal needs
and match with services– Create linkages and partnerships between Aboriginal
communities and disability service providers to jointly identify and overcome barriers
– Support cultural competence building in disability organisations and cultural awareness in their workforce
– Work with disability service organisations, employment and training organisations and the Aboriginal community to build a sustainable Aboriginal workforce
The proposed Aboriginal Engagement and Employment Initiative cont.
• Key strategies– Identify need and services in partnership with
Aboriginal communities
– Build linkages and partnerships - networks
– Assist disability organisations to promote their services to Aboriginal communities
– Support organisations to build cultural security for Aboriginal people
The proposed Aboriginal Engagement and Employment Initiative cont.
• Key strategies cont.– Support organisations to recruit select, train and
retain Aboriginal workers using Indigenous Wage Subsidy, Australian Apprenticeship Incentive Program and Indigenous Cadetships
– Case manage Aboriginal Trainees/cadets– Case manage participating organisations employing
or sponsoring trainees/cadets
The proposed Aboriginal Engagement and Employment Initiative cont.
• Proposed Structure– Regionally based– Governance group of key stakeholders– Staffed by Manager and Regional Coordinators– Four pilots – Metro, Kimberley + two other regions– Resourced to allow strong outreach to Aboriginal
communities
The proposed Aboriginal Engagement and Employment Initiative cont.
• Timeframe – Minimum of 3 years and then self-sustaining
• Intended outcomes– Stable and skilled Aboriginal workforce – 60 trainees and cadets employed/sponsored– Increased proportion of Aboriginal people using
specialist disability services
• Monitoring and evaluation – Results Based Accountability