Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing
Welcome to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing pathway. This pathway includes courses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous practitioners who work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families, and communities. It has been developed with the support and guidance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, to specifically support non-Indigenous practitioners in mainstream organisations to engage with First Nations families.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities have remained connected to their culture, kinship and Country for over 60,000 years. There is much that practitioners can learn from this wisdom that can support all families and children.
For non-Indigenous practitioners to succeed as allies with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and parents, they have a responsibility to consider the relevant healing practices for the families they support. If we are to break the dominant discourse of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living away from their families, practitioners must embrace the principles of self-determination and recognise, understand and embed cultural healing practices in the support they provide.
This pathway offers strategies and frameworks to build your skills and confidence in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. It will grow your understandings of intergenerational trauma and disadvantage and the impacts they have on First Nations peoples’ social and emotional wellbeing. They will help you to build genuine partnerships with the children, adults and communities you are working with. The courses will also help you to look past the stereotypes and focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ connections, strengths, skills and resilience, to support self-determination and healing.
Learning outcomes
As you progress through this learning pathway you will build your understanding and skills across a range of areas, including:
- a deeper understanding of the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families' experiences, and how this affects wellbeing, as well as contributes to the protective factors that help families recover
- intergenerational trauma and its impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and how understanding this can help make positive and healing conversations happen
- the essential role of family, kinship and community in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and how these relationships can be supported through hard times
- the ongoing social and political challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, which can hinder their healing strategies
- connection to Land, spirituality, ancestry and cultural practices as important protective factors for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- child development in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families
- the importance of, and ability to reflect on your own position/values and biases
- ways of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strat Islander families where family domestic violence is present (FDV)
- ways of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and fostering safety in the perinatal period
- essential prerequisites and practical skills for talking with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents about complex trauma
- identifying the broad range of options that may be required to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents experiencing complex trauma
- the impact of colonisation directly relates to issues of family violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families; and
- creating space for families to share their stories of strength, skills and resilience.