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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