RESOURCE GUIDE - thewomens.r.worldssl.net · Service action list ... • Plan culturally appropriate services for the future ... RESOURCE GUIDE Aboriginal Newborn Identiﬁcation

RESOURCE GUIDE Aboriginal Newborn Identification Project 1

Improving identification

of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander

babies in Victorian

maternity services

RESOURCE GUIDE

We are proud to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians

of lands and waters across Victoria and pay our respects

to Elders past, present and future.

Improving identification

of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander

babies in Victorian

maternity services

RESOURCE GUIDE

We thank all Aboriginal

and/or Torres Strait Islander

families from across Victoria

who have supported the

development of resources

for this project.


This guide has been developed to improve identification of Aboriginal and/or Torres

Strait Islander babies and to enhance care for families at your maternity service.

As outlined in the Koolin Balit (2011), the Victorian Government committed to reducing

the perinatal mortality rates in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,

as well as infant mortality rates, morbidity and low birth weights.

In Victoria, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander babies are twice as likely to be

preterm and/or low birth weight when compared to non-Aboriginal babies. They are

at greater risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Improving health and healthcare requires a sincere engagement with patients and

families. Integral to this is an understanding of their cultural needs.

A recent study1 of identification rates of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

newborns in Victoria found that maternity services under-identify at a rate of 30–40%.

In 2015, approximately 2,0002 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander babies will

be born in Victoria.

The resources provided with this guide will support you in recognising each and every

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander baby at your service and to offer families referral

to appropriate services.

This project builds on the good work and achievements of previous programs to

improve care for Aboriginal3 families.

Implementing these resources presents an opportunity to strengthen partnerships

and engagement with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families and organisations.

PURPOSE OF THIS RESOURCE GUIDE

As you read this guide, you can jot down your

ideas for specific actions to be undertaken by

people in your service. A space for this is

provided in the Actions section on page 24.

The Aboriginal Newborn Identification Project

is supported by the Victorian Government.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Pregnant Woman

This picture represents a strong, healthy,

proud pregnant woman and her Aboriginal

boorai (baby). As my mob is Gunditjmara,

traditionally line work is used by my

people, which is why I incorporate line

work into all my art pieces. I wanted

to make the boorai in the mother’s belly

to represent growth & the special bond

a mother & boorai make during pregnancy.

Mother & Boorai

The two symbols in the middle of the

picture represent a mother and her boorai

being together and bonding. The bigger

footprints represent a mother’s footsteps

alongside her boorai and the connection

they will always have with one another.

Coolamons

A Coolamon is a traditional carrying

vessel with curved sides. Traditionally

used to carry water, fruit, nuts and also

used as a cradle for boorais.

Artwork throughout this resource guide and project resources is © Shakara Montalto,

a proud Gunditjmara woman and artist


KEY CONCEPTS

Introduction .................................................................................................................7

The standard Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

status questions ........................................................................................................ 8

Health disparities .....................................................................................................10

A system to support good practice ..................................................................... 12

RESOURCES

Things to consider when embedding these resources .................................. 13

List of resources ....................................................................................................... 14

Overview of resources ...........................................................................................15

Data collection .........................................................................................................19

ACTIONS

Good practice table ...............................................................................................22

Service action list ...................................................................................................24

How to track your progress .................................................................................25

Appendix 1: Overview of changes to Birthing Outcomes System ................26

Acronyms .................................................................................................................28

Endnotes ..................................................................................................................29

Acknowledgements ................................................................................................30

References ...............................................................................................................31

Notes ........................................................................................................................ 34

TABLE OF CONTENTS

It doesn’t matter whether

I’m black, white or purple.

If I say I’m Aboriginal, that’s

all that counts.


IN THIS SECTION

INTRODUCTION

Asking the standard Aboriginal and/or

Torres Strait Islander status questions

acknowledges a family’s cultural identity

and its relevance to their clinical needs

and care planning. It provides an

opportunity to link Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander families with appropriate

services and supports them to partner with

healthcare providers to achieve positive

health outcomes.4

Self-reporting in response to the

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

status question is the most accurate

means of ascertaining someone’s

Aboriginal status.5

A study looking at the

identification of Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander

women in NSW found

that less than 1% of

non-Aboriginal women

indicated that they

would have objected

to an explicit question

by staff about their

Aboriginal or Torres Strait

Islander status.6

Introduction

The standard Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status

questions in maternity care

Health disparities

Resilient community

A system to support good practice

THE STANDARD ABORIGINAL AND/OR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER STATUS QUESTIONS

‘Are you of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin?’

‘Is your baby of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin?’

It is necessary that clinicians ask both these questions of every woman during

her first visit.

A woman’s status may already be on her paperwork. However, asking again gives

her the opportunity to confirm this response and to confirm the Aboriginal and/or

Torres Strait Islander status of her baby.

Record the woman’s responses correctly to support accurate data at your service.

The first visit or booking-in visit is

a crucial opportunity to offer pregnant

women referral to culturally appropriate

services such as an Aboriginal Hospital

Liaison Officer (AHLO), the Koori

Maternity Service (KMS) and other

services in your region.

A woman’s decision on whether

to accept these referrals

should be respected.


Until now, many services have asked

about the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait

Islander status of the father. This was an

indirect means of determining whether the

baby was of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait

Islander origin.

We now ask about the baby and not about

the father because a woman’s response

can vary depending on her relationship

with the father. However, this should not

preclude the importance of engaging

fathers. It also does not commit the

woman to Aboriginal specific services –

only refer with her consent.

Accurate statistical information regarding the health status of Aboriginal and/or

Torres Strait Islander people is critical to ensuring access to timely and appropriate

maternity care.

By compiling data that is complete, consistent and accurate we can:

• Identify key service referrals for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women

and their families

• Improve communication with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women

and their families

• Have increased confidence in decision making and planning

• Improve clinical outcomes for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families

• Plan culturally appropriate services for the future

• Develop protocols and procedures for interagency referrals

• Save time spent correcting data errors

• Ensure that funding matches service needs.

80% of Aboriginal

and/or Torres Strait

Islander babies born

in Victoria have only

one Aboriginal


Islander parent.

Figure 1 represents factors that influence pregnancy outcomes for Aboriginal and/or

Torres Strait Islander women.

HEALTH DISPARITIES

Poor health

• Diabetes mellitus

• Cardiovascular disease

• Respiratory disease

• Kidney disease

• Communicable diseases

• Injuries

• Poor mental health

• Overweight or underweight

Lifestyle factors

• Lack of physical activity

• Poor nutrition

• Harmful levels of alcohol intake

• Smoking

• Higher psychosocial stressors

(deaths in families, violence, serious

illness, financial pressures, contact with

the justice system)

Antenatal complications

• Intra-uterine growth restriction

• Pre-eclampsia

• Diabetes in pregnancy

(gestational diabetes and pre-existing

diabetes mellitus)

• Anaemia

• Infection

• Teenage pregnancy

• Increased rate of preterm births and low

birth weight

• Perinatal and maternal deaths

Socioeconomic factors

• Lower income

• Higher unemployment

• Lower educational levels

• Inadequate infrastructure

(eg. housing, water supply)

• Increased rates of incarceration

Reproduced with permission from Australian Family Physician 2014.7


Any discussion of health disparities and the challenges faced by Aboriginal and/or

Torres Strait Islander families must include reference to the capabilities and resilience

of communities. For example, parenting strengths8 such as:

• A community-focus on child rearing practices

• The importance of Elders

• Humour

• Culture

• Support for children to explore the world and develop skills to successfully negotiate

their pathways to adulthood

Care providers are encouraged to recognise the ongoing challenges for Aboriginal

and/or Torres Strait Islander families – many of which stem from injustices in the past –

and to provide support as they work to overcome these challenges.

RESILIENT COMMUNITY

The following diagram highlights the characteristics of someone who asks

all women the standard Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status questions.

These characteristics will thrive in a system that supports them. The requirements

of such a system have guided the development of the accompanying resources,

which we will now explore in detail.

A SYSTEM TO SUPPORT GOOD PRACTICE

Figure 2: Service and individual characteristics of someone who effectively asks the

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander questions.

Service characteristics:

Welcoming and culturally friendly environment

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff

Showcase Aboriginal culture

Cultural awareness training

Whole of organisation

commitment

Policies and

procedures

Service characteristics:

Referral pathways documented

High profile Aboriginal Unit/Liaison Officer

Strong partnership with Koori Maternity

Service/culturally safe services

Staff training

Service characteristics:Data collection system facilitates

collection of high quality data

Resources developed to assist staff

collecting Aboriginal and/or Torres

Strait Islander status

Feedback to staff regarding data quality and

outcomes/needs of local families

Service characteristics:Access to training on asking the

standard Aboriginal and/or Torres

Strait Islander status questions

Posters and prompts at reception and other

points where question to be asked

Importance of asking question

about woman and baby

included in orientation

and embedded into

other sessions/

meetings

“Is your baby

of Aboriginal

or Torres Strait

Islander origin?”

Cultura

l resp

ect a

nd cele

brate

s

com

plexi

ty o

f identit

ies

Understands referral pathw

ays

and offers them to w

omen

Understands reasons for

asking the questions and

is confident to ask

Unders

tands

data c

ollect

ion a

nd

docum

entatio

n pro

cess

Strong data helps services

to improve communication

with Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander families.


Things to consider when embedding these resources

List of resources

Overview of resources

Your data collection

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN EMBEDDING THESE RESOURCESAny project that aims to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait

Islander families requires collaboration with the local community and Aboriginal and/or

Torres Strait Islander staff in your organisation.

Identify key stakeholders who can provide input and involve them early. For example:

• The Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer (AHLO) and/or Aboriginal health team

within your service

• Staff at the local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO),

such as the KMS Aboriginal Health Worker and Midwife

• Community Elders

Aboriginal health is everyone’s responsibility – the AHLO might be someone to consult

during this project but it is not necessarily their responsibility to do the work on the

ground in your unit.

To achieve sustainable change:

• Support staff through education

• Draw on the abilities of all team members and involve people at every level

of the organisation

• Add these resources as a standing agenda item and be sure to update staff when

each resource is implemented

• Communicate widely and lead by example, while empowering staff to implement

changes to their own practice

• Look for opportunities to engage meaningfully with the Aboriginal and/or Torres

Strait Islander people in your community. Host a morning tea, discuss the resources

that you are embedding in your system, ask them for feedback and suggestions

for services at your maternity unit

IN THIS SECTION

You have received the following resources with this guide:

• Cot Cards

• 4 Posters

• 2 Pregnancy Care Booklets

• 1 CD ROM with the following electronic resources:

– Staff Training Package

– Policy and Procedure Templates

– Data Accountability Framework Template

– Referral Pathways Template

– Good Practice Table

– Action List Template

– Electronic copies of all resources

– Electronic copy of this guide

– Cot cards order form

Nominate one key person who can drive this

process and can establish a team and support it.

Resources such as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Quality Improvement Framework and

Toolkit for Hospital Staff provides practical

solutions for quality improvement and meaningful

engagement with community.9

Each member of your maternity team

is at a different point on the path to cultural

competence. Be sure to involve staff who

are at the beginning of their journey.

LIST OF RESOURCES


Cot Cards

These cot cards celebrate Aboriginal

and/or Torres Strait Islander babies born

in your service.

Store these cot cards alongside your other

cot cards, so that they may act as a further

visual prompt for staff members to confirm

the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

status of a newborn.

Posters

These posters remind staff and families

in your health service that the only way

to know if someone is Aboriginal and/or

Torres Strait Islander is to ask the standard


status questions.

Suggested places to display a poster:

• Reception

• Waiting rooms

• Staff tea room

OVERVIEW OF RESOURCES

Pregnancy Care Booklets

This resource supports the changes in

practice initiated through this project.

It prompts clinicians to ask about the


status of women and babies at their first

visit and outlines the importance of

cultural safety and offering culturally

appropriate referral.

It also prompts clinicians at the 36–38

week visit to check the Aboriginal and/or

Torres Strait Islander status of women and

babies and ensure it is recorded in their

patient information.

Overview of Electronic Resources included on the CD ROM

Staff Training Package

This training resource helps staff to better understand how and when to ask the

standard Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status questions.

It contains five scenarios designed to bolster clinicians’ confidence in asking the

questions and to further understand their importance.

Each scenario features multiple choice questions that challenge stereotypes and

debunk myths.

This training resource is ideal for in-service training. A PowerPoint presentation and

a sample session plan are included on the CD ROM to assist those providing education

and training in this area.

You are encouraged to schedule the in-service training at a time when the AHLO

and/or KMS team (where available) can attend, providing an opportunity for

relationship-building and for staff members to learn about the local services available

to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families.


This training resource can also be:

• Added to an existing online learning package

• Used to create a new learning package. We recommend that, if designing your own

package, you include an introduction with some information about local services for

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families, the role of the AHLO at your service

and the Traditional Owners. Doing this in collaboration with local Aboriginal Services

and community members can strengthen relationships.

Referral Pathways Template

In order to confidently offer referrals to culturally-appropriate services, clinicians should

have access to an outline of the services available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander families in your region.

A template is provided on the CD ROM. We encourage you to make your own outline of

referral pathways easily accessible to staff in your maternity service, i.e. on the desktop

of computers in your birthing environments.

This template is an adaptation of an existing Barwon Health resource developed through

the Aboriginal Maternity Pathways project. It has been included with permission from the

Aboriginal Maternity Pathways project team.

Thinking about privacy: when

offering referral to Aboriginal

and/or Torres Strait Islander

services, it is important that

we respect a woman’s decision

about using these services

and ask for her consent to share

personal information.

Policy and Procedure Templates

The following sample policy and procedure are on the CD ROM and can be adapted

to your service needs:

• Policy: Collection of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Status of women

and babies in Health Data Sets

• Guideline for Collection of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Status

of women and babies in Health Data Sets

If your service already has a policy, the procedure can complement this as

a supporting document.

Good Practice Table

The contents of this table are aligned with Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

National best practice guidelines for collecting Indigenous status in health data sets

as well as recommendations in The Characteristics of Culturally Competent Maternity

Services10 and have been expanded on by the Project Reference Group and the

Aboriginal Health Branch at the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Good Practice Table can provide a benchmark for your organisation and support

you in developing your own action list. It can be found on page 22 of this guide and

on the CD ROM.

Action List Template

The Action List Template provides guidance in developing a plan for change within

your organisation.

Services are encouraged to develop site specific action lists which include clearly

defined actions, timelines and clinicians responsible for implementation.

Involve key stakeholders in the development of the action list and share it with all staff

who will be involved in implementing it, including Chief Executive Officers, Director/s

of Clinical Services, lead maternity services managers, both medical and midwifery.

Services are encouraged to include the action list as a recurrent agenda item in service

meetings to support effective communication regarding progress.


Services can update their data collection system to support staff to collect accurate

and consistent data and offer appropriate care:

• Ensure that the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander statuses of the woman

and baby are prominently displayed in your system.

• Ensure that the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander statuses of the woman

and baby are included in referrals and reports.

• Ensure that your data collection system meets best practice and includes the

following response options:

– Aboriginal

– Torres Strait Islander

– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

– Not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander

– Question unable to be asked

– Patient refused to answer

Services with Birthing Outcomes

System (BOS):

To support services to improve

identification of Aboriginal and/or

Torres Strait Islander babies, the

state-wide Birthing Outcomes

System user group have made

a number of changes to BOS –

see appendix 1 for details.

These changes are available

in the May/June update

YOUR DATA COLLECTION

This Data Accountability Framework Template is included on your CD ROM and can be

modified to your service’s needs.

Data Accountability Framework Template

If you don’t already have one, consider developing a Data Accountability Framework

in order to:

• Support directors to manage controls and processes and to implement Continuous

Quality Improvement (CQI) activities for data integrity

• Provide an accountability structure for data integrity

• Reinforce to staff the importance of data integrity

Figure 3: Data Accountability Framework: Improving identification of Aboriginal and/or

Torres Strait Islander babies

Audit and Risk Management Committee

Chief Executive Officer

Data Integrity Committee (if applicable)

Clinical Director Maternity ServicesAccountability for Quality Data

Clinical Director Maternity Services

/ Unit ManagerSubmission of Data Reporting

Maternity Support Managers

in collaboration with AHLOError rectification

Support managers / System

administrators

BOS/GE/PNCITH

Ongoing Data Management

Maternity staff

Ward clerks Data Entry

Info

rma

tio

n G

ov

ern

an

ce

Pla

tfo

rms

Accurate data helps

services to identify key

referral pathways and

offer them to Aboriginal


Islander families.


IN THIS SECTION

Good practice table

Action list template

How to track your progress

GOOD PRACTICE TABLE

GOOD PRACTICE EXAMPLE YOUR SERVICE’S PRACTICE ACTION REQUIRED?

Staff ask all women “Are you of Aboriginal or

Torres Strait Islander origin?” at first visit

Staff ask all women “Is your baby of Aboriginal

or Torres Strait Islander origin?” at first visit

Staff understand what services are available

to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people

in your region and these services are clearly

documented and easy to find in your system

and updated regularly

Staff offer culturally appropriate referral to all

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families

Staff ask all women “Is your baby of Aboriginal

or Torres Strait Islander origin?” after birth

of baby

Your service has a policy on identification of

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people

Your maternity unit has a procedure on asking

the standard Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait

Islander status questions

The data entry points are in line with the National

Best Practice Guidelines for collecting Indigenous

status, i.e:

Aboriginal | Torres Strait Islander | Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander | Not Aboriginal or Torres

Strait Islander (Optional) | Question unable to be

asked | Patient refused to answer

Staff enter this data in the correct place at the

correct time

Staff involved in data collection receive training

Aboriginal and/or Torres Islander communities

understand the data and receive and provide

feedback about the data

Your service has a data accountability framework

Your data is audited for completion


GOOD PRACTICE EXAMPLE YOUR SERVICE’S PRACTICE ACTION REQUIRED?

Your maternity unit demonstrates a physical

and visible acknowledgement to Aboriginal

and/or Torres Strait Islander people

Asking the question and cultural safety are

included in the key selection criteria of each

position description and in performance reviews

so that staff understand the organisation’s

commitment to cultural safety

Arrangements/agreements are in place with

local ACCHOs if appropriate

Discharge summaries that include Aboriginal

and/or Torres Strait Islander status of woman

and baby (in line with privacy act) are provided

to all relevant stakeholders (including woman)

on day of discharge from service

Staff receive ongoing cultural safety training

Cultural safety and supporting procedures, roles

etc included in staff inductions

A number of these changes

support NSQHS and EQuIP

National Standards, such as

Standard 2: Partnering with

consumers

Standard 11 : Service delivery

Standard 12: Provision of care.11

YOUR NOTES – ACTIONS

NEED IDENTIFIED TASK RESPONSIBILITY TIMELINE


An audit is an effective way to check the accuracy of demographic fields in patient

records. In 2011 the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare conducted a national

audit of Aboriginal identification in inpatient hospital records.

The study was undertaken by interviewing a sample of admitted patients while

in hospital, and comparing their responses to a set of questions to the data

recorded in the hospital admission records. The answers provided by the patient

at the time of interview were considered to be the ‘true’ record. The interviewers

were employed by and reported to the study co-ordinator in the Aboriginal Health

Branch, Department of Health.

While the cost of employing an interviewer is very low, hospitals proposing to conduct

such audits should consider the time needed to develop an Ethics request and the need

for a hospital staff member to coordinate:

• employment and training of an interviewer, including police checks and working

with children check. The interviewer should not be a member of the hospital staff.

• access to suitable wards (not mental health, secure or infectious diseases),

including times that patients will be available to interview

• policy on interviewing persons <18 years

• access to patient records

• storage of interview data

• format of interview, including fields to be collected.

The Department of Health and Human Services Victoria, Aboriginal Health Branch

is happy to assist with Ethics proposals, sample size and interview format, and will

undertake the analysis of the results.

For assistance please contact:

Aboriginal Health Branch

t: 9096 8212

e: [email protected]

HOW TO TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

APPENDIX 1: OVERVIEW OF CHANGES TO THE BIRTHING OUTCOMES SYSTEM (BOS)

Your BOS Superuser can produce

Exception Reports that list the

instances of ‘Question unable to be

asked’ or ‘Patient refused to answer’

in the database. This is an

opportunity to address potential

issues within your service.

The state-wide BOS Committee made the following changes to BOS in the 2015 update.

• A new field for clinicians to enter data about baby at the time of booking-in.

• The Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander statuses of woman and baby now appear

on the antenatal summary home screen.

• New alerts when ‘question unable to be asked’ or ‘patient refused to answer’ have

been entered during a previous session.

• The Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander statuses of the woman and baby

are now included in reports such as the Antenatal Summary and Management Plan,

the Obstetric Discharge Summary and the Neonatal or Special Care Nursery (SCN)

Discharge Summary.

• The Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander statuses of the woman and baby

are now included as a default in statistical reports, such as the Obstetric Statistics

Audit Report.

• Terminology has been updated in line with the Department of Health and Human

Services (i.e. ‘Aboriginal’ as opposed to ‘Indigenous’).


Strong data gives

services increased

confidence in

decision making

and planning.

ACCHO Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation

AHLO Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer

AIHW Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

BOS Birthing Outcomes System

CQI Continuous Quality Improvement

DHHS Department of Health and Human Services

ICAP Improving Care for Aboriginal Patients

VACCHO Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation

KMS Koori Maternity Service

MCHN Maternal and Child Health Nurse

MSEP Maternity Services Education Program

NSQHS National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards

SCN Special Care Nursery

SIDS Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

ACRONYMS


1 Heffernan, B, Iskandar, D. & Freemantle, J. (2012), The History of Indigenous

Identification in Victorian Health Datasets, 1980–2011: Initiatives and Policies

Reported by Key Informants, the Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.

2 Department of Health and Human Services estimate, 2015

3 The term Aboriginal is used in this document. It has occasionally been used

to simplify the text; and we imply it refers to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait

Islander people.

4 Bisognano, M., & Schummers, D. (2014). Flipping healthcare: an essay by Maureen

Bisognano and Dan Schummers. BMJ, 349, g5852.

5 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2010) National best practice guidelines

for collecting Indigenous status in health data sets Cat. no. 29 Canberra: AIHW

6 Jackson Pulver LR, Bush A, Ward J. Identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander women using an urban obstetric hospital. Aust.Health Rev. 2003; 26: 19–25.

Statistics from Aboriginal Health Branch, Department of Health Victoria

7 Clarke M, Boyle J. Antenatal care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

Aust Fam Physician 2014;43(1–2):20–24.

8 Lohoar, S, Butera, N & Kennedy, E. (2014) Strengths of Australian Aboriginal cultural

practices in family life and child rearing CFCA Paper No. 25 AIFS, Melbourne

9 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Patient Quality Improvement Toolkit

for Hospital Staff, available at

www.svhm.org.au/aboutus/community/ICHPtoolkit/Pages/toolkit.aspx

10 Kruske, S for Australian Health Minister’s Advisory Council (2011) Characteristics

of culturally competent maternity services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander women

11 See: Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, National Safety

and Quality Health Service Standards (September 2012). Sydney. ACSQHC, 2012

http://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/accreditation-and-the-nsqhs-standards/

resources-to-implement-the-nsqhs-standards/#NSQHS-Standards and EQuIP

Standards Table http://www.achs.org.au/media/67054/achs_web_version_v4.pdf

END NOTES

Aboriginal Newborn Identification Project Reference Group:

Bree Bulle Consultant Midwife – Maternity Services Education Program

Jane Cussen Aboriginal Health Branch Department of Health and Human Services

Tanya Farrell Adjunct Professor, Executive Director – Nursing and Midwifery, The Women’s

Kate Freeman Project Manager – Maternity Services Education Program

Barbara Gibson-Thorpe Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer – Echuca Regional Health

Matthew Lloyd Aboriginal Health Branch Department of Health and Human Services

Lisa Oro Manager – Maternity and Newborn Clinical Network

Jacqueline Watkins Manager – Aboriginal Health Policy and Planning, Western Health

The project team thanks the following people for their support and input

towards the project:

Aboriginal families involved in focus groups and photo shoots

Koori Maternity Strategy team at the Victorian Aboriginal Community

Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO)

Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officers through the Halls Gap ICAP forum

Koori Maternity Services Aboriginal Health Workers and Midwives from across Victoria

Maternity clinicians across Victoria

Aboriginal Maternity Pathways Project team Barwon Health

Julian Silverman

Karinda Ritchie Department of Health and Human Services

Andrew Hinterreiter Management Consultants and Technology Services

Danielle Kata Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer, Western Health

Rachel Muir Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer, Koori Maternity Services, Western Health

Melissa Brickell Aboriginal Health Transition Officer, Western Health

Patrice Hickey Clinical Midwife Consultant, Western Health

Amanda Murphy NUM Rose Baker Wing, Echuca Regional Health

Kim Warde Midwife, Njernda Aboriginal Corporation

Raelene Walker Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Southwest Healthcare Warrnambool

Wayne Quilliam Wayne Quilliam Photography

Kimba Thompson SistaGirl Productions

Kellie Tranter Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer, The Women’s

Shelley Jackson Aboriginal Health Worker, Antenatal Services, Northern Health

Margaret Stam Midwife, Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Corporation

Kylie Osborne Clinical Midwife Consultant, Latrobe Regional Health

Kathy Evans Midwife Educator, Maternity Services Education Program

Rose Gigliotti Chief Communications Officer, The Women’s

Design by studiowarna.com

Babies wear knitted headbands and beanies created by Melissa Brickell.

March 2015

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


AHMAC. (2011b). National Maternity Services Plan. Canberra: Australian Health Ministers’

Advisory Council, Commonwealth of Australia.

Allan, N. and P. M. Cashman (2011). “Aboriginal identification in Hunter New England

infants.” N S W Public Health Bull 22(11–12): 221–222.

ANMC. (2006). National Competency Standards for the Midwife. Canberra: Australian

Nursing and Midwifery Council.

ANMC. (2008). Code of Professional Conduct for Midwives. Canberra: Australian Nursing

and Midwifery Council.

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NOTES


Accurate data helps

you to plan culturally

appropriate services

for the future.

Documents

RESOURCE GUIDE - thewomens.r.worldssl.net · Service action list ... • Plan culturally appropriate services for the future ... RESOURCE GUIDE Aboriginal Newborn Identiﬁcation