Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Program

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Relationships Australia is committed to providing a quality service to the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Community of Queensland.

Our overall objective is to provide effective services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Queensland in a culturally sensitive and respectful manner to support the individual client or family and community to achieve their vision for wellbeing and self determination.

Over the past two years Relationships Australia has consulted extensively throughout Queensland Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities and within our own workforce. We have developed a comprehensive Reconciliation Action Plan that is underpinned by our strategic plan and will launch our RAQRAP early in 2011

Relationships Australia Queensland has embarked upon a Cultural Fitness philosophy to build organisational cultural capability to respond to diverse service needs within the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities. These services will dovetail with diversity strategies within our mainstream services and programs.

RAQ is also committed to maintaining and developing our use of technology and diverse Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communication strategies to connect regional, remote and urban communities to our service.

Background

Relationships Australia Queensland currently employs 30 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island staff.
They are located across Queensland in diverse services and locations:

• Thursday Island
• Cairns and Manunda
• Townsville
• Bowen
• Mackay
• Rockhampton
• Mt Morgan
• Toowoomba
• Brisbane – Eight Mile Plains
• Ipswich

Community Engagement

Each of the services engages regularly with their respective local Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities, Traditional Owners, elders and leaders. Our venues have established or are in the process of establishing local reference groups to guide our work in their communities.

RAQ staff within current services employ their local knowledge of protocol, family and kinship systems, gender and age sensitivity when working with Indigenous clients.

RAQ is committed to maintaining and developing our use of technology and linking with diverse Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander community media to connect regional, remote and urban people to our service

Culturally Sensitive and Diverse Services

Many of RAQ’s Indigenous staff is developing unique, localised projects to specifically respond to local needs. Women’s business, leadership, art and craft activities, nutrition programs, Men’s Business cultural camps for men and boys, fishing and hunting are all local projects which explore: healing from grief and loss, restoring Indigenous cultural identity and supporting gender roles and responsibilities. These activities also support family reunification processes and intergenerational relationships.

Local RAQ venues can provide a range of counselling and family support, parenting support or mediation services to address ; relationship problems, separation , youth issues, divorce, financial problems , gambling and addiction , impact of disability or imprisonment and ‘stolen generation’ issues’ and link clients to other relevant external service providers.

Our staff can assist clients by incorporating Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander models of practice as well as embracing and indigenising mainstream strategies.
 RAQ staff empowers clients to build for themselves lifestyles which focus on wellbeing. Staff can work with the ‘whole of family approach’ to respond to events that may have had an impact upon their lives like ‘Sorry Business’ or trauma such as domestic and family violence.

RAQ Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Network

Staff participate in our state wide RAQ Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Network teleconference and our annual Program Forum as well as participating in RAIN our National Network to discuss evolving practice issues and community trends and to provide peer support.

Career Pathways

• A suite of culturally appropriate training and professional development options will be provided to all RAQ staff in 2011.
• Staff are supported through regular supervision and reviews to develop capacity within their current roles and to aspire to career pathways across the organisation and externally