Indigenous Allied Health Australia | IAHA Consulting | Cultural Responsiveness Training

IAHA Consulting delivers cultural safety training based on an evidence based Cultural Responsiveness Framework. 

The IAHA Cultural Safety training is action orientated, strength-based and focuses on critical self-reflective practice identifying one’s impact on another. It is interactive and centres around three driving principles ‘what do we need to know, who do we need to be and how do we transform behaviours and systems in order to be culturally safe and responsive in meeting the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

It is delivered in 4 stages of online and blended learning and is unique from other Cultural Safety courses because it is action oriented in its framework which is why we refer to our training as Cultural Responsiveness.  Contact us here to request a PDF of the framework

The content has been extensively researched and the approach to delivery is complemented by the lived experience of the highly skilled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander facilitators IAHA has at its disposal. The program has been delivered to, and well received by, a wide range of organisations and corporate entities including but not limited to:

  • Occupational Therapy Australia Board
  • Speech Pathology Australia members
  • Cancer Australia
  • WA Country Health Allied Health Regional Team, Kununurra WA
  • NSW Outback Division of General Practice, Bourke NSW
  • Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Social Work and Liaison team
  • Health Workforce Queensland
  • Western NSW Primary Health Network
  • NSW HETI
  • NSW Justice Department
  • University of Canberra
  • Flinders University of Adelaide and many more…

IAHA Cultural Responsiveness training focuses on how to build cultural safety and how to deliver culturally safe and responsive care and services in practical ways and how to transform and influence culturally safe and responsive action that is contextualised to professional/individual, service or organisation by addressing some of these key points:

  • provide a mechanism for culturally responsive leadership through behaviour and attitude transformation so that individuals and organisations can better understand and act upon culturally responsive ways of knowing, being and doing.
  • offer practical, action-based and solution-focused ways forward for individuals, organisations and services to improve their capability to meet the health and wellbeing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  • be strengths based, exploring what works and what could work better within the participant’s context; and
  • understand cultural safety and the impact of racism on another person that affects their health and wellbeing outcomes

How do we deliver this training?

Prior to March 2020 we were delivering this training as one or two day, face to face workshops.  However, the changing environments that we now work and live in has accelerated our online delivery options to suit the ongoing regulations of health, safety and accessibility for all businesses across Australia.

This training package is now delivered in four levels so we commence with level one which is the foundational Cultural Awareness training, this is the mandatory starting point for all other levels.  You can then build on each level adding as you go through to level four which provides a more in depth context in building cultural responsiveness in practice, blended with face to face reflective sessions with skilled and experienced Indigenous facilitators.  The training is self-paced and can be mapped out over a 3 – 6 – 9 or 12 month period depending on our training schedule and your preferred outcomes.

It is important to note that after completing Levels 1 – 3 it would be the equivalent of 1 full day training in our previous delivery style in the Cultural Responsiveness Workshop.  If you then continue on and complete Level 4 it would be equivalent to completing 2 full days training with us however there is more capability to tailor the topics to suit the needs of the individual or the organisation.

Please select the arrow on the left of each drop down below, to read about each level in more detail and its’ delivery method.

For further information and a personalised quote on delivery of our training packages please contact our Training Manager Charlie Giles at charlie@iaha.com.au

For a list of common FAQ’s about delivery and pricing please read here

Level 1 - Start with Cultural Awareness

Starting with Cultural Awareness is an important foundation to lay for any working professional, student or graduate who is about to be a part of the workforce or currently working with Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander people.  Which simply means everyone who works in this country.  This online course allows you to navigate the lessons in your own time and takes you through the history of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people and how this has formed the culture of todays generation.   This history lesson is a vital part of understanding the needs and views of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people in this country and why cultural safety is an important part of creating equality in services.   

This Level 1 course will also introduce you to the diversity of cultures and languages as well as shining a light on the variables in terminology and communication with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people.   Whilst you may have already done a similar course in your workplace  – this level one course also prepares you specifically for our level two and would be a good refresher for anyone looking to deepen their knowledge and insight into Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This course is entirely online and would take approx 2-3 hours to complete.

It can also be tailored as a stand alone course for your organisation.

Successful completion of level 1 is a pre-requisite to level 2 registration.

Level 2 - Unpacking the Cultural Responsiveness Framework

This is where we begin to unpack the IAHA Cultural Responsive Framework that was developed in 2015 and revised 2019.  This framework is an evidence-based theory that allows the participant to understand what is required for change to occur at a system level for cultural safety to be embedded into services.  We begin to unpack the ‘Theory of Change’ and introduce the ‘6 Key Capabilities’ critical to building cultural responsiveness into a workplace. 

This Level 2 course will begin to unpack the politics of identity and diversity of culture both for the individual as well as that of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people which will lead us into the effects of dominant culture around the globe.   We continue with the differences in culture and communication and how this can hinder the engagement of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people creating barriers towards accessing services. 

This course is entirely online and would take approx 2-3 hours to complete.

Successful completion of level 2 is a pre-requisite to level 3 registration.

Level 3 - Looking through the Cultural lens

After successful completion of Level 2 the participant is ready to dive into the challenges of dominant culture and what that means to the individual so we can acknowledge the lens we are seeing the world through.  From this perspective we can reflect and make radical changes to our personal leadership in the workplace and community engagement.   This means it’s also time to discuss racism policies in the workplace and/or from an individual perspective and see what shifts need to occur to create a culturally safe working environment for all Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people in every sector. 

Level 3 offers many resources to allow the participant to dive into their own journey of research and theories around this topic that has re-surfaced more recently in the Black Lives Matter movement.  Our Indigenous facilitators are highly experienced with these conversations and hold the space for individuals in the live hosted sessions.

Level 3 delivery is entirely a live hosted sessions (approx 2.5 hours) this can be a webinar or a half day face to face workshop depending on COVID and logistics.  

At the end of Level 3 it would be equivalent to the completion of our 1 day Culturally Responsiveness Workshop curriculum.

Successful completion of level 3 is a pre-requisite to level 4 registration 

Level 4 - Organisational Action Planning

Once a participant is ready to register for level 4 we look at how we turn all these changes into a practical application on a daily basis within our workplace or service delivery model.  This workshop will provide key action steps on how to provide and implement Cultural Safety and Responsiveness from a leadership model.  Using the framework as a guide and reflecting on the start of this journey from level 1 right through to 4, this workshop will enable the participant to develop an action plan and culturally safe system ready to implement into an organisation or workspace. 

Using the Culturally Responsive theories of knowing, being and doing the participant will have the confidence to address the gaps that have been highlighted within their workplace from a strengths-based, solution focused perspective.

Level 4 preferred delivery is a face to face 1/2 day workshop however if covid restrictions don’t allow this we can arrange half day live hosted events.

The resources in Level 4 will be tailored to suit your industry context.

Completion of Level 4 would be the equivalent to our Culturally Responsiveness 2 Day Workshop.