Insert Title Here 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 1/3 rd 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

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 meetings24% Relationship with ACCOs24% Partnership with ACCOs29% Working relationships with Aboriginal workers33% Reconciliation Action Plan24% Culturally respectful service delivery66%

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 , 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