Developing your knowledge and skills

Ways to build your skills

There are a number of ways you can become more knowledgeable about providing culturally responsive palliative care.

PEPA workshops

PEPA and IPEPA have a range of free workshops that focus on developing the knowledge, skills and confidence of the non-specialist health workforce in providing inclusive and culturally-responsive palliative care. Workshop topics include: a palliative approach to care, GP palliative care, and culturally-responsive palliative care.

Education and training

• PEPA and Reverse-PEPA placements
  PEPA offers free workshops and supervised clinical placements for healthcare providers interested in learning about the palliative approach to care. Placements take place within specialist palliative care services, lasting up to five days, with hands-on experience in settings like aged care facilities, inpatient units, and community practices. PEPA also provides Reverse-PEPA placements, where a specialist travels to the health provider's workplace to support learning—ideal for rural settings. All PEPA and Reverse-PEPA placements are free.
• PEPA's impact on Indigenous health practitioners has been validated in a research study. IPEPA focuses on delivering culturally-responsive palliative care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Gwandalan offers eLearning modules for those involved in palliative care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Topics include cultural practices, safe communication, supporting end-of-life choices, and strengthening community engagement and partnerships.
  
• CareSearch Education Section, with Whole of Workforce framework and listings of short courses and workshops, and web-based learning.
  • Short courses/Workshops, e.g.
    • Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) offer Cultural Responsiveness Training workshops based on their Action Framework. Workshops can be specific to organisations and services. To find out more about IAHA training opportunities, contact IAHA.
    • 'How to Use Loss & Grief to Enhance Bi-Cultural Awareness, Safety & Inclusion to Enable Indigenous People to Access Mainstream Services' These 1 or 2 day workshops by the Australian Institute for Loss and Grief is for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal service providers who are working with or have a desire to work with Aboriginal people and want to foster cultural safety.
  • Web-based online learning, e.g.
    • Australasian College of Emergency Medicine's Indigenous Health and Cultural Competency program consists of a series of culturally relevant online education tools and resources designed for doctors and other healthcare workers to enhance culturally competent communication and overall care for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other culturally and linguistically diverse patients.

Policy and position statements

Systems level change:

• Queensland Health. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Capability Framework 2010 - 2033 (3.84MB pdf). Brisbane: Queensland Government; 2010.
• Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council. Cultural Respect Framework 2016-2026 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. A national approach to building a culturally respectful health system. Adelaide: COAG Health Council; 2016.
• Northern Territory Department of Health. Northern Territory Health Aboriginal Cultural Security Framework 2016-2026 (7.4MB pdf). Darwin: Northern Territory Government; 2016.
• SA Health Aboriginal Cultural Learning Framework.
• Palliative Care Australia (PCA). Reconciliation Action Plan JULY 2021 - NOVEMBER 2022.

Community-controlled organisations:

• National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO). About Us [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2022 Mar 23].
• IAHA. Cultural Responsiveness in Action: An IAHA Framework. Deakin ACT: IAHA; 2015.
• Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (AIDA). What is cultural safety? What is cultural safety?

Practical Resources

• This fact sheet provides information for GPs to improve services for Stolen Generations survivors:
  • Working with the Stolen Generations: understanding trauma (296kb pdf)
• Checklists and Self-assessment of cultural responsiveness:
  • Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council. Cultural Respect Framework 2016-2026 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. A national approach to building a culturally respectful health system. Adelaide: COAG Health Council; 2016.
  • Nguyen HT. Patient centred care - cultural safety in indigenous health (271kb pdf). Australian Family Physician. 2008 Dec; 37(12):990-4. (This article includes a cultural competency checklist for health practitioners.)
• Ensuring good communication and relationships:
  • See the Talking Together section within this Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Care section of CareSearch.
  • IPEPA Project Team. IPEPA Cultural Considerations Providing end-of-life care for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples (3.40MB pdf). Brisbane, QLD: Queensland University of Technology; 2020.