[Answered]: You are working at a Blooming Community and…

You are working at a Blooming Community and Health Centre in Richmond and have had a new family start at your service. They are a part of the Wurundjeri tribe, and this is the first time that the family have accessed community and health services or been a part of the workforce in the area. The family are still adjusting to living in a more built up area. As you explain to them how the service works and the programs they can become involved for themselves and their child, the mother tells you that the child has an understanding of their tribes language and is a part of some of the programs and connections offered by the Wurundjeri council. One of the supervisors starts to tells the mother “We don’t know any of those words, because we have never had any Aborigines in the centre but don’t worry he will learn English soon enough” The mother looks quite upset. The supervisor says “Oh don’t worry we will make him feel welcome, later we will do dot painting using ear buds and make didgeridoo’s with some tubes”. The mother lets her son participate in the service’s programs, however you can tell that she is feeling upset after the conversation with the team leader. As you felt quite uncomfortable about how the situation was dealt with, you discuss the situation with the manager to try to rectify the situation and make the family feel more welcome. We used the strategies 1. Arrange mandatory cultural awareness training, focussing on Local Aboriginal cultures (e.g. Wurundjeri) and inclusive communication. 2. Acknowledge and Apologise: By reach out to the family and offer a sincere apology that takes ownership of the inappropriate language and behaviour. 3. Reflect as a Team-Organise a team meeting to reflect on what went wrong, what can be learned and how each staffs member can contribute to a culturally safe and inclusive space. Explain how you can involve the family and local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in the evaluations of your strategies.