Developing and evaluating an approach to improve cultural competence of mainstream drug and alcohol services in NSW

Seminar Overview

Although it is well established that health services should be culturally safe to people from all backgrounds, there is evidence that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people receive less benefit from mainstream services than non-Aboriginal people. Supported by an Aboriginal Advisory Group, this project aimed to plan, implement and evaluate a guideline to enhance culturally competent service delivery in mainstream services. Raechel and Sara will describe the process developed to enhance culturally competent practices, how it was implemented into practice and the evaluation methods and results. 

Speakers

Raechel Wallace is a Wodi Wodi and Wandi Wandian woman from the Yuin Nation on the South Coast of NSW. Raechel is the Aboriginal Program Manager at NADA and an Adjunct Research Professor at the Rural Health Research Unit at Charles Sturt University. She has worked in the Alcohol and Other Drug Sector for over 19 years in both ACCHO and NGO sectors. Raechel’s background includes service management, project management, workforce support and research.

Sara Farnbach is a researcher at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), UNSW. She has passion for partnering with priority populations to enhance health and wellbeing through evidence-based health services and health programs, which are tailored to local needs and priorities. Her research program is focused on preventing harms from alcohol and other drugs in rural and regional NSW and working in partnership with clients, clinicians and community members to tailor health services to this setting. Sara is a Registered Nurse with clinical experience in renal dialysis units in far north Queensland.

Seminar recording