Supporting culturally reflective practice

Download printable PDF of Module 1: Culturally reflective practice.

Some practitioners may find working with families across different cultural groups challenging. We all come with our own culture, beliefs and values that may impact on our ability to build connections and engagement when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners are a rich source of information and know their communities best. However, being the go-to person for any questions regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures means they bear a significant cultural load and are often overloaded. It is important to be mindful of this burden and, wherever possible, try to be responsible for your own learning. As a leader, you are essential in developing and prioritising culturally responsive practices for both yourself and your team, as well as emphasising that this work is everyone’s business.

By adopting a decolonising approach in practice, your team can enhance their ability to build relationships and trust with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. As you engage with this series, we encourage you to explore how you can support this work as a leader.

We ask you to think about how you can encourage practitioners in your team to:

• consistently and continually reflect on their own values, beliefs and ideas
• consider how these values, beliefs and ideas might get in the way of communicating and engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities.

Watch the following video (1 minute, 38 seconds) and listen as Shirley Young, an Aboriginal woman descending from the Nukunu people and a cultural consultant, talks about the importance of culturally informed reflective practice.

Engaging in culturally reflective practice is crucial to ensure the ways you work with people across cultures is respectful, promotes cultural security and achieves improved mental health and social and emotional wellbeing outcomes.

We encourage you to explore the following principles as you engage with this series:

• Regularly examining your own thoughts, values and beliefs
• Understanding your own emotional responses in your engagements with families
• Understanding and defining roles
• Seeking knowledge and understanding context for families
• Expressing cultural curiosity in conversations and understanding your line of enquiry.

Strategies to support learning

• Build your team’s culturally reflective practice by being interested and prioritising conversations centred around these principles.