Executive summary
This is an executive summary of Walking together: Co-created workforce development strategies to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, a report based on findings from Phase 1 of the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) Workforce Development Project led by WellMob and Emerging Minds.
This summary synthesises insights from Phase 1 activities including:
- Emerging Minds’ National Workforce Survey of Child, Parent and Family Mental Health (National Workforce Survey)
- a scoping review of how organisations, services and tools apply SEWB principles
- a roundtable consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders (Roundtable 1)
- an online stakeholder feedback session.
The Phase 1 findings and recommendations are intended to guide the next stages of co-design, capability development and systemic transformation of the SEWB workforce.
Please use the following link to access the full report:
Overview
The SEWB Workforce Development Project is led collaboratively by Emerging Minds and WellMob, supported by many academics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and institutions.
The project’s discussions and research aim to strengthen the national child, family and community services workforce to better support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
The project is grounded in the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and SEWB 2017–2023 (National SEWB Framework), the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration and Indigenous-led principles of wellbeing.
Phase 1 of this project included a review of the questions in the National Workforce Survey. The recommendations made through this review will guide planning for the next survey. Specific recommendations are not included in the full report or executive summary.
Guiding principles
The following are the guiding principles for the SEWB Workforce Development Project:
- Prioritise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing.
- Take strength-based approaches to workforce development and leadership.
- Co-design with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and cultural authorities.
- Engage in systemic collaboration across the family support sector, child and adolescent mental health services and government/commissioning agencies, while also strengthening and encouraging the role and leadership of Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and services.
- Embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data sovereignty and accountability in all activities.
Summary of key findings
SEWB is not a health model – it’s a holistic worldview grounded in connection to body, mind, family, Community, culture, Country and spirit. To engage with SEWB principles, workforce development must therefore move beyond training individuals to take a broader approach that embeds cultural governance, reflective practice and Community accountability at systemic and organisational levels.
The following sections explore themes based on the key findings of the project, addressing feedback from key stakeholders, project participants and the National Workforce Survey.
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1. The system: Indigenising structures and creating cultural governance
Western governance structures dominate current workforce systems and perpetuate ineffective models of funding that restrict improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
Project participants called for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led cultural governance operating alongside clinical governance. They also called for commissioning agencies to embed key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect Community-defined outcomes.
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2. The organisation: Engaging in reflection, healing and cultural supervision
To embed SEWB principles at an organisational level, it is essential to engage in cultural immersion, capability development, supervision and support from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mentors and structured reflective practice for the non-Indigenous workforce.
Participants emphasised that these approaches must be locally responsive and will vary across jurisdictions, communities and cultural groups. Cultural supervision in particular may take many forms, including learning on Country, making art, yarning or quiet reflection. Recognising and valuing these diverse practices is critical to ensuring culturally grounded and context-specific implementation.
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3. The team: Ensuring workforce competence, self-awareness and accountability
A gap exists between knowledge and practice for the non-Indigenous workforce. Participants suspect that some workforces may also be overestimating their competence. Skills-building and experiential learning around SEWB knowledge are necessary to integrate it into practice. The development of appropriate cultural standards of care is required to ensure individual and team accountability.
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4. The service: Building capacity and capability through culturally grounded training and mentorship
Service and program training must shift from one-off theoretical workshops and modules to ongoing, Community-led experiential learning, monitoring/review and practice modification.
Mentoring and cultural supervision are integral components to ensure improvements are sustained over time.
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5. Community: Focusing on strength-based approaches, accountability and co-design
Strength-based approaches that decolonise systems, strengthen connection and celebrate language, culture and local heroes must be developed for and by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This includes returning data, stories and outcomes to these communities.
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6. Cultural support: Considering leadership, colonial load and sustainability
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners experience high levels of cultural and emotional responsibility. Organisations must invest in leadership pathways, mentoring and pay equity to sustain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership.
Role clarity, colonial load recognition and culturally safe healing spaces are priorities. These ‘spaces’ may look different across regions and require local knowledge and input from Community.
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7. Community strengths: Valuing reflection, continuous learning and the expertise of Community
Participants encouraged shifting from deficit-based language to strength-based approaches, amplifying where SEWB is working well. They also suggested making reflection an ongoing, collective process.
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Summary of recommendations
Based on the key findings, the following recommendations are proposed for ongoing development as a high priority:
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1. Embed SEWB principles in organisational and system governance
Establish Aboriginal-led cultural governance structures alongside clinical governance.
Advocate for inclusion of SEWB principles in policy, regulation and funding agreements.
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2. Build structured cultural supervision and reflective spaces
Mandate cultural supervision and embed reflective practice (yarning, story-sharing) and healing spaces within teams.
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3. Develop and implement competency frameworks and assessment tools
Co-design SEWB workforce standards and assessment tools that measure relational, cultural and reflective capability.
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4. Co-design experiential, Community-led training and mentorship pathways
Partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, knowledge holders, Community organisations and cultural authorities to deliver experiential, place-based training, followed by mentorship and supervision. |
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5. Strengthen Community-led, strength-based approaches and data accountability
Return findings to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, embed feedback mechanisms and uphold data sovereignty principles.
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6. Support workforce wellbeing, leadership and sustainability
Recognise and manage cultural load, develop supported leadership pathways and ensure equitable remuneration for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners.
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7. Translate findings into policy, training materials and communication tools
Develop accessible infographics, communication tools and professional learning modules to support knowledge translation, raise awareness and link relationality with workforce competence.
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For more detailed information about the project, its findings and recommendations, please use the following link to read the full report:
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We gratefully acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders in social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) and children’s mental health who contributed their valuable knowledge, lived experience and expertise to the SEWB Development Project. Their guidance has been central to shaping Walking together: Co‑created workforce development strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, ensuring it reflects culturally grounded, Community‑led approaches that support the wellbeing of children and families.
This project has been led collaboratively by WellMob and Emerging Minds. We’d like to particularly acknowledge Dr Michelle Sweet and David Edwards for their work on the project and this report.
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Scott Avery, Jasmine Bald, Professor Catherine Chamberlain, Associate Professor Yvonne Clark, Hunter Colbung, Michelle Dickson, Professor Patricia Dudgeon, David Edwards, Alison Elliott, Rachel Fishlock, Associate Professor Graham Gee, Dr Melinda Goodyear, Debbie Haynes, Natalie Hunter, Nancy Jeffrey, Felix Kerry, Professor Rhonda Marriot, Claire Marsh, Carol Michie, Eric Milera, Janama Robert Mills, Brad Morgan, Ashum Owen, Trish Ratajczak, Kalari Richie, Katherine Rigney, Tegan Schefe, Rosie Schellen, Josephine Scott, Tiarnee Shaefer, Dana Shen, Dr Michelle Sweet, Jakirah Telfer, Tikana Telfer, Steven Torres-Carne, Traci Travers, Sonia Waters, Lukas Williams, Shirley Young.
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The artwork featured in this report is Yitpi Tukutya Purtu Pari (The Spirit of the Riverbeds) by Tikana Telfer.
Tikana is a young Kaurna, Narungga, Ngalea and Kokatha custodian who carries Country, language and culture forward as a young bearer of the oldest continuing culture in the world.
The artwork carries the story of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Country and the enduring connections that hold them together across generations.
All of the elements within the work are woven together in a living tapestry that speaks to belonging, interconnection and the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Use the following link to find out more about the artwork and the artist: