This seventh national report presents information from 278 organisations across Australia, funded by the Australian Government to provide one or more of the following health services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: primary health care, maternal and child health care, social and emotional wellbeing services, and substance-use services. These organisations participated in the 2014–15 Online Services Report data collection. Information is presented on the characteristics of these organisations, the health services and activities provided...read more
In September 2012 the inaugural Australian Psychological Society (APS) Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) was launched at the 47th APS Conference in Perth. The RAP is the result of a collaborative and consultative process officially commencing with the signing of a statement of commitment with Reconciliation Australia. A Working Group and Executive Group of diverse stakeholders led the development of the RAP. The RAP identifies four broad areas as priority areas for action: Respectful Relationships Governance...read more
This report is a review of the first two years of projects funded under the Healing Foundation’s Stolen Generations Initiative 2013-2015. ISBN: 978-0-9871884-8-9read more
This report from the Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee provides an overview of the progress made over the life of the Closing the Gap strategy. Results are mixed, with some improvements in infant and child health, while progress on closing the life expectancy gap has been minimal. The report also looks at new insights into health services accessed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and its contributions to closing the health gap.read more
This website provides information on the Footprints in Time study and links to its publications. Footprints in Time is the name given to the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC), an initiative of the Australian Government. Footprints in Time is conducted by the Department of Social Services (DSS) under the guidance of the Footprints in Time Steering Committee, chaired by Professor Mick Dodson AM. LSIC is one of a suite of longitudinal studies within the...read more
In May 2010, the Healing Foundation announced its first funding initiative aimed at acknowledging and addressing the pain and hurt caused by colonisation, forced removals and other past government policies. The primary purpose of the healing initiatives was to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous people and communities, focusing on the wellbeing of body, mind, spirit and culture. In October 2010, following an open-tender funding process, the Healing Foundation awarded funds to 21...read more
The Social Justice and Native Title Report from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner is delivered to the Australian Parliament on the exercise and enjoyment of the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This also includes reporting on the operation of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) and its effect on the exercise and enjoyment of our rights to land, territories and resources. The report includes 5 chapters and...read more
On White Ribbon Day a few weeks ago the Healing Foundation celebrated the success of Our Men, Our Healing, a groundbreaking capacity-building pilot for Indigenous men in Darwin and three remote NT communities – Ngukurr, Wurrumiyanga and Maningrida. The program aims to strengthen, support and empower Aboriginal men through cultural, educational and therapeutic healing activities. So far, about 450 men have taken part, with many more attending associated events in their communities. It’s seen huge...read more
The health of Indigenous Australians is poor compared to that of their counterpart Australians. Further, their health is worse by international standards. The Australian Government recently made a commitment to improving the health status of Indigenous Australians through the 'closing the health gap' initiative. Achieving this requires an improvement in the priority setting process through the use of evidence. Central to this is the need for a concept of 'benefit' from services that reflects the...read more
This article describes a pilot evaluation involving teaching and learning activities focussed on developing intercultural competencies in an undergraduate psychology unit. Specifically, first year psychology students engaged in two tasks derived from the alliance building and cultural mapping methods of an existing intercultural training resource—the Excellence in Cultural Experiential Learning and Leadership (EXCELL; Mak, Westwood, Barker, & Ishiyama) programme. At the end of the semester, 94 first year psychology students (mean age = 21.6, standard...read more
