Midwifery Partnerships with First Nations Families

This unit explores the safe and effective provision of health care in partnership with women and families identifying as Australian First Nations Peoples. The central focus is an exploration of the experience of motherhood, family development, and perinatal health of First Nations Peoples. Building a depth of understanding of the historical and contemporary influences on the social determinants of health including cultural and political factors and their impact on shaping Australian First Nations diverse communities will also be examined. This unit is underpinned by a strengths-based, family centred approach, as a fundamental principle of care. Students will apply principles of culturally safe practice of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People, based on a foundation of respect for diversity and difference, addressing individual needs of the family.

The CATSINaM Health Curriculum Framework (2014); ANMAC Midwife Accreditation Standards (2021); NMBA Midwife Standards for Practice (2018); NMBA Code of Conduct for Midwives (2018); Code of Ethics for Midwives (2014); NMBA Decision-making framework for nursing and midwifery (2020); NMBA Decision-making framework summary - midwifery (2020); National Digital Health Strategy (2021); National Safety and Quality Health Services Standards (2019) and Federation University Stretch Reconciliation Plan have substantially informed the syllabus/content of this unit.

Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' history and culture
• First Nations culture prior to settlement
• European settlement of Australia and its impact on culture, identity and health
• Terra Nullius
• Colonisation
• Clarification of differences in central concepts such as ‘holism’ and ‘family’
• The effect of the Stolen Generations
Contemporary and traditional Australian Indigenous culture and identity
• Cultural practices
• Meanings of family, community, country, values
• Community decision making processes;
• Loss of country
• Cultural loss
• Assimilation
• Reconciliation
Cultural safety in midwifery care
• Identify one’s own cultural identity and dominant cultural paradigms, and critically examine how these influence perceptions of and interactions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Concepts, theories relating to issues of social justice and cultural safety and its meaning, difference and diversity.
• Discernment of Culturally safe practices in health with Indigenous communities
• Cross cultural communication
• Communication strategies for providing effective health and maternity care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
• Cultural safety issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Health and wellbeing
• Identify the dominant cultural paradigms of the Australian Health Care system with particular emphasis on maternity services, and critically examine how these influence perceptions of and interactions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Contemporary Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health issues;
• Social determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health
• Perinatal outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Maternity and primary health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander childbearing families
• Strengths-based approaches
Addressing inequities
• Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health policies (national and state): evolution of policies from 1930’s to present;
• National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards; Aged Care Quality Standards 1-6; Paediatric Quality Standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Social and economic circumstances
• Cultural Capability model
o Respect
o Communication
o Safety and quality
o Reflection
o Advocacy