| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Health and Wellbeing |
| Unit Title: | Midwifery Partnerships with First Nations Families |
| Unit ID: | MIDGD6207 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | (HEAPH6001) |
| Co-requisite(s): | (MIDGD6205) |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 060303 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
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. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: | Yes - days |
| Supplementary Assessment:Yes |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | | | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | | |  | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Discuss Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s history, health and culture identifying strategies for delivery of effective care; |
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| K2. | Critically examine and evaluate historical, political, cultural and social influences that have led to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People health outcomes |
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| K3. | Examine and reflect on how one’s own culture and dominant cultural paradigms, influence perceptions of and interactions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples |
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| K4. | Examine the basis of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People’s identities including cultural diversity, cultural vulnerability, resilience and place in contemporary Australia |
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| K5. | Recognise the impact of different cultural perspectives and suggest how an individual’s understandings can influence engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families, organisations, and communities |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Employ advanced interpersonal and therapeutic communication skills when working with First Nation’s women, families, and communities. |
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| S2. | Demonstrate theoretical understanding and skills development in education and counselling for health promotion in relation to the childbearing continuum. |
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| S3. | Analyse the rationale for the development of health policies that affect Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities |
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| S4. | Critically evaluate factors relating to health inequity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous families. Explore the current efforts in closing the gap in perinatal outcomes and consider future interventions to address inequalities. |
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| S5. | Demonstrate culturally safe practice in the care of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People, based on a foundation of respect for diversity and difference and practice of cultural safety |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Provide woman and family focused care of women and their babies and apply appropriate individualised strategies and care to promote recovery and well-being |
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| A2. | Utilise critical thinking, problem solving and reflective practice skills to provide culturally safe woman/family centred care throughout the perinatal period |
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| A3. | Critique the role of midwives in the broader context of public and primary health care provision and the impact on long term maternal and infant health |
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| A4. | Demonstrate competence in the provision of discerning, discriminating, safe midwifery care in a variety of contexts and complexity of environment based upon the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Midwife Standards for Practice (2018) and the National Safety and Quality Standards (2017). |
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| Unit Content: |
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 |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | | Level | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students will demonstrate high-level skills to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups Students will be required to display (in person and/or online) high-level skills in-person and/or online in: • Effective verbal and non-verbal communication via a range of synchronous and asynchronous methods • Active listening for meaning and influencing • High-level empathy for others • Negotiating and demonstrating extended conflict resolution skills • Working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students will demonstrate the ability to apply leadership skills and behaviours Students will be required to display skills in: • Creating, contributing to, and enabling collegial environments • Showing self-awareness and the ability to self-reflect for personal growth • Inspiring and enabling others • Making informed and evidence-based decisions through consultation with others • Displaying initiative and ability to solve problems | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students will demonstrate an ability to work in complex and ambiguous environments, using their imagination to create new ideas Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically on complex problems • Synthesising, evaluating ideas, concepts and information • Proposing alternative perspectives to refine ideas • Challenging conventional thinking to clarify concepts through deep inquiry • Proposing creative solutions in problem solving | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students will demonstrate the ability to work proficiently across a range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks Students will be required to display high-level skills in: • Finding, accessing, collating, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and appropriately and securely sharing complex digital information at a high-level • Receiving and responding to messages in a range of digital media • Using digital tools appropriately to conduct research • Contributing proficiently to digital teams and working groups • Participating in and utilising digital learning opportunities | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 5
Sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students will demonstrate the ability to think ethically and sustainably. Students will be required to display skills in: • The responsible conduct of research • Making informed judgments that consider the impact of devising solutions in multiple global economic environmental and societal contexts • Demonstrating commitment to social responsibility as a professional and a citizen • Generating research solutions which are sustainable,ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable • Extending lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to diverse others • Demonstrate extended actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life. | 1 - Yes |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, S1, S2, S5 | Exploration and analysis of important concepts of historical and contemporary social privileges and the potential influence on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes in the context of Australian maternity care. | Audio visual presentation | 40-60% | | 2. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, S2, S3, S4, A2 | Application of theoretical concepts to the context of midwifery care forAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and families. | Written Assessment | 40-60% | | 3. | S1, S2, S3, A1, A2, A3, A4 | Satisfactory achievement of identified NMBA Midwife Standards for Practice in midwifery practice experiences. (Compulsory PASS required) | Midwifery practice portfolio 1. Completion of five (5) Midwifery Clinical Assessment Tools (MCAT) to ‘proficient’ level. 2. Completion of 160 midwifery practice hours. Submit completed AMSAT. | 20% Hurdle requirement |
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