Search

Adopting strength-based approaches reinstates power and control to Aboriginal communities, while nurturing decision making in the design and delivery of culturally contextualised approaches to addressing Aboriginal health and well-being. Aboriginal health policy and practice continues to address Aboriginal child health and well-being from a whole-of-population deficit discourse, exac-erbating disadvantage for Aboriginal children and young people. Furthermore, population health-level data provides an opportu nity to understand the complexities of health and well-being for urban Aboriginal children and young people, yet such information is rarely documented due to the size of the population of interest or the incapacity of services to undertake additional internal data analysis. This paper discusses the development of multi-disciplinary community-based Aboriginal child health services in an urban community using strengths-based principles. We highlight the opportunities and challenges in addressing Aboriginal child health over a 10-year period and demonstrate that access to culturally safe, resilience-building services can produce measurable improvements in health-seeking behaviour, maternal health, and early intervention. We draw on holistic frameworks to demonstrate that optimal outcomes can be achieved through integrated interdisciplinary models of care that are responsive to the needs of the local community, understand the social determinants of health and build resilience-all critically important to addressing Aboriginal child health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timely access to culturally safe and responsive speech-language pathology (SLP) services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, led and implemented by communities, is essential. However, a multitude of barriers relating to accessibility, policy, the impacts of colonisation, awareness of services and expectations, and experiences often prevent this from being a reality. This article describes a "good news" story-the development of a SLP model of care (MoC) for urban Aboriginal children, co-designed by Aboriginal community members and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health professionals, where the unique strengths, values, and resilience of Aboriginal families, communities, and culture are incorporated into routine clinical practice. We will describe the clinical redesign process undertaken to develop the MoC, the key elements and activities of the MoC, and outline implications for clinical practice. Within this article, Aboriginal is inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We acknowledge the diversity in cultures and identities of all First Nations people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]