Empowerment as a Framework for Indigenous Workforce Development and Organisational Change

Abstract

Relative powerlessness resulting from colonial dispossession and associated passive welfare policies has long been recognised as a critical factor influencing the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians, yet it is hard to find well-evaluated health and social interventions that take an explicit empowerment approach. This paper presents the findings of a Family Wellbeing Empowerment programme pilot delivered to Cairns Region Department of Families Indigenous youth workers and family and community workers in 2003/2004. The aim of the pilot was to build the capacity of these workers to address personal and professional issues as a basis for providing better support for their clients. The pilot demonstrated the effectiveness of the programme as a tool for worker empowerment and, to a lesser degree, organisational change.

Keywords:

• Empowerment
• Indigenous Child Protection
• Indigenous Workforce Development
• Indigenous Youth Justice

The authors thank the Department of Communities and the Department of Child Safety, particularly Brett Heyward and Karen Dini-Paul, for their support and for funding the pilot programme. They also thank programme participants for their enthusiasm and for sharing their experiences and stories and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia for providing evaluation research funding.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mary Whiteside

Mary Whiteside is a Senior Research Officer, School of Indigenous Australian Studies (James Cook University, Smithfield, QLD 4870, Australia)

Komla Tsey

Komla Tsey is Associate Professor, School of Indigenous Australian Studies (James Cook University)

Janya McCalman

Janya McCalman is a Senior Research Officer, School of Indigenous Australian Studies (James Cook University)

Yvonne Cadet-James

Yvonne Cadet-James is the Head, School of Indigenous Australian Studies (James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia)

Andrew Wilson

Andrew Wilson is Deputy Executive Dean, Director of Research (Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia)