DOCSLIB.ORG

School Attendance and Retention of Indigenous Australian Students

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
School Attendance and Retention of Indigenous Australian Students Closing the gap clearinghouse School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian students Issues Paper No 1 produced for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Nola Purdie and Sarah Buckley, September 2010 – the retention rate from Year 7/8 to Year 12 in 2009 Summary was 45% for Indigenous students compared with 77% for non-Indigenous students. • Engagement or participation in education is a key • This paper provides information on the different factor affecting the life chances of all Australians. It is approaches that have been used to improve particularly important for Indigenous Australians who attendance and/or retention, including programs that: have lower levels of educational attainment than non- – directly address attendance and/or retention, for Indigenous Australians. example through applying incentives or rewards for • Regular school attendance is important for achieving attendance or sanctions for non-attendance core skills, such as literacy and numeracy, and – indirectly address attendance and retention issues, achieving adequate levels of education is one of the key for example through attempts to improve literacy factors that is likely to reduce Indigenous disadvantage. and numeracy outcomes; improve teacher quality; • A combination of home, school and individual factors develop culturally relevant curricular. are involved in students’ absence from school, • A review of the literature that evaluated which although the relative importance of the various programs work to increase attendance or retention causes is contested: found that there were very few high-quality – parents and students tend to stress school-related evaluations that had been conducted in this area. factors (for example, poor teaching and failure to The evidence about attendance and retention engage students); educators tend to stress parental strategies that work for Indigenous students is, attitudes and the home environment (for example, therefore, not strong. poor parental attitudes to school). • A common feature of successful educational • The available data on attendance and retention are programs, however, was that of a creative limited, though there is evidence that Year 7/8 to Year collaboration, which builds bridges between public 12 school retention rates for Indigenous students have agencies and the community, often by engaging improved over the last 10 years (from 35% in 1999 to parents or community-based organisations. 45% in 2009). • Although it is important to continue small, • The available data also show that the gap in school contextualised investigations of participation attendance and retention between Indigenous and and engagement issues, more large-scale research non-Indigenous students is large: is needed. – the proportion of students attending school is some • It is recommended that any new programs or 10 percentage points lower than non-Indigenous strategies for improvement should build in monitoring students and this gap increases as the level of and evaluation components. schooling increases 1 School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian Students detailed analysis. Greater weight is given to conceptual Contents studies that analyse data according to conceptual themes but these studies may be limited by a lack of diversity Summary . 1 in the sample. Studies using conceptual frameworks, appropriate sampling and data analysis techniques, Introduction . 2 and that can be generalised to a wider context are Reasons for non-attendance and causes of the gap . 2 considered to provide the best evidence for policy and Measures of school attendance and retention . 4 practice development (Daly et al. 2007). What has been tried? . 6 What works? . 16 Methodology Implications for policy and research . 20 An initial literature search was conducted using several key databases: Family and Society, Australian Education Abbreviations . 22 Index (AEI), Education Resources Information Centre References . 23 (ERIC), American Psychological Association database (PsychINFO), SocINDEX Database (SocINDEX). Key Terminology . 25 search terms included: school attendance, school Acknowledgements . 25 retention, school participation, school readiness, educational participation, educational aspirations, absenteeism, truancy, attendance patterns, dropouts, and school holding power. Introduction Relevant Australian and international literature published in the last 10 years was identified. This core literature Engagement or participation in education is a key was supplemented with literature identified through factor affecting the life chances of all Australians, and internet searches, and reference lists within the initial it is particularly important for Indigenous Australians publications consulted. The identified literature included who have an overall lower level of participation in reports of large-scale data collections and interpretations education than non-Indigenous Australians. Higher thereof, as well as single case studies that were levels of educational attainment improve employment essentially qualitative in nature, and which may have opportunities, are associated with higher income and adopted an action-research approach. promote participation in all societal activities. Education includes preschool education, primary and high school In addition, relevant personnel in state and territory education, tertiary education and vocational training, education jurisdictions and independent organisations/ as well as education and training outside a formal foundations were contacted to seek material that was institutional framework. This issues paper deals with not publicly available but which documented strategies, school attendance and retention. programs and practices that had been implemented, and evaluations of these. This paper draws upon key national and international literature pertaining to both Indigenous and non- Indigenous students. It highlights the issues in analysing Indigenous and non-Indigenous school attendance and retention; the gap in school attendance and retention and Reasons for non- the causes of this gap; and the success or otherwise of the various programs and initiatives designed to reduce attendance and causes the gap. Issues in the quality of the data and research are also discussed. of the gap A key purpose of the paper is to evaluate the quality A combination of home, school and individual factors are of available evidence regarding strategies for improving involved in students’ decisions to miss school although school attendance. This paper gives more weight to the causes of non-attendance are contested. While research that is higher up the evidence hierarchy. parents and pupils tend to stress school-related factors Evidence hierarchies reflect the relative authority of as the main cause, staff in education jurisdictions and various types of research. The studies least likely to teachers tend to believe that parental attitudes and produce good evidence for policy and practice are the home environment are more influential (Gray & single case studies, followed by descriptive studies that Partington 2003; Malcolm et al. 2003). may provide helpful lists of quotations but do not offer 2 School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian Students Causes of non-attendance Box 1: Causes of non-attendance (from Reid, 2008) National and international research indicates that the 1. Parents and carers: causes of non-attendance are constantly changing • parental-condoned absenteeism, parents failing in accord with developments in modern life. Across to accept their legal responsibilities countries, there is a consistency in the reasons that are generally presented. Reid (2008) has summarised these • poor parental/carer attitudes towards schools causes, as shown in Box 1. • ‘them’ and ‘us’ attitude between schools and parents Indigenous-specific reasons for non-attendance have been proposed (Biddle et al. 2004; Herbert et al. 1999; 2. Society: Schwab 2001)—the majority of which relate to a lack of • insufficiently valuing education recognition by schools of Indigenous culture and history; • inadequate welfare support practices, especially failure to fully engage parents, carers and the community; in the early years of schooling and ongoing disadvantage in many areas of the daily lives of Indigenous Australians. 3. Schools: • poor teaching • inconsistent approach to absenteeism between Consequences of and within schools non-attendance 4. Government: Children who regularly miss school are likely to • lenient application of law experience significant disruption to their education. A • unsuitable curriculum for some pupils student who misses more than one full day per week on • too few out-of-school/alternative curriculum places average would lose two years of education over a 10- year period (Western Australia: Office of the Auditor 5. Students: General 2009). Many reports highlight the importance • bullying, peer pressure, ‘cool’ to skip school of regular school attendance in order to achieve core • lack of career aspirations skills, such as literacy and numeracy, and note that • low self-esteem achieving adequate levels of education is one of the key contributors to overcoming Indigenous disadvantage. 6. Education jurisdictions: • inconsistent policies and practices of local schools Two key Western Australian research studies by the and education welfare services Institute for Child Health Research (Zubrick et al. 2005; Zubrick et al. 2006) have shown that a student’s level of • inconsistent referral policies
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Constitutional Recognition Relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Submission 394 - Attachment 1
    Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Submission 394 - Attachment 1 Attachment 1 - Timeline and Overview of findings Australian Human Rights Commission Submission to the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples – July 2018 Event Summary of event / response of Social Justice Commissioner 1991 The Royal Commission Both reports state an ongoing historical connection between past racist into Aboriginal Deaths in policies and legislation and current systemic discrimination and intersecting Custody (RCIADIC) issues of disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander releases its report peoples. Human Rights and Equal NIRV states that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience an Opportunity Commission's endemic racism, causing serious racial violence associated with structural (HREOC) National Inquiry discrimination across Australian society. into Racist Violence (NIRV) releases its report The RCIADIC puts forward 339 recommendations. This includes developing pathways to achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self- determination, and the critical need to progress reconciliation to achieve the systemic changes recommended in the report.1 The Council of Aboriginal The Act states that CAR has been established because: Reconciliation (CAR) is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples occupied Australia before established under the British settlement at Sydney Cove
    [Show full text]
  • Winnunga Newsletter June 2017
    Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands Winnunga News ISSN 2206-3080 J U N E 2 0 1 7 Inside this Issue: Introduction to Winnunga “Winnunga 101” 2, 3, 4 What a Surprise—Aboriginal CEO Update Person First to be Locked Up Under New Bail Laws 5 This year’s Sorry Day Bridge Walk was held on Friday 26 May. The Steven Freeman death esponse event was dedicated to Steven Freeman, a young Aboriginal man chair Russell Taylor not afraid to 'shake up' officials 6,7 who sadly passed away whilst in custody at the AMC, on the same day as our Sorry Day Bridge Walk last year. I was particularly Clinical Services Updates 8, 9 humbled to have Steven’s mother Narelle and her family present Sorry Day Bridge Walk 9, 10, 11 with us on the day. Julie Tongs OAM, CEO It’s a Slam Dunk for the Winnunga Warriors Sports The reasons for the Winnunga Sorry Day Bridge Walk, are now Club 12, 13, 14 more relevant and important than ever. Here in Canberra 25% of Living National Treasure Dr all children in Out of Home care between the ages of 0 to 17, are Naomi Mayers OAM 15 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders. An Aboriginal child born World No Tobacco Day in the ACT is 20 times more likely to be taken into care than a non- Winnunga Says No To Smoking Aboriginal child, yet we only make up around 2% of the population. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 No More Boondah Program Here in Canberra we also have the highest rate of Aboriginal people incarcerated nationally.
    [Show full text]
  • Living Conditions in Antigua and Barbuda: Poverty in a Services Economy in Transition
    August 2007 Living Conditions in Antigua and Barbuda: Poverty in a Services Economy in Transition Volume I – Main Report Prepared by Kairi Consultants Ltd in Association with the National Assessment Team of Antigua and Barbuda Living Conditions in Antigua and Barbuda: Poverty in a Services Economy in Transition Volume I – Main Report Submitted to: THE CARIBBEAN DEVELOPMENT BANK Submitted by: KAIRI CONSULTANTS LIMITED 14 Cochrane Street, Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies Tel: 868 663 2677; Fax: 868 663 1442 Website: www.kairi.com In Association with: THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT TEAM OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Living Conditions in Antigua and Barbuda: Poverty in a Services Economy in Transition TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................ VIII LIST OF FIGURES...............................................................................................................................XIV LIST OF BOXES .................................................................................................................................... XV LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ..............................................................................................................XVI EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................XVIII PART I: ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY................................................1 CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................2
    [Show full text]
  • Truancy: Causes, Effects, and Solutions
    St. John Fisher College Fisher Digital Publications Education Masters Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education 4-2010 Truancy: Causes, Effects, and Solutions Bill Rivers St. John Fisher College Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_ETD_masters Part of the Education Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y Recommended Citation Rivers, Bill, "Truancy: Causes, Effects, and Solutions" (2010). Education Masters. Paper 107. Please note that the Recommended Citation provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations. This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_ETD_masters/107 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Truancy: Causes, Effects, and Solutions Abstract Truancy is a problem that is seriously affecting the overall success of the large urban school district, and in particular, the specific school in which I am employed. For the purpose of this paper, truancy will be defined as consecutive illegal absences from class or school. The purpose of the research is to develop a solution that can be proposed to my administrator in an effort to decrease, or eliminate truancy altogether and is to be initiated at the beginning of our next school year. Therefore, the first objective is to identify causes, effects, and solutions to truancy based on a review of literature. The second objective is to verify the causes of truancy in my school and compare these results with teacher opinions of the same causes.
    [Show full text]
  • DEADLYS® FINALISTS ANNOUNCED – VOTING OPENS 18 July 2013 Embargoed 11Am, 18.7.2013
    THE NATIONAL ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER MUSIC, SPORT, ENTERTAINMENT & COMMUNITY AWARDS DEADLYS® FINALISTS ANNOUNCED – VOTING OPENS 18 July 2013 Embargoed 11am, 18.7.2013 BC TV’s gripping, award-winning drama Redfern in the NBA finals, Patrick Mills, are finalists in the Male Sportsperson Now is a multiple finalist across the acting and of the Year category, joining two-time world champion boxer Daniel television categories in the 2013 Deadly Awards, Geale, rugby union’s Kurtley Beale and soccer’s Jade North. with award-winning director Ivan Sen’s Mystery Across the arts, Australia’s best Indigenous dancers, artists and ARoad and Satellite Boy starring the iconic David Gulpilil. writers are well represented. Ali Cobby Eckermann, the SA writer These were some of the big names in television and film who brought us the beautiful story Ruby Moonlight in poetry, announced at the launch of the 2013 Deadlys® today, at SBS is a finalist with her haunting memoir Too Afraid to Cry, which headquarters in Sydney, joining plenty of talent, achievement tells her story as a Stolen Generations’ survivor. Pioneering and contribution across all the award categories. Indigenous award-winning writer Bruce Pascoe is also a finalist with his inspiring story for lower primary-school readers, Fog Male Artist of the Year, which recognises the achievement of a Dox – a story about courage, acceptance and respect. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians, will be a difficult category for voters to decide on given Archie Roach, Dan Sultan, The Deadly Award categories of Health, Education, Employment, Troy Cassar-Daley, Gurrumul and Frank Yamma are nominated.
    [Show full text]
  • Factors Influencing Truancy Among Public Senior Secondary School Students in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State: Implications for Counselling
    International Journal of Innovative Social & Science Education Research 8(4):98-118, Oct.-Dec., 2020 © SEAHI PUBLICATIONS, 2020 www.seahipaj.org ISSN: 2360-8978 Factors Influencing Truancy among Public Senior Secondary School Students in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State: Implications for Counselling 1Enwin, Innocent; 2Okirigwe, Nimi Uche, & 3Onu, Erinma Lovenda 1,2,3Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education Rivers State University, Port Harcourt Email. [email protected], [email protected] Phone No. 08033108421, 080395330 ABSTRACT The study examined factors influencing truancy among public senior secondary school students in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas of Rivers State. Five research questions and five null hypotheses were stated and formulated to guide the study. The study used descriptive survey design. The population of the study was 39,725 respondents comprising of 37,798 students and 1,927 teachers from the 36 public senior secondary schools in Phalga and Obalga. Taro Yamen formular was used to determine the sample size of the study, which was 727 respondents (students = 396, teachers = 331). Stratified random sampling technique was employed to obtain this sample. The instrument used for data collection was a researcher constructed questionnaire tagged “Students and Teachers Opinion on Factors Influencing Truancy among public senior secondary school students Questionnaire”. The instrument was designed in a 4-Point rating scale of Very High Extent (VHE), High Extent (HE), Very Low Extent (VLE), and Low Extent (LE). Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation while z-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The study found that peer group, school environment, family background, and teachers‟ factors contributes greatly to student‟s level of truancy in senior secondary schools in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
    [Show full text]
  • Download the Move It Mob Style Season 3 Press
    Season 3 Press Kit MOVE IT MOB STYLE® Series 3 Move It Mob Style® breaks new ground by combining Hip Hop with contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander moves to the beats of local Indigenous musicians. Choreographed and presented by young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dancers, Move It Mob Style® gets you up and sweating while connecting with one of the world’s oldest cultures. Hosted by recognisable media personalities Naomi Wenitong and Brothablack, Move It Mob Style® showcases the wealth and diversity of culture, language, role models and good health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples from around the country. So get off your couch, put mum’s vases away and get moving - Mob Style! One line Synopsis The Move It Mob Style® crew dance up a storm then break it down, step by step, for you to learn to the beats of the best Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Hip Hop. 2 About the Production Company Part of the Deadly Vibe Group, Vibe Australia Pty Ltd (Vibe) is an Aboriginal media and events company with a suite of fully integrated communication products much utilised and enjoyed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia. Vibe has been working at the forefront of Aboriginal communications in the public and private sectors since 1994, specialising in the areas of health, employment, training, cultural awareness, the arts and sport. Vibe understands the manifold health challenges facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Indigenous Australians have higher rates of chronic disease than the non-Indigenous population, as well as a lower life expectancy.
    [Show full text]
  • Indigenous Children Growing up Strong Maggie Walter • Karen L
    Indigenous Children Growing Up Strong Maggie Walter • Karen L. Martin • Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews Editors Indigenous Children Growing Up Strong A Longitudinal Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families Editors Maggie Walter Karen L. Martin University of Tasmania Griffith University Sandy Bay, Tasmania, Australia Mt Gravatt, Queensland, Australia Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews University of Technology Sydney Sydney, Australia This book uses unit record data from the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC). LSIC was initiated and is funded and managed by the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS). The findings and views reported in this book, however, are those of the authors and should not be attributed to DSS or the Indigenous people and their communities involved in the study. ISBN 978-1-137-53434-7 ISBN 978-1-137-53435-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-53435-4 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017932276 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identified as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and trans- mission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc.
    [Show full text]
  • Skipping School (%)
    IN FOCUS education data education evidence education policy education analysis education statistics education data education35 evidence education policy Who are the school truants? • Across OECD countries, 18% of students skipped classes at least once in the two weeks prior to the PISA test, and 15% of students skipped a day of school or more over the same period. • Few students in high-performing school systems skip classes or days of school. • For students in OECD countries, skipping classes is associated with a 32-point lower score in mathematics, while skipping days of school is associated with a 52-point lower score. • Truancy is observed among all students, whether advantaged or disadvantaged. Teenagers will be teenagers; and in that uncertain territory between childhood and adulthood, rules will inevitably be broken. In many countries, this translates into student truancy. In others, however, 15-year-old students choose not to skip classes or days of school because they understand the importance of education, because their parents and teachers have nurtured their engagement with and at school, or because their school system ensures that truancy is not tolerated. Students who took part in PISA 2012 were asked to report how many times they skipped classes or days of school without authorisation in the two weeks prior to the PISA assessment. Across OECD countries, 18% of students skipped at least one class and 15% skipped at least an entire day of school without authorisation in the two weeks before the PISA test. In Argentina, Italy, Jordan and Turkey, 40% of students or more skipped at least one day of school, while in Argentina, Costa Rica, Greece, Latvia, Romania and Turkey, 40% of students or more skipped at least one class.
    [Show full text]
  • Marriageability and Indigenous Representation in the White Mainstream Media in Australia
    Marriageability and Indigenous Representation in the White Mainstream Media in Australia PhD Thesis 2007 Andrew King BA (Hons) Supervisor: Associate Professor Alan McKee Creative Industries, Queensland University of Technology Abstract By means of a historical analysis of representations, this thesis argues that an increasing sexualisation of Indigenous personalities in popular culture contributes to the reconciliation of non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australia. It considers how sexualised images and narratives of Indigenous people, as they are produced across a range of film, television, advertising, sport and pornographic texts, are connected to a broader politics of liberty and justice in the present postmodern and postcolonial context. By addressing this objective the thesis will identify and evaluate the significance of ‘banal’ or everyday representations of Aboriginal sexuality, which may range from advertising images of kissing, television soap episodes of weddings, sultry film romances through to more evocatively oiled-up representations of the pin- up-calendar variety. This project seeks to explore how such images offer possibilities for creating informal narratives of reconciliation, and engendering understandings of Aboriginality in the media beyond predominant academic concerns for exceptional or fatalistic versions. i Keywords Aboriginality Indigenous Marriageability Reconciliation Popular Culture Sexuality Relationships Interracial Public Sphere Mediasphere Celebrity ii Table of Contents Introduction ………………………………………………………………………….
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2009 FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT ANU Detailed Information About ANU Is Available from the University’S Website
    ANNUAL REPORT 2009 FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT ANU Detailed information about ANU is available from the University’s website: www.anu.edu.au For course and other academic information, contact: Registrar, Division of Registrar and Student Services The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 T: +61 2 6125 3339 F: +61 2 6125 0751 For general information, contact: Director, Marketing Office The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 T: +61 2 6125 2252 F: +61 2 6125 5568 Published by: The Australian National University Produced by: ANU Marketing Office The Australian National University Printed by: University Printing Service The Australian National University ISSN 1327-7227 June 2010 ANU ANNUAL REPORT 2009 ii CONTENTS PART 1 / ANU IN 2009 An Introduction by the Vice-Chancellor 2 ANU College Profile 6 Annual Results and Sources of Income 8 Education 9 Research 18 Community Engagement 23 International Relations 25 Infrastructure Development 27 PART 2 / REVIEW OF OPERATIONS Staff 32 Governance and Freedom of Information 35 ANU Council and University Officers 44 Council and Council Committees 52 Risk Management 55 Indemnities 56 Access 57 A Safe, Healthy and Sustainable Environment 60 The Environment 62 PART 3 / FINANCIAL INFORMATION Audit Report 67 Statement by Directors 69 Financial Statements 70 ANU ANNUAL REPORT 2009 iii PART 1 | ANU IN 2009 iv ANU ANNUAL REPORT 2009 v PART 1 ANU IN 2009 AN INTRODUCTION FROM THE VICE-CHANCELLOR Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb AC The Australian National University (ANU) was established in 1946. It was to be different from other Australian universities established by that time. The primary objective of ANU was to inject a substantial culture of research into Australia at a time when there was little but a need that was great.
    [Show full text]
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Programs
    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Programs A Literature Review Authors Jane McKendrick, Robert Brooks, Jeffrey Hudson, Marjorie Thorpe, Pamela Bennett Acknowledgements Kelleigh Ryan, Alma Thorpe, Britt Romani, Regina Jagiello page 1 Defining our healing: a literature review Executive Summary This review summarises existing research on healing internationally and nationally, highlighting what constitutes an effective Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healing process. This evidence enables the identification of what constitutes an effective healing program and the gaps in our knowledge that can inform future evaluation and research priorities. The literature revealed that to be successful, a healing program needs to be created within the local context; respond to needs identified by local community members and be supported by the local community. Sustainability needs to be multi-level and include development and transfer of knowledge and resources. This includes strong evaluation frameworks that are consistent with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander world view. The literature review has provided an inter-country context for healing that clearly demonstrates what constitutes an effective healing program; the interface between healing and health and the need for quality evaluations that incorporate Aboriginal knowledge systems. The depth of this material enables the Healing Foundation to identify a clear pathway to building and developing the evidence of healing into the future. Background Colonisation has had a profound impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples resulting in unresolved trauma, which continues to be passed down through the generations. This is seen in community through lives marked by poverty, lack of educational opportunity, unemployment, poor health, shorter life expectancy, lack of access to services, racial discrimination, and ongoing marginalisation.
    [Show full text]