Aboriginal Cultural Safety training
All early childhood professionals are encouraged to undertake Aboriginal Cultural Safety training to help create more inclusive services for Aboriginal children, families and Communities.
Services that partner with the government to deliver universal 3-year-old preschool are required to ensure that educators working in the funded preschool room/s, and other staff in direct contact with families from these rooms (such as administration staff), undertake at least the foundation level of Aboriginal Cultural Safety training delivered by an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations or Aboriginal Business Suppliers.
The foundation level of training in the Cultural Safety framework is ‘Knowing’. It focuses on building knowledge and understanding on the topics listed under the ‘Knowing’ heading below.
Aboriginal Cultural Safety training preferred supplier pool
The Office for Early Childhood Development (OECD) is establishing a preferred supplier pool of Aboriginal Cultural Safety training providers that will deliver training to the sector based on the agreed Aboriginal Cultural Safety content framework outlined below. Services can access the training with the view of embedding Aboriginal Cultural Safety within their settings.
Training will be progressively rolled out across all partner services commencing in 2026 and will include options for both face-to-face and online formats. The preferred supplier pool will be published once finalised .
The OECD will fund foundational training in Aboriginal Cultural Safety and trauma-informed practice for partner services delivering 3-year-old preschool through the preferred supplier pool. Partner services can also access a funding contribution towards backfill for relevant staff to undertake the training.
Aboriginal Cultural Safety content framework
The Aboriginal Cultural Safety content framework outlines the 3 levels of training content under the following headings:
- Knowing is the foundation level of Aboriginal Cultural Safety training to be delivered to all services.
- Being is classed as intermediate level 2 training, that further builds understanding beyond the foundational level.
- Doing is considered advanced level 3, and unpacks in more detail, the critical elements to cultural safety.
Each level of training includes key content areas supported by good practice guidelines below each content area heading help suppliers with content development. For example, ‘Terminology’ as the content area heading, means that section of ‘Knowing’ level training, will be focused on Aboriginal terminology broadly, with suppliers having agency to personalise and localise the content within the frame of the good practice guidelines.
Use the drop-down lists below to read the good practice guidelines under each topic.
Level 1: Knowing
- contemporary Aboriginal terminology
- difference between an Acknowledgement and Welcome to Country
- words and terms that are appropriate (inclusive language) or inappropriate to use.
- pre-colonisation covering fundamental characteristics of Aboriginal Culture, including kinship and family structures
- post-colonisation covering government policies, practices and procedures and their impacts.
- intergenerational impacts of colonisation for Aboriginal peoples, Communities, children and families
- understanding of trauma.
- Aboriginal Communities, families and children
- common myths and truths about Aboriginal peoples and their Culture
- discrimination, racism, unconscious bias, lateral violence, and lateral support
- understanding how:
- Aboriginal peoples typically experience support services
- being aware of this complexity will change how services approach engaging and communicating with Aboriginal staff, families, Communities and peoples.
Level 2: Being
- ways of thinking and behaving that are respectful of Aboriginal peoples’ diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and values
- Social activism, advocacy, policy change, critical decisions:
- how social activism and advocacy has shaped policy change and critical decisions
- why engaging in social activism as on organisation (NAIDOC March, Reconciliation Week) is critical to supporting Cultural safety.
How social activism has led to policy change, and critical decisions in Aboriginal history including:
- Reconciliation, the Uluru Statement, both the 1967 Referendum and the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice Referendum and Closing the Gap broadly.
- Aboriginal communication (both verbal and non-verbal)
- understanding Aboriginal Cultural protocols
- ways to support Aboriginal families in your service.
How addressing intergenerational trauma including trauma-informed responses in service delivery can support Aboriginal children and individuals affected by trauma.
- institutional racism, including self-reflection and understanding of unconscious bias and how that may affect practice
- the role of leadership in addressing biases.
- differentiating between equality versus equity and applying this understanding in practice
- understanding the ongoing impacts of colonisation, including the current high rates of child removals from Aboriginal families
- incarceration rates.
Tailoring services for Aboriginal families and Communities, with specific focus on communities with high Aboriginal populations.
Level 3: Doing
Detailed operational activities that organisations can proactively undertake to strengthen Cultural learning and support for Aboriginal staff.
- how Aboriginal child-rearing practices can benefit not just Aboriginal children, but also non-Aboriginal children
- focusing on issues specific to early childhood education, particularly in the context of Aboriginal families and Communities.
Supporting teams and staff to adopt trauma-informed approaches in their everyday practices. to improve their practice ensuring sensitive and responsive care.
How to support the strengths of Aboriginal staff within the workforce, recognising their unique contributions and expertise within the service.
- how to be a strong Aboriginal ally, to develop leaders in services with higher numbers of Aboriginal families and Aboriginal staff
- supporting and educating leaders in long day care services to promote inclusivity and be allies to Aboriginal peoples in their placements and employment.
Repairing Cultural rifts through learning and understanding, fostering healing and reconciliation within early educational settings.