Education and employment opportunities among staff in Aboriginal family service agencies

Abstract

A B S T R AC TThe purpose of the study was to describe ways that successful culturebased Aboriginal preventive family service agencies offer employment and education opportunities for staff. Staff in three inner-city, culturebased Aboriginal family agencies were asked about their employment and educational opportunities. Forty-four individuals were asked the question: 'what employment and education opportunities have you had while in this job?' A total of 81 unique responses were received. Participants grouped the responses into eight themes including: planning for services, promotion within the agency, specific skill development, enhanced self-confidence, cultural awareness, teaching others, workshops as well as certified training. Differences between the experiences of study participants and the existing literature indicate that practices within culture-based Aboriginal family agencies are distinct in relation to funding, staff mobility, strengths-base, practical training and cultural knowledge, and that these should be understood and recognized formally in funding decisions and in future research.