Evaluating Aboriginal empowerment programs: the case of Family WellBeing

Tsey, Komla; Every, Anne

doi:10.1111/j.1467-842x.2000.tb00501.x

Cited by 66 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…5,11,12 Indicators of personal empowerment include improved perceptions of self worth, empathy and perceived ability to help others, the ability to analyse problems, a belief in one's ability to exert control over life circumstances and a sense of coherence about one's place in the world. Group empowerment manifests in stronger social networks and community participation in organisational decision-making, perceptions of support, community connectedness and the ability to reach consensus on goal oriented strategies.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Empowerment and change management in Aboriginal organisations: a case study

McEwan

Tsey

McCalman

et al. 2010

Aust. Health Review

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Abstract. The social organisation of work, management styles and social relationships in the workplace all matter for health. It is now well recognised that people who have control over their work have better health and that stress in the workplace increases the level of disease. In the context of organisational change, the potential benefits of empowerment strategies are two-fold: a positive impact on the organisation's effectiveness and enhancements in staff health, wellbeing and sense of control. This case study describes the University of Queensland Empowerment Research Program's experience working with the Apunipima Cape York Health Council in a change management process. Participatory action research and empowerment strategies were utilised to facilitate shifts in work culture and group cohesion towards achieving Apunipima's vision of being an effective lead agency for Indigenous health reform in Cape York. As part of the project, staff morale and confidence were monitored using a pictorial tool, Change Curve, which outlined the phases of organisational change. The project findings indicated that organisational change did not follow a clear linear trajectory. In some ways the dynamics mapped over a period of 18 months mirror the type of struggles individuals commonly encounter as a part of personal growth and development. In this case, one of the factors which influenced the program's success was the willingness of executive employees to actively support and participate in the change management process.What is known about the topic? The pivotal role of community controlled organisations in the development of community based services and policy issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is well recognised. The presence and activities of these organisations reflects and contributes to community empowerment and self determination. Although it is possible to observe the effects of these organisations in communities, less attention has been given to empowerment as a concept to be utilised internally and as a resource to support wellbeing in the workplace. What does this paper add? In Australia, empowerment strategies are now accepted as an effective approach to health promotion and community development initiatives. This paper adds to this body of knowledge by considering the concept within the context of organisations in which an Indigenous worldview forms the foundation for action. What are the implications for practitioners? This article provides some preliminary insights into the how the concept of empowerment might be instigated in community controlled organisations. It also identifies some of the likely challenges and methodological issues to be considered in designing change management strategies in this context. ObjectivesThis case study discusses the implementation of the Participatory Planning and Evaluation project, a short-term change management strategy, implemented as a partnership between University of Queensland and Apunipima Cape York Health Council (Apunipima). The proj...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2,3 Family Wellbeing is a health intervention program developed by Indigenous Australians, which focuses on social and emotional wellbeing. 4,5 Its objectives are to build communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution and other life skills to enable the individual to develop greater control over the choices they make.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Empowerment and change management in Aboriginal organisations: a case study

McEwan

Tsey

McCalman

et al. 2010

Aust. Health Review

Self Cite

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“…The following key elements for the effective functioning of services in the education sector (Burton & Osborne, 2014;Guenther, Bat, & Osborne, 2014;Tjitayi & Osborne, 2014;Young, Guenther, & Boyle, 2007), the training and work sector (Australian National Training Authority Research Advisory Council, 1998b;Guenther, Castle, Raymond, & Berschl, 2011;Guenther, Falk, Arnott, Lucardie, & Spiers, 2008;McRae-Williams, 2014), the health and wellbeing sector (Arnott, Guenther, Davis, Foster, & Cummings, 2010;Dudgeon et al, 2014;Smith, Grundy, & Nelson, 2010;Tsey & Every, 2000), and in the domestic violence, child protection, and justice sectors Arnott, Guenther, & Williams, 2009;Blagg, 2016) and more across generally across the board (Arbon, 2008;Fisher et al, 2011;McRae-Williams, Guenther, Jacobson, & Lovell, 2016;Morley, 2015;Verran & Christie, 2011) have been consistently identified:…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untitled

2018

IIPJ

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Access to effective services and programs is necessary to improve wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote Australia. Without genuine participation of Aboriginal community members in the design, governance, and delivery of services, desired service delivery outcomes are rarely achieved. Using a "shared space" model, Aboriginal communities, governments, and scientists came together to design and develop the Interplay Wellbeing Framework. This Framework brings together stories and numbers (or qualitative and quantitative data) to represent community values for the purpose of informing program and policy agendas. This article unpacks what community members saw as making a service work well and why. The domains of empowerment and community functioning are discussed and their relationship to effective service delivery demonstrated.

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“…This method was adopted and participants were asked to reflect on changes they were able to make in their family, work and community life, as well as any difficulties and challenges they faced. The findings of this initial Alice Springs Family Wellbeing programme evaluation were published (Tsey and Every 2000). Plain language, user-friendly versions of the evaluation findings were also printed and widely distributed by the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The total funding available for the evaluation was a meagre $3,000. Yet, it was the first programme where there was evidence of a programme potentially leading to real improvements in participants' well-being and health (Tsey and Every 2000). Komla became convinced that Aboriginal-developed empowerment programmes such as Family Wellbeing deserve research support in order to both strengthen their evidence base and improve programme quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%