Boards, Committees & EOs

Board and Committee members and CEOs

The four steps to improving services for Indigenous Australians described in the introduction apply to management committee and board members, i.e.:

• improving understanding
• improving competence in working cross culturally
• seeing the implications for service delivery and community development
• improving your service delivery and community development through changes to practice.

Some of the broad practice implications for board and committee members include:

• commitment to appropriate and accessible services to Indigenous Australians
• acknowledging the prior ownership of the land
• adopting a statement of principle for reconciliation
• consulting with the local Indigenous community when planning services
• consulting with the Indigenous community about how to make the service welcoming for Indigenous Australians
• ensuring the organisation's staff have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide appropriate services to Indigenous Australians.

Examples of some of the more specific questions Board and Committee members may need to answer are:

• Who are the local Indigenous communities in the areas we provide services to?
• Who are the Elders?
• What is an appropriate process for consulting with the Indigenous communities?
• Are there policy issues we need to be considering to ensure services are appropriate?

This web site includes starting points for working on these types of questions.

 

 

Test your knowledge

The web site includes a Self-Study Module.

At the end of the Module there is a Self-Assessment of 30 multiple choice questions. When you complete the Self-Assessment you will have the option of emailing the questions and your answers to yourself. You will also be able to view the correct answers.

You also have the option of emailing the questions and your answers to your employer as evidence that you have completed the Module.