Two trainees at Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service have graduated from SWSPHN’s Workforce Capacity Building program having gained “experience and knowledge” which will help them throughout their working careers.
SWSPHN partnered with Tharawal AMS on the program which is available for existing primary health staff and trainees, following the success of the program at Gandangara Health Service.
The programs saw trainees at each site undertake courses including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Practice, and dual Mental Health and Alcohol and other Drugs Certificate IV.
Initiatives like the Capacity Building Project are part of SWSPHN’s work in closing the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australian’s life expectancy by improving access to culturally sensitive primary care services for Indigenous people.
The 12-month project aimed to build the skills and knowledge of participants.
The Tharawal participants gained practical experience during their traineeship, undertaking self-guided orientation programs to learn about the different services offered by each Tharawal department, and working within these departments to gain hands-on experience.
The trainees provided culturally-safe, evidence-based interventions to Aboriginal clients and their families who were accessing mental health services at Tharawal.
Tharawal’s final report on the program said the experience and knowledge the trainees had gained would help them throughout their working careers.
“It has definitely been great to see how far they have come and how confident they now are with the added knowledge they have gained through these courses,” the report said.
Pictured above: Rebekah Markna, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Team Manager, Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation, with the program trainees.