Aboriginal Health Consumers’ Stories Informing Culturally Safe Hospital Social Work Practice

Aboriginal health consumers stories are rarely shared within Australian health systems. Racism is a barrier to accessing health services and improving health outcomes for Aboriginal health consumers. To improve health service outcomes, feedback from Aboriginal health consumers was sought on social work practice improvements within the confines of the hospital. Interpretive sequential qualitative research methods were adopted. Focus group interviews (n=2) were held with hospital social work practitioners (n=17) and yarning circles (n=4) with Aboriginal health consumers (n=5). Thematic analysis undertaken by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers found Aboriginal health consumers raised concerns about stereotypes associated with social work, and the importance of establishing a connection through finding out about Nation/Groups and family networks. Consumers requested engagement with family and recognition of current personal circumstances, not past. Social workers were aware of their privilege and the impacts of colonisation on their practice yet were unsure ‘how’ to put the knowledge they have into practice in the hospital setting. Constraints from the hospital environment were found to limit social workers ability to offer brief, timely, relational, culturally safe, trauma-informed social work practice to Aboriginal health consumers. This study identified the need for the creation of a ‘third space’ within the hospital. A space where Aboriginal health consumers and social workers can come together and challenge taken for granted Anglo-Celtic assumptions, providing for the development of relational, culturally safe, trauma-informed social work practice. With input from Aboriginal social and health workers, and consumers several changes were made to Social Work practices and environment.