Culturally safe sleep spaces for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants are over-represented in sudden and unexpected infant death (SUDI) with up to four times the rate of non-Indigenous infants. This is a clear indication of disparity in health outcomes for Indigenous Australians. Services that provide support for Aboriginal families around safe sleep and settling generally use population based and harm reduction strategies, drawing on available evidence to improve practice. What is most often overlooked is whether proposed strategies will be experienced as culturally safe by the recipients of care. Intervention programs for Aboriginal families must be adapted to the needs of local communities with culturally appropriate resources and training for the prevention of SUDI.
This presentation provides preliminary findings from an innovative South Australian study that explored with Aboriginal South Australian families the use of the New Zealand based Pepi pod program and health promotion as a safe sleep alternative.
The participatory case study research was designed and undertaken collaboratively using a range of culturally appropriate data sets to involve participant families, local groups, industry and community in all phases or the research process. Ten participant families used photographs to share with researchers their experience of using the pepi pods at pre and post birth intervals. Focus group data was collected from members of an Aboriginal Community Advisory Group and the health and care providers working with families. The process and evolution of this study is an example of how maternal, child and family health nurses can collaborate and be innovative in providing culturally responsive services to Aboriginal families.