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Creating Culturally Safe Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Indigenous Australians: A Brief Review of the Literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2016

Vanette McLennan ,
Natalie Taylor ,
Amanda Rachow ,
Grant South  and
Kelsey Chapman
Vanette McLennan*
Affiliation:
School of Allied Health Sciences, Griffith University and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Gold Coast Campus, Parklands Drive, Southport, QLD, 4222, Australia
Natalie Taylor
Affiliation:
School of Human Services and Social Work, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Parklands Drive, Southport, QLD, 4222 Australia
Amanda Rachow
Affiliation:
School of Human Services and Social Work, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Parklands Drive, Southport, QLD, 4222 Australia
Grant South
Affiliation:
School of Human Services and Social Work, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Parklands Drive, Southport, QLD, 4222 Australia
Kelsey Chapman
Affiliation:
School of Human Services and Social Work, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Parklands Drive, Southport, QLD, 4222 Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Vanette E. J. McLennan, School of Allied Health Sciences, Griffith University and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Gold Coast Campus, Parklands Drive, Southport, QLD, 4222. E-mail: v.mclennan@griffith.edu.au
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Abstract

This article reviews the research evidence on vocational rehabilitation services and rehabilitation counselling practice with Indigenous Australians. It applied a context sensitive, cultural safety and reflexivity approach to construct salient themes from the research evidence. Findings suggest Indigenous Australians with disabilities experience significant ‘double-disadvantage’, and that vocational rehabilitation service providers lack the knowledge and skills in culturally safe practice in order to enhance the opportunities for social and economic inclusion of Indigenous Australians. A whole-of-profession approach, incorporating and ensuring Indigenous client equity and cultural safety in vocational rehabilitation, is critically and urgently needed.

Keywords

vocational rehabilitationIndigenous Australianscultural safety
Type
Articles
Information
The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , December 2016 , pp. 93 - 103
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2016 

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