Cultural safety in health policy and programs
Cultural safety is vital for addressing the historical and ongoing impacts of racism and colonisation, reducing health inequities, and improving healthcare access, quality, and safety in health and human services environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Cultural safety is one of Lowitja Institute’s policy priorities.
The purpose of embedding cultural safety at individual and institutional levels in practice and policy is to achieve justice and equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across health and human services; preferably, in all life contexts. A critical step to achieving this outcome is developing a shared understanding of cultural safety through high-quality training for all people leading and/or working in health and human services.
Our 2024 discussion paper highlights the critical need to improve access to quality healthcare, addressing the social determinants of health, and elevating the importance of the cultural determinants of health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As a follow-up, to the Cultural Safety in Australia discussion paper and Cultural Safety Roundtable, our policy brief summarises and presents the key points and findings of the discussion paper.
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