Hearth recognises the importance of heritage, culture, language family and community to Australia’s indigenous peoples and their lives.
Our disability care support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia will reflect our aims to always grow towards a culturally informed approach, including respect for cultural protocols.
Hearth will base its approach to working with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the following principles including:
Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients right to culture when accessing Hearth services
Providing a culturally safe environment and experience for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.
Based on these principles, Hearth expects that its workers, independent contractors, volunteers and other stakeholders will:
Show respect for Aboriginal culture, heritage and language
Show understanding for the way its Aboriginal clients, their family and their community, live and work
Recognise that the starting point for many Aboriginal people with a disability is that they do not self-identify as people with a disability
Support its Aboriginal clients right to choose and control the planning, delivery and evaluation of Hearth services
Ensure its Aboriginal clients are receiving the most appropriate service, which may include partnering with local Aboriginal community controlled organisations, so that we are working to self-empower the community around them
Consult with its Aboriginal clients to identify ways to constantly improve Hearth services.
Hearth management has a responsibility to ensure that its workers have access to the detailed policies underpinning our principles as outlined here.
