A tailored education and training suite to support palliative care service delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who are returning to spirit.

Introduction Palliative Care South Australia logo Gwandalan logo AGPAL logo

Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited (AGPAL), in partnership with Palliative Care South Australia (PCSA) has secured funding from the Federal Department of Health to co-develop a suite of tailored education and training materials to support cultural safety within palliative care services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Education and training materials for the Gwandalan Project aim to support relationships between service providers, frontline staff and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities through cross-cultural education and the sharing of knowledge. This will be achieved through the provision of education and training to support increased capacity in those who care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples during their palliative and end-of-life care journey.

A key feature of the Gwandalan Project is the train-the-trainer component, through which learners will develop coaching skills, supporting the sharing of knowledge with peers and community. The Gwandalan project does not address clinical palliative care content, but rather supports the culturally safe and responsive provision of palliative care, by upskilling frontline staff to contextualise clinical care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and deliver services in a way which supports a good ‘finishing up’.

Topics covered include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Palliative Care and Cultural Practice, Safe Communication, Supporting Choices at the End-of-Life, Strengthening Partnerships (including Care Coordination), and Community Engagement.
 

Who is involved?

Project governance will be guided by a diverse and multidisciplinary Advisory Committee chaired by Professor Gregory Crawford, chair of Palliative Care South Australia and palliative medicine physician.

The Committee also includes the following members:

  • Distinguished Professor Patsy Yates (Project Director), Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
  • Karl Briscoe, Kuku Yalanji - (Chief Executive Officer), National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP)
  • Professor Geoff Mitchell, University of Queensland (UQ)
  • Donald Whaleboat, Peibri Meriam - (Senior Lecturer), James Cook University (Torres Strait Islander representative)
  • Dr Tina Janamian (General Manager – Education and Innovation; Project Director), Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited (AGPAL)
  • Sharon Johnson, Wangkumarra and Kamilaroi - (OOHC Health Navigator & Policy Research Officer), Sunraysia Community Health Services (Aboriginal Health Practitioner representative)
  • Chelsea Menchin (National Projects Manager), Palliative Care Australia
  • Mark Waters (Executive Director), Palliative Care South Australia (PCSA)
  • Eliza Munro, Gamilaroi - (Indigenous Project Coordinator), Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited (AGPAL)

What are we doing?

This multi-modal education and training suite will develop and deliver the following activities:

  • A suite of engaging eLearning modules covering key topics such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander palliative care and cultural practice, safe communication, supporting choices at end of life, strengthening partnerships and community engagement
  • The Gwandalan Dillybag – an interactive resource for frontline staff to support culturally responsive service delivery
  • Face-to-face workshops with Gwandalan champions recruited nationally, including a balance of metropolitan and regional areas
  • Development and facilitation of Communities of Practice
  • Establishment and maintenance of an eLearning platform to host the suite of educational materials, Gwandalan Dillybag and ‘Yaama’, the Gwandalan Project Newsletter.

Who is it for?

The target audience for the Gwandalan project will include:

  • Any frontline staff who may provide palliative care services for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, including nurses, aged care staff, volunteers etc
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers, Practitioners and Hospital Liaison Officers (including students studying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health)

Register Now

https://gwandalanpalliativecare.com.au/

Access to all education and training materials is free of charge.

The Gwandalan team include:

Project Manager: Melanie Wentzel

Indigenous Project Coordinator: Eliza Munro

For more information please contact

Email: gwandalan@agpal.com.au

Telephone: 1300 362 111

The Gwandalan Project is funded by the Australian Government under the Public Health and Chronic Disease Care Grant, National Palliative Care Projects 2020-2023.

Last Updated 05 July 2021