The Interplay Wellbeing Framework for use in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities:

Development, Methods and Outcomes

Project Leader Sheree Cairney Senior Aboriginal researcher Tammy Abbott PhD student Byron Wilson Statistician Steve Quinn Project Website www.crc-rep.com/interplay

Overview

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Research Questions

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1.! What are the relationships between health and wellbeing outcomes, and education and employment for individuals, families and communities living in remote Australia?

2.! How effective are targeted interventions?

3.! How can policy and practice be better informed by this knowledge to maximise desired health and wellbeing outcomes?

Interplay Project

Literature Review - Recommendations

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1.! Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people involved and their perspectives represented

2.! Strength-based approach 3.! Focus on interrelationships 4.! Include additional themes of culture, community and

empowerment 5.! Broader culturally aligned definitions of education,

employment and health

Nguyen O, Cairney S. 2013 ‘Literature review of the Interplay Between Education, Employment, Health and Wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote areas: Working towards an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing framework’.

(named in the top ten Indigenous research publications in 2013 by Australian Policy Online).

Community Engagement

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Over 3-year period, engagement included:-! 21 workshops-! 11 semi-structured interviews with PRLs-! 4 community visits-! 2 advisory group meetings-! 21 ACRs employed

Questions were asked about the research approach, framework and methods.

Cairney S and Abbott T. In press. ‘Aboriginal Wellbeing in a Red Dirt Economy’. Journal of Australian Indigenous Studies.

Community Engagement - Outcomes

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•! Culture governs everything that people do•! Importance of building empowerment•! Broader understandings and flexible, culturally aligned

practices needed to achieve good outcomes for education, employment and health

•! All of these areas are inherently interrelated, or interplay together

Cairney S and Abbott T. In press. ‘Aboriginal Wellbeing in a Red Dirt Economy’. Journal of Australian Indigenous Studies.

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Numbers

Stories

Bringing it together

Shared Space model

Abbott T and Cairney S. 2014. Collaboration and Capacity Development through the employment of Aboriginal Community-based Researchers: Examples from the Interplay Project. Journal of Australian Indigenous Studies.

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Government priorities

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Community priorities1.! Culture

(language, family, land, law, spirituality)

2.! Empowerment (control, two-way learning)

3.! Community (safety, inclusiveness, leadership, respect)

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Wellbeing = feeling good Interplay = connections

Interplay Wellbeing Framework

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How to tell the story

Numbers/Quantitative ---- Survey

Stories/Qualitative ---- Focus groups & Interviews

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Designing the Survey

Real scenarios

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Interplay Project

Wellbeing = feeling good Interplay = connections

Project Aims •! Interplay •! Objective measures •! Inform policy

Review •! Literature •! Community Engagement

Interplay Framework •! Links science, community & policy

systems •! Quantitative & qualitative •! Tool for planning, evaluation &

communication

Study Design •! Prospective cohort •! 4 communities •! 2 timepoints/waves •! 900 surveys, 20 focus groups

•! Nguyen & Cairney (2013) Literature review – working towards a wellbeing framework. CRC-REP •! Cairney & Abbott (2014) Aboriginal Wellbeing in a ‘Red Dirt Economy’. Journal of Australian

Indigenous Studies.

Get a picture for different communities

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Quantitative Data"(Survey)

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Number of Surveys from each community

Community Total Population

Number surveys

Too old (>34 years)

Useable surveys

Katherine 2,344(9,186 total)

571 15 556

Wiluna 200-300 86 34 52

Galiwin’ku 1,890 122 22 100

Yirrkala 521 138 4 134

TOTAL 917 75 842

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Interplay Wellbeing Framework - subdomains

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First and second order traits/domains

Interplay Wellbeing Framework - Culture

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And a further level of data

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Third order "traits/domains

Interplay Wellbeing Framework – strongest impacts

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Interplay Wellbeing Framework – strongest impacts

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Can be used to understand the relative influence of different contributors

Only health and education directly influence wellbeing (others may indirectly)

Impacts of Age & Gender

AgeOlder people score higher for:

•! Empowerment•! Culture •! Work

Younger people score higher for:•! Health•! Community

GenderFemales score higher than males for:

•! Health•! Education•! Work•! Community

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Stories to build?

Each window you look through gives you a different view

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Using the framework to show the Interplay between domains

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Can culture be used to improve education outcomes?

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Learning about culture in school, and Aboriginal literacy can improve education outcomes

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Aboriginal literacy – the key role of bilingual education

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Qualitative Data"(Focus Groups)

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Numbers

Stories

Bringing it together

. Values & Knowledge

Stories & Numbers together – More Powerful

Interplay Project - Focus Groups

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Successful employment examples

•! Ranger / Caring for Country

•! Art

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Qualitative data - Martu Ranger Program (WA)

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•! Strong partnerships•! Connectedness, teamwork, support•! Working in culture, working and learning on country, learning about culture through work,

preserving culture•! Capacity development, empowerment, opportunities•! Flexible employment (2-3 weeks/month)

“If I didn’t bring my boy along with me when I go out, he wouldn’t know anything about his country ”

“I like learning both ways – white fella way and Martu way. Helping one another – learing from one another – teamwork”

“We are all happy all of the time”

“When I get up in the morning, I feel happy knowing that I’m going to work”

Qualitative data - Dhimurru Ranger Program (NT)

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•! Vision Statement – powerful, resilience to keep strong both at work and home, values shared•! Two-way working/learning but Yolngu drive it, through Yolngu board•! Independent (non-government)•! Strong partnerships with stakeholders•! Learning and teaching on country, making sure country is safe, respect the land

“It’s a good thing that we are still standing firm for Yolngu people”

“Two way working thing but the Yolngu drive it, through Yolngu board”

“You’re empowering yourself to go to work”

“You can see that vision statement within your mind, as soon as you enter the workplace. The vision statement guides us every day. We can feel it, it’s something guiding us during the day and can take it home.”

What works well and why? – main findings""(in programs & services)

1.!EmpowermentPartnerships, Local governance, Engagement, Consultation, two way learning, support, mentoringOpportunities to learn, capacity development, Inclusiveness, networks, connectedness, Indigenous staff at all levels, control, influence, Equal respect, linking & referring, open, transparent, trust

2.!Culture – relevance / alignmentRelevant, Flexible, adaptable, learn about culture in school/job, safe cultural identity, access, inclusive, culturally appropriate resources, learning and governance.

3.!Long term vision, planning and investmentPathways (education to employment), funding and resources, transport, housing, infrastructure, time and investment (spending time to engage/consult/build relationships), monitoring and evaluation.

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Interplay Wellbeing Framework

•! Dynamic, holistic and multipurpose •! Roadmap to inform, drive and monitor change•! Provides a tool for knowledge building, evaluation decision making,

planning and communication•! Provides objective measures •! Strong foundation in both science and community development•! Model can be applied for other applications/fields•! Can be tailored to address numerous policy goals•! Empowers community to have ownership and control in research

process•! Give community values and priorities a ‘voice’ to Government

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Stories to build?

Each window you look through gives you a different view

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Stories to Build

What works well in programs and services? 1.! Empowerment 2.! Culture – fits the world in which you live 3.! Long term vision - planning and investment

How to improve education outcomes? •! Bilingual education / Aboriginal literacy •! Cultural relevance of curriculum

Pathways to Work •! Two way learning •! Balance with cultural obligations

Good examples •! Caring for country / ranger work •! Artwork •! Other employment options? •! Local Enterprises?

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Outlook for 2016 & 2017Project Output •! Design and build interactive data visualisation platform •! Produce video documentary •! Publication of findings •! Policy Briefs •! Conference Presentations Further Cata Collection •! Wave 2 data collection (follow-up of participants from Wave 1)

•! Surveys & focus groups

Future work

•! Funding submissions to extend the research (ours & others) •! Seek opportunities for applications of Interplay tools and

methods (ie evaluation)

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For further information, please contact: Project Leader contact: sheree.cairney@flinders.edu.au Project Website: www.crc-rep.com/interplay

Thank you