Cultural safety in child protection: Application to the workplace environment and casework practice

Abstract

Cultural safety is a term that originated in the nursing profession in New Zealand. Common definitions focus on participants (whether clients or workers) feeling safe; feeling they can express their cultural identity; feel respected and listened to. The present study describes the concept of cultural safety and how it is applied in statutory child protection in Alice Springs. The context of child protection is described, including the workplace context, where Aboriginal Community Workers comprise 30% of the child protection workforce. Applying the concept of cultural safety can be more challenging in settings other than health care, and particularly in statutory child protection. However, we are finding it valuable for creating more appropriate workplaces for Aboriginal staff in child protection, and for assisting casework approaches and decisions for all staff. The present study discusses the process of developing a shared understanding of cultural safety to assist critical reflection on our workplace and casework.