The Health Education Centre: a new approach to professional support and development in Australia

Abstract

In 1989 a new concept emerged in the provision of professional support for health workers with the development of the Health Education Centre, Barwon South Western Region. The Barwon South West Region includes Geelong (Victoria's largest regional city) and the predominantly rural south western half of the State to the South Australian border. Unique in Victoria (and Australia), it is funded by the Health Department and recognizes the need for ongoing support for health workers in a changing and complex field. The Centre offers assistance to all health workers (with a particular focus on workers in small hospitals, community health centres and community based agencies) through on going programme development and consultancy, in- services, networking and information. This paper examines the Health Education Centre's approach to its role. Beginning with an overview of the changing role of health care and health workers, it explores the impact of new policy directions and the inadequacy of workers' educational background to meet the challenges that these policies present, resulting in an implementation gap between policy and practice. The paper advocates the adoption of a professional model for professional development rather than a technical one, and suggest that health workers need to be exposed to different educational experiences in order to close the implementation gap between policy and practice. The paper concludes with an overview of the Health Education Centre's response to its target group and outlines its model of professional development which is based on the principles and strategies advocated by the Ottawa Charter.