Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child and adolescent injury prevention program in Australia focusing on the social determinants of health.
Project implemented: 2010 - current
Reduce the burden of injury in resource poor settings in Australia; build capacity in local communities; inform upscale of effective programs.
Addressing the inequalities and inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in Australia is a national priority.
Partnering with Aboriginal communities & organisations on large scale trials of driver licensing & child car seat programs.
Working with Indigenous people and clinicians to develop a culturally safe model of care that privileges an Indigenous voice.
Create effective communication pathways & steering committees connecting stakeholders to plan, deliver & upscale programs
Developing a program that creates training and mentoring opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
(i) Road safety program – Interviews with participants of the driver licensing program reported their involvement in the program led to increased employment opportunities. Both programs have informed state wide program funding from Government across several jurisdictions. (ii) Burn care and access to care – Research data from multiple interviews with families and clinicians have informed development of a new model of care that facilitates better outcomes and supports provision of culturally safe burn care. (iii) Hosting Think Tanks for policy makers and key practitioners on topics such as provision of culturally safe health care and road safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Injury is a leading cause of death and disability in children and young people both in Australia and globally, and disproportionately impacts the poor and marginalized, and First Nations peoples. Across the health sector there’s increasing focus on addressing the social determinants of health and identifying sustainable, affordable solutions to the biggest health priorities, particularly to reduce health inequalities. Avoiding transport disadvantage is one such determinant of health. The George Institute for Global Health leads a program of work addressing the burden of child injury in Australia and the social determinants that influence it. This program focuses on engaging Government and other stakeholders across the health system as participants in the research process, as well as implementing partners. It involves large-scale implementation of prevention programs addressing the major causes of unintentional injury in children: (i) road injury, (ii) burns, and (iii) improving access to care.