Servicing clients

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Quick guide to assisting Indigenous clients
Interviews
An organisation-wide strategy
Indigenous servicing strategies
Star ratings
Quality KPI
National Employment Services Association (NESA): Indigenous Special Interest Group (SIG)
Working with communities
'Welcome to Country' ceremony
Visiting communities
Your premises
Your staff

Quick guide to assisting Indigenous clients

Introduction

Indigenous Australians are as diverse as any other group in the community and so it is important not to make assumptions about individuals on the basis of generalisations.

Be aware and open to challenging your own beliefs and perceptions.
Get to know your clients so you can learn about their particular experience and background.
Be conscious when discussing issues affecting Indigenous people that there is a wide diversity of opinion about those issues within Indigenous communities and that you cannot assume every Indigenous person will hold the same view.
Be aware that Indigenous people's experience with the labour market varies from strong family support backed by experience and connections, to those with no labour market experience or contact and inter-generational unemployment.
Be aware of whom you are dealing with—if you do your homework you will be able to establish more productive relationships and to address the client's particular needs.
Find out as much as you can about your local Indigenous communities.
The multiple barriers experienced by many Indigenous people may require the services of a range of providers in your region such as health, community services and education.

You will need to be aware of these services and how to access them as a range of interventions may be required before a client can benefit from employment services.

Interviews

Many Indigenous people find approaching a service like a Job Network or Centrelink office very intimidating. This is particularly so if the person has a traditional upbringing. Bear this in mind when making appointments. A few measures you might consider:

Seek some advice from your local CDEP or ICC.
Provide extra time for the interview to allow sufficient time to engage with your client.
Suggest they bring a friend with them.
Consider employing an Indigenous liaison officer, particularly when you are in areas of high Indigenous population.

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are not used to or comfortable with disclosing information about themselves. In some cases their history of interaction with non-Indigenous society has made them very wary of such disclosure. Respect their privacy and be prepared to meet them more than once to get to know them.

When conducting an interview:

listen carefully
be respectful
adjust your use of language to suit the individual
bear in mind that initial eye contact with some Indigenous people, particularly those from more traditional backgrounds, can be very impolite. Be aware that, in turn, your client may not keep eye contact with you during the whole meeting and this may be consistent with appropriate and polite behaviour
be aware that not all Indigenous people will have access to documents such as birth certificate, drivers licence, marriage certificates, passports or other forms of identification
don't assume that everyone will be able to fill in forms. Offer assistance or seek assistance from the client's friend.

When you are conducting interviews in an office, be aware that photographs of deceased Indigenous people can be very distressing to many Indigenous people. It is always important to gain permission from the family concerned and to publicly acknowledge this, if photographs of Indigenous people are to be displayed.

Remember
Overcoming some of the barriers described and assisting Indigenous clients into jobs can prove challenging. Fortunately there are many pointers to ways that organisations and individuals in Job Network can develop and implement strategies. There can be substantial tangible and intangible rewards for success.

An organisation-wide strategy

High performing study of Indigenous servicing

In 2002, DEWR undertook a study of several Job Network member organisations that were obtaining very good outcomes for their Indigenous clients.

The findings are summarised in a 7-page report: What works in delivery of Intensive Assistance to Indigenous Job Seekers (September 2002).

Any Job Network member who is interested in identifying a range of activities and strategies which have shown to be successful in some circumstances should read this report.

Key Findings

High Performing sites orient themselves to Indigenous job seekers by incorporating messages in advertising and in images on display in the office that convey it is welcoming to Indigenous Australians.
The staff play an important role in higher performance. Case managers understand Indigenous issues but do not necessarily have to be of an Indigenous background.
Higher performers have an explicit policy relating to the development of quality relationships with job seekers. For example, they give job seekers complete attention at interviews and only later enter notes into the computer.
Higher performers develop innovative strategies for getting job seekers into work and keeping them there.
Higher performers ensure that suitable training courses are available and they have a good relationship with local training providers and with employers in the local region.

Indigenous servicing strategies

All Job Network members working in areas where 5 per cent or more of job seekers are Indigenous are required under their contract with DEWR to have specific strategies for servicing these clients.

When developing local strategies, Job Network members should ensure they are aware of what is contained in their organisation's Servicing Strategy so that activities and practices can be developed consistently.

Star ratings

There are incentives for Job Network members to achieve outcomes for Indigenous job seekers. The Star Ratings system is the main means of evaluating the performance of Job Network providers. It provides job seekers and the public with key information about the effectiveness of Job Network members.

To ensure that the ratings are fair and accurate, Star Ratings take into account all the different factors which affect the achievement of an outcome for a job seeker e.g. a job seeker's period of employment, their level of education, their age, their status as an Indigenous person, or their status as a person with a disability.

An increase in the share of outcomes achieved by Indigenous job seekers relative to other providers will improve a Job Network member's Star Ratings rank.

Quality KPI

Contracts for Job Network members include a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) relating to the quality of services delivered from 1 July 2003. This has been introduced in response to feedback from the employment services industry and has been integrated into DEWR's Performance Management Framework for monitoring and assessment.

An important indicator of whether quality services are being delivered is whether groups of job seekers receive the same standard of service from employment service providers. Data that will be considered against this indicator will include whether Job Search Plans and Vocational Profiles have been kept up-to-date and tailored for individual job seekers and that the Job Seeker Account and Training Account have been used to assist job seekers in an equitable way.

Complaints by job seekers will be important to alert DEWR to potential problems. For this reason, providers are required to advertise both their own and the department's complaints management processes.

The Quality KPI helps ensure that job seekers receive a high level customer service and gives the department a mechanism to 'lever' poor standards of service—whether in the types of services provided or the manner in which they are provided. Instances of poor quality of service will be raised with providers and they will be given an opportunity to improve their standards. Providers will fail the Quality KPI assessment if they fail to satisfactorily address an issue or if a major issue that clearly breaches expectations of a quality service arises.

National Employment Services Association (NESA): Indigenous Special Interest Group (SIG)

An effective way of sharing knowledge and experiences when working with Indigenous clients can be to join the NESA Indigenous Special Interest Group. The NESA website http://www.nesa.com.au/ provides details of Special Interest Group terms of reference and NESA can assist in putting interested Job Network staff in contact with the SIG's Chair.

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Working with communities

An important first strategy is to establish effective links with the local Indigenous community including organisations and individuals, CDEPs and Indigenous Coordination Centres (ICC). You could start by holding a community meeting or a morning tea, invite everyone and have a 'yarn' about employment issues within the region and other relevant issues.

Benefits

By developing effective community relationships you will learn about:

local Indigenous organisations and individuals
local services available
key people within the Indigenous community
some of the issues and needs within the community
the local language, pronunciation and meanings
the local history of the community
local protocols and sensitivities.

'Welcome to Country' ceremony

If at any stage you plan to hold a formal meeting or function including Indigenous community members, you may wish to consider including a short 'Welcome to Country' ceremony in the programme.

Welcome to Country acknowledges the significance of Indigenous culture, particularly in respect of the local community and the land on which people stand. Welcome to Land is a short performance by Indigenous representatives usually at the commencement of an event. When you are planning an event in your region it is now common practice to pay respect to the traditional custodians of the land with a Welcome to Country.

What does Welcome to Country involve?

Welcome to Country may involve an Indigenous representative from the local community giving a short speech about the land you are on and officially welcoming participants, a cultural song and/or dance, someone playing the didgeridoo or a combination.

How to arrange a Welcome to Country

When negotiating a Welcome to Country, including communicating with Indigenous people, it is important to follow appropriate protocols and observe specific sensitivities. You can find out about these issues and the appropriate people to speak with by contacting:

local Indigenous organisations, including CDEPs, medical services, land councils, community councils
Indigenous cooperatives and associations
your nearest Indigenous Coordination Centre.

How much does it cost?

It is appropriate for a fee to be paid which could include travel costs to and from event, morning tea and/or lunch or a financial payment. Make sure you negotiate this prior to the performance, as misunderstanding could lead to unnecessary tension and affect future events you may wish to hold.

Visiting communities

There are varying degrees of protocols and sensitivities that should be respected when communicating with Indigenous people.

When communicating with Indigenous people, don't use bureaucratic jargon, try and keep language simple and easy to understand. For many people English is a second or even a third language and many also have limited literacy/numeracy skills.

Before you decide to visit Indigenous communities

If you decide to visit a community take the time to get the right information so that appropriate sensitivities are addressed. Each community has their own cultural beliefs. What's observed in one community may not be in the next, even if it is only a few kilometres down the road. You may even need a permit to enter Indigenous land.

Issues

The following issues will need to be considered before going into a community:

men's business and women's business—ceremonies may be held during your planned visit. You may also not be able to speak to a particular gender depending on differing beliefs
death in the community—communities have differing periods of mourning that involves the whole community. Some may last only a week or two, while others may be for a year or longer. Be aware, you will need to change your plans
dress code—find out what's appropriate, be respectful
behaviours—there are certain things you cannot do, for example, there may be community members you are not allowed to speak to
do not take photos or film people or specific sections of the community—make sure you get permission beforehand.

Who should you contact?

A good starting point would be the local Indigenous Coordination Centre, any local Indigenous community organisation such as the community council, land council, health service, CDEPs or other organisation. It is a good idea to have someone from the Indigenous community accompany you, so plan ahead.

How to get there

Your contact person will know the appropriate way of getting there. Getting to some communities may take a couple of days or require specific vehicles such as four-wheel drives. You may need specific clothing and may even need to camp out.

Consider weather conditions and geographical locations

Find out about seasonal changes and the terrain when planning your visits. In some parts of Australia, conditions may unexpectedly change without notice so be aware e.g. wet season in the Top End of Australia.

More information

The Queensland Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy has produced two guides to help people understand protocols for consultation and negotiation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. You may find some of the hints useful.

Proper communication with Torres Strait Islander people
http://www.datsip.qld.gov.au/pdf/minamir.pdf

Protocols for consultation and negotiation with Aboriginal people
http://www.datsip.qld.gov.au/pdf/Protocols.pdf

Your premises

Your office environment reflects the whole organisation. Make the office environment welcoming. Try displaying posters and paintings with Indigenous images. This conveys the message of a friendly, understanding and responsive environment.

Purchase and make available some current Indigenous newspapers. These can inform your staff about Indigenous issues and current events. Job seekers can also use them to find a job.

Check out the high performing study for other simple ideas.

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Your staff

Staff play an important role in high performing sites. Importance is placed on case managers having an understanding of Indigenous issues, even though they may not necessarily be Indigenous themselves.

Indigenous staff

Employing Indigenous staff in your organisation can be very beneficial. You and your staff will learn from their perspectives and you will also gain from their ability to interconnect with their community. However, take care to have reasonable expectations of what these employees can achieve.

It can be misleading to make them 'responsible' for educating other staff members in 'Indigenous issues' unless they are given proper support and resources for this function. Also make sure they are given a balanced workload, especially if they have a large or complex set of clients to assist.

Remember that your organisation may be eligible for the Indigenous Wage Assistance subsidy if you give a job to an eligible person.

Cultural awareness training

Cultural Awareness Training comes in many forms. It is often a very effective way of helping managers and staff to gain a deeper understanding of the backgrounds and issues impacting their clients.

There are a number of commercial providers in the market who can provide this form of training to your organisation and various DEWR offices may also offer Cultural Awareness sessions from time to time.

When considering an investment in Cultural Awareness training for themselves and their staff, managers need to consider carefully how any new knowledge and insights can be brought back into their organisations and developed into working policies and practices.

Managers should also note that some aspects of cultural awareness training can be specific to particular groups or areas, and should ask providers for details of what any courses cover.

Communication skills

Many Indigenous job seekers report that they do not feel comfortable when dealing with Job Network members. Effective communications is a key issue when dealing with Indigenous people. A first step is to being open-minded and non-judgemental.

Some practical things you can do to make Indigenous job seekers feel welcome:

avoid sitting at a computer when communicating with Indigenous clients. Take notes during your conversation and focus on the job seeker—this will show that you are interested. Input data after they leave
try learning some of the key Indigenous words in an endeavour to address some of the barriers
consider wearing uniformed corporate or business clothes—many successful high performing Job Network members wear dressy casual clothes—as one Job Network staff member explains, 'dress more like the clients'.

Further practical tips can be found in the September 2002 Report: Summary of Quality Audits—What Works in Delivery of Intensive Assistance to Indigenous Job seekers.