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What is Cultural Safety?

To better understand what cultural safety is, we break it down into smaller sections

We use this as our portfolio-wide definition of cultural safety.

Cultural safety refers to:

  • The environment in which we work
  • Relationships we build
  • Services that we provide.

Culturally safe environments, relationships and services:

  • Allow people to feel safe and valued
  • Allow people to take part
  • Enable cultural and spiritual beliefs
  • Enable people to share their concerns.

Culturally safe environments, relationships and services are free from:

  • Racism and discrimination
  • Assault, challenge or denial of identity and experiences.

In culturally safe environments, people, organisations and systems:

  • Are aware of the impact that their own culture and cultural values have on First Peoples
  • Are culturally respectful
  • Work together and listen
  • Remove barriers that impact health, wellbeing and safety outcomes
  • Address racism, unconscious bias and discrimination
  • Support and empower outcomes, such as self determination.

Cultural safety has common qualities. But it’s personal and varies based on the individual.

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