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Communication and connection: Valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives
54 JCPSLP Volume 19, Number 1 2017 Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology
engagement required for therapeutic interventions. The
families described were parenting in adverse circumstances
with multiple and complex needs. Despite indications of
developmental delay, or neglect and abuse, a number
of the children referred to the program had not been
assessed or treated by the multiple community services.
Their problems lie below the “threshold for statutory
intervention” until a crisis occurs. The cases also reveal the
lack of coordinated support for parents, which compromise
the care they are able to provide, particularly at critical
transitions, e.g., family reunification. The authors note the
lack of integration between service systems – health care,
education, NGOs and child protection – which form a
frayed patchwork of services exacerbated by fly-in fly-out
service delivery. The authors call for integrated services
that are grounded in the communities. In particular, they
advocate for preventative engagement with families over
time rather than as response to crisis.
in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, models
of health, intercultural interactions and current workforce
issues. One chapter is also dedicated to Indigenous
health in a global context which provides comparison and
discussion of health care service delivery and the health
status of Indigenous populations in Canada, New Zealand
and the United States of America. The final chapter covers
one of the most important components of
cultural safety: reflection on practice.
Of greatest value in this book are
the thoughtfully constructed scenarios,
learning and critical thinking activities
embedded within each chapter. A wide
variety of resources including directions
to websites, DVDs and readings are
also included in each chapter. The
authors have also considered how the
content and activities can be applied to
the reader’s local context, by providing
“Making it local” suggestions within each
chapter for contemplation by the reader.
For example, the authors challenge the
reader to find out information such as the
traditional land where the reader lives and
local health issues and their contributing
factors. Readers are also encouraged to identify possible
experiences of institutional racism during student clinical
placement, and become familiar with local Indigenous
controlled health services.
For speech pathologists, topics of particular interest
include ageing, dementia and disability, and the influence
of Indigenous health beliefs for these areas of practice.
Intercultural assessments are also discussed, particularly
the “cultural bias that renders most standardised tests
ineffective or inappropriate” (p. 100) for Aboriginal
Australians. One of the activities in this section requires
readers to review current assessment tools, to identify any
cultural bias in these tools and what the consequences
of this bias may be for assessment. The section on
“Communication with Indigenous language speakers” also
warrants attention from speech pathologists. Included in
this section are subtopics exploring body language, health
literacy and rapport development. Overall, this book is an
excellent foundational resource for all practising health
professionals, students and education providers.
Taylor, K., & Guerin, P. (2014). Health care and
Indigenous Australians: Cultural safety in practice (2nd
ed.). South Yarra, Vic.: Palgrave Macmillan; pp. 220;
ISBN-13: 9781420256871; $72.95; http://www.
Frances Cochrane
Cultural safety “requires care to be
determined by the recipient of care. It is
not restricted to culture as indicated by
ethnicity. It requires health professionals to
reflect on their own cultural identify and on
their relative power as a healthcare
provider” (p. 11). Taylor and Guerin’s
second edition of Health Care and
Indigenous Australians: Cultural Safety in
Practice provides an invaluable resource
for all health professionals and students.
This easy-to-read book introduces the
concept of cultural safety in relation to
Indigenous health issues and is an
excellent starting point for clinicians and
students for understanding this sometimes
complex area and also how to apply the
principles to everyday practice. As
highlighted by the authors, health professionals have the
opportunity to contribute to enhancing health outcomes for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through
creating culturally safe environments. The Australian
Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council and the Royal
College of Nursing have endorsed the cultural safety
approach outlined in this book.
Both authors have considerable experience in
intercultural health care practice and working in remote
communities of Australia. Although nursing professionals
are the primary audience of this book, the content,
reflection activities, scenarios and critical thinking tasks
are able to be easily applied to all health professionals,
including speech pathologists. This second edition includes
statistical and models-of-care updates, as well as the
inclusion of chapters on health policies related to these
populations and Indigenous health priorities.
The 14 chapters in the book address topics such as
definitions and terminologies, cultural frameworks for
health, determinants of health, the current status of health
Resource review