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CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
'I have to jump like a kangaroo … I have to slither like a snake'. A qualitative evaluation of elder-led art workshops in the child protection sector
Studies in the education of adults
2025
Abstract
Indigenous peoples globally have incurred significant harm resulting from colonisation and the forced removal of children from their families, culture, communities and Country. Over the last two decades in Australia, there have been calls for significant reform and there has been a raft of policy changes in child protection services. However the problems are intractable, and the numbers of Indigenous children being removed from their families continues to rise. While cultural training is seen as a quintessential component of service reform, the quality of training has been variable and rarely evaluated. This study evaluates an innovative, Elder-led approach to cultural training of non-Indigenous out-of-home care workers, using art workshops as a medium for assessing training effectiveness. Participants created post-training artworks and told the stories of their artworks, describing the lessons learned from a series of five cultural training activities. Participants articulated a hopeful reimagining for a different future of child protection practice, and their art underscored the importance of facilitating and maintaining Aboriginal children's connection to kin, family, community and Country. The findings suggest that Elder-led arts-based approaches can support critical thinking and reflective practice, which are essential for decolonising adult and Indigenous education when advocating for change.
Details
- Title
- 'I have to jump like a kangaroo … I have to slither like a snake'. A qualitative evaluation of elder-led art workshops in the child protection sector
- Authors/Creators
- Sharynne Hamilton - Univ Western Australia, Kids Res Inst Australia, Perth, AustraliaSarah Maslen - RMIT Univ, Melbourne, AustraliaLarissa Jones - Univ Western Australia, Kids Res Inst Australia, Perth, AustraliaMillie Penny - Univ Western Australia, Kids Res Inst Australia, Perth, AustraliaCharmaine Pell - Univ Western Australia, Kids Res Inst Australia, Perth, AustraliaCarol Michie - Univ Western Australia, Kids Res Inst Australia, Perth, AustraliaRaewyn Mutch - Univ Western Australia, Kids Res Inst Australia, Perth, AustraliaMelissa O'Donnell - Univ South Australia, Adelaide, AustraliaCarrington Shepherd - Curtin UniversityBrad Farrant - Univ Western Australia, Kids Res Inst Australia, Perth, Australia
- Publication Details
- Studies in the education of adults
- Publisher
- Informa UK limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
- Number of pages
- 20
- Grant note
- MacKillop Family Services and Life Without Barriers, for embracing culturally secure practices for Aboriginal children National Health and Medical Research Council; National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia
- Identifiers
- 991005870543707891
- Copyright
- © 2025 the author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Ngangk Yira Institute for Change
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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