Twenty more diplomas for community worlers

JAY FIELDING

A GROUP of locals has proved to be a class act, completing important qualifications.

Twenty indigenous people have graduated with diplomas, 19 in Child, Youth and Family Intervention and one in Community Services.

The qualification will lead to new job opportunities and payrises for some, and further study for others.

The training was facilitated by local indigenous community development organisation MCDATSIC.

It was delivered by David and Angela Bradford from the DaV’ange Group and Bradford Institute of Advanced Education.

Mr Bradford said the course helped develop skills and also recognised the experience students had with vulnerable children.

He said the training mostly dealt with managing trauma, abuse histories and relevant cultural issues, as well as case planning, referral networks and working within the community services sector to bring about positive outcomes.

“We talk a lot about advocacy, and helping these workers advocate for (children),” Mr Bradford said.

“Fundamentally, we do a lot of work on communication skills and how they can develop trust, build rapport and build the helping relationship with these kids in order to be able to actually assist them,” he said.

“Just showing up and saying to a kid ‘Do you want help?’ isn’t particularly helpful, unless you’ve actually held rapport and you’ve got the sort of relationship with them that helps you do that.”

Mr Bradford said the graduates could get credit for human services degrees using their new diplomas.

Juanita Mason used the training as professional development.

Born and raised in Maryborough, the proud Butchulla woman has a background in community services and helps run MCDATSIC.

“We create opportunities and pathways for locals to achieve their goals in employment in training, as well as community engagement,” Ms Mason said.

“For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people there are a lot of opportunities out there but sometimes they don’t know how to go about that,” she said.

Ms Mason said the organisation was successful in recording high attendance and completion rates at its courses through community engagement, reaching out to locals to identify their needs.

“It’s all about communication and it’s all about that encouragement and empowerment, guiding them to a safe space where they don’t feel shame, where they don’t feel embarrassed, and they feel confident,” she said. “We’re here to build people’s confidence.”

Ms Mason said MCDATSIC also played a crucial role in breaking down persistent stereotypes about indigenous people and employment.

“Every one of them in this room want to work,” she said.

“All the people that we engage with, they want to work.

“It’s about creating a space for them to achieve that pathway.”

Some participants have done just that.

“This year, people have already got jobs lined up from doing this,” Ms Mason said.

“This will accredit them to go into further employment, as well as being paid their worth.”