Beyond Awareness – Reframing Cultural Awareness in our Sector

Is Cultural Awareness just another box to tick or should it be the beginning of seeing the world around you in a whole new way?

All too often, cultural awareness is a reactionary response. The real power of cultural awareness lies in doing the work before these moments so that best practice is already in place.

An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person walking into a workspace should already feel warm, welcomed, and respected. The service environment is should already be a culturally safe place where trust can be built upon and offer comforting responses to their needs in a moment of crisis.

Beyond Awareness: Culturally Safe Practice in Our Sector is exactly the tool to help our sector practitioners with their own personal and cultural shifts from performative gestures to that of genuine preparation in body, mind and spirit. This program is not about starting from scratch, but on what is already known. Beyond Awareness gives us the opportunity to reflect on a deeper level, to unpack and consider where knowledge came from, and how this knowledge was framed.

Are there still unconscious biases that are operating beneath the surface? 

In a safe place that’s conducive to conversation, it’s less focused on learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and instead, invites practitioners to notice the stories we carry, sometimes from childhood, and be curious while exploring common beliefs and assumptions. The Beyond Awareness space is not for debating, but for dialogue, grounded in respect and learning.

Through this powerful and evocative workshop, participants are supported to move beyond their current practice by embedding culturally responsive practice into their everyday work. They gain practical tools, including developing a personalised action plan, that can adapt and grow with them. Participating practitioners also explore reflective practices to help check in with themselves when unconscious bias, stereotypes or racism might show up inadvertently. (It won’t happen overnight, right?) This helps move from ‘one size fits all’ approaches and confidently develops thoughtful context-specific responses when working with peoples whose cultures are different to their own.

Beyond Awareness: Culturally Safe Practice in Our Sector becomes not just a learning experience, but an unlearning one as well when we show up with curiosity, humility and connection. Cultural awareness requires continual effort, attention and engagement from sector, to ensure we are maintaining best practice and routinely checking our behaviour.

So far, Beyond Awareness has been delivered in six locations across the state, with more sessions on the way.  New dates and regions will be announced soon, so keep an eye open on our website and social media for an opportunity near you. If you are interested in Beyond Awareness being run near you, contact Jade or Rona at workforce@healingfoundation.org.au.

Showcasing Student Internship Models

If you want to strengthen your approach to student placements in the specialist sector, this SOAR! session provides inspiration and peer-led insights. You’ll hear what’s working, what’s possible, and how others are navigating challenges — from supervision models to student wellbeing and retention.

In Episode 3 of SOAR!, we’ll explore how placements can be more than just a learning experience — they can be a launchpad for long-term workforce development. You’ll hear from Alex and Simon from YFS, who will share insights into a Men’s Behaviour Change Program internship model — a powerful example of how placements can contribute meaningfully to complex, client-centred work.

We’ll also return to the outback, where Human Services Manager at Lifeline Darling Downs, Alison Casey, will share updates on remote placements in Charleville. This model, first introduced in Episode 1, has sparked sector-wide interest for creative supervision structures and strong community integration.

This session is part of the SOAR! Student Placements Showcase Series — a four-part lunch & learn designed to support the growth of DFV, sexual violence, and women’s health and wellbeing workforce. This episode spotlights innovative student placement models and supports, with a focus on how placements can be designed to benefit both students and the sector.

Whether you’re already hosting students or just starting to explore the idea, this is a chance to connect with others who are building a more supported, skilled, and sustainable workforce.

Episode 3 will be held online at 12pm on 27 August 2025, so register now or contact workforce@healingfoundation.org.au for more information.

Feminist Governance Toolkit – Supporting Leadership in our Sector

At WorkUP Queensland, we understand the importance of effective, high-quality governance across the sector. We are delighted to let you know about the Feminist Governance Toolkit, which is designed to complement existing governance training and resources.

Board members contribute valuable governance experience, financial expertise, sector knowledge, and lived experience. What sets this governance resource apart is its focus on the unique context of boards serving gendered violence services in Queensland. The toolkit supports these diverse groups to connect with each other and with the purpose of their work in ways appropriate for board-level engagement.

After the sector identified it as a need, the toolkit’s creation was informed by feedback gathered through consultations, workshops, and workforce planning activities. A key feature of the toolkit is the insights from sector leaders and board members.  These tips and stories share wisdom such as applying a gendered lens to governance, clarity about roles and responsibilities, and what it means to work in solidarity.

The toolkit is easy to access online and includes a video series and workbook, including reflective questions for individuals and boards. Since board members can be time poor, the toolkit was designed to be explored in chunks over time. There are also links to other programs and resources that can be accessed as needed, so users can go through resources as lightly or as deeply as they choose.

We encourage you to actively explore the toolkit, identify how its resources can strengthen your service, and share them widely with your board.

Keep a look out for our Feminist Governance Toolkit Launch coming up in November and a huge thank you to everyone who helped create of this resource.

Welcome to Our Sector: An Induction Program for New Workers is Back!

Set your team members up for success. New workers in our sector are crucial in growing the workforce, so quality, consistent onboarding is a must. Welcome to our Sector builds confidence and grounds new workers in the shared purpose, language, and values that underpin our work.

This induction program was created with the sector, in response to concerns raised during our first Workforce Plan and is designed to complement internal onboarding. Participants connect with peers across Queensland, building relationships and professional networks that support long-term collaboration and retention.

This sector-wide induction offers a rich, engaging learning experience through real-world case studies, stories from lived experience advocates, and insights from experienced frontline practitioners. Participants explore key legislation, foundational concepts of gendered violence, and the collaborative systems that shape our collective response. This ensures new workers understand their role in the sector and feel connected to the work we do collectively.

Welcome to our Sector is back for 2025, with two offerings before the end of the year.

• Course 1: 30 September, 7 October and 14 October
• Course 2: 25 November, 2 December and 9 December

The online induction is a three-part series, so full participation in all sessions is required. Register early to secure a place for your new team members.

Reflective Practice – What Does ‘Good’ Look Like?

Evoke Insightful Conversations and Transformative Thinking with the Reflective Practice Toolkit

WorkUP Queensland is launching a new resource, focusing on reflective practice to support workforce capability.

Recognising the importance of reflective approaches across all roles in our sector, services requested practical resources to integrate into everyday practice. The Reflective Practice Toolkit is your go-to resource to inspire meaningful conversations, critical reflection, and fresh perspectives—whether you’re working with in teams, with your peers, or engaging in self-reflection.

This practical, interactive toolkit has been thoughtfully designed to support individuals and organisations in applying the Workforce Capability Framework through Domain 5, focusing on reflection and self-awareness. This domain encourages us to connect with our purpose and consider how we ‘show up’, maintaining focus, energy, and resilience.

The toolkit includes role-specific card sets, a team card set, and reflective practice models aligned with the framework. With a range of engaging card prompts and accompanying reflective practice models, it can be tailored to suit any setting or style of facilitation.

WorkUP is excited to launch this valuable new resource for the sector. We appreciate the valuable feedback from individuals and services that helped shape and test these resources, and we are excited to hear how they will be applied in practice. Aligned with the Workforce Capability Framework, the Reflective Practice Toolkit is set to become a cornerstone for professional growth and team development.

To keep up to date with the Reflective Practice Toolkit, subscribe to WorkUP’s mailing list.

Familiar with the Workforce Capability Framework?  Help us gather information on how it is being used, and where we can improve. Complete this short survey.

Thank You for Joining the Coercive Control Roundtable – Your Voice Matters

Thank you to everyone who attended Responding Together: A practitioner roundtable on coercive control legislation. Your presence, insights, and honesty shaped a powerful day of learning, reflection, and connection.

The conversations revealed a sector deeply engaged in the complexity of change. The sector called for collaboration, truth-telling, and victim-survivor-led approaches, recognising we all have a vital role in supporting CALD, First Nations and other victim-survivors who may be further impacted by these laws. Your contributions affirmed the importance of creating space to listen, share, and challenge one another with care and courage.

This roundtable was just the beginning. Your voices will directly inform our next steps, as we work to strengthen the capacity and capability of our sector as we grapple with this new law and maintain the momentum.

We will continue to gather resources on coercive control in Queensland and look forward to hearing your continued hopes and concerns as we navigate implementation of this new legislation.