By Louise Richter, APS Academy
The APS Academy is pleased to launch the Cultural Capability page on APS People.
It provides the APS with information, practical guidance, resources and tools to uplift cultural capability and promote culturally safe and inclusive practices.
Cultural capability enables us to understand, empathise and work effectively with people of all cultural backgrounds in order achieve favourable outcomes for our culturally diverse nation. Cultural capability is the continuous learning of skills, knowledge, behaviours, actions, decisions and systems, which better supports and improves our projects, programs, policies and services to be reflective of the people we serve.
Uplifting cultural capability across the APS is a key priority for the government and directly supports the APS Reform Agenda. By uplifting cultural capability, we position the APS as a model employer, improving the experience of First Nations and culturally diverse employees and boosting culturally inclusive employment in the APS.
Additionally, uplifting cultural capability contributes to the commitments of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and the Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Strategy 2020-24.
The Cultural Capability page seeks to provide guidance which focuses on strengthening system-wide cultural capability for Australia’s multi-cultural society.
New Cultural Capability learning now available!
The Cultural Capability Hub
The Australian Public Service Commission in partnership with the National Indigenous Australians Agency and the Department of Defence have developed the Cultural Capability Hub (the Hub).
The Hub includes interactive, self-paced eLearning modules with links to practical guidance, suggested tools and resources for all APS employees.
The Hub supports agencies and staff of all levels to use and apply the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Capability - A Framework for Commonwealth Agencies to identify strengths and gaps in their cultural skills and knowledge. This supports the development of learning initiatives to improve workforce cultural capability and provides the tools needed to deliver outcomes and work in a culturally informed way.
Visit the Cultural Capability Hub to uplift your Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural capability.
Coming soon!
Footprints Framework
The National Indigenous Australians Agency’s Footprints Framework is an award-winning, cross-cultural learning framework that supports ongoing cultural capability development.
Footprints develops cross-cultural capability through learners undertaking a range of activities from reading a book, watching a movie, participating in Diwali or on Country experiences. Key to the Framework is providing learners the opportunity to reflect on the activity, including how their participation developed their cross-cultural capability and the relationship to the work they do.
The APS Academy will continue to add more resources that support cultural capability uplift, including Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) learning and resources.
Do you know of other APS resources that could be shared to help build APS People Cultural Capability? Please contact the APS Academy via CraftLearning@apsc.gov.au.