The Aboriginal Health Impact Statement is used by NSW Health organisations to 'incorporate the health needs and interests of Aboriginal people in the development of new and revised health policies, programs and strategies'.
Applying an ‘Aboriginal health lens’ to programs at an early stage aims to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people by ensuring the health needs of Aboriginal people are carefully considered. It also assists to identify opportunities to improve access to healthcare, achieve equity, develop effective partnerships and conduct meaningful consultations.
Key learnings
- Start early, it’s a living document and you can add to it throughout your process.
- Get support, talk to someone who’s done it before.
- Don’t do it alone, work on it in a small group so you get a range of perspectives in the conversation.
- Exploring undesired impacts and consequences at the start of project is useful.
- It helped us realise where opportunities are and identify work already underway.
- Completing the AHIS can really add value to your project.
Resources
The ACI has produced a short animation and information sheet to help embed this practice across the organisation and guide our staff through the process.