Ngulluk Moort, Ngulluk Boodja, Ngulluk Wirin (our family, our country, our spirit): An Aboriginal Participatory Action Research study protocol

• Published in: PloS one 2024-07, Vol.19 (7), p.e0301237
• Main Authors: Hamilton, Sharynne Lee, Jones, Larissa, Penny, Millie, Pell, Charmaine, Ilich, Nicole, Michie, Carol, Mutch, Raewyn, O'Donnell, Melissa, Shepherd, Carrington, Farrant, Brad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aboriginal Australians; Australia; Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; Biology and Life Sciences; Caregivers; Child; Child placement; Child welfare; Children; Children & youth; Community; Community-Based Participatory Research; Culture; Data collection; Families & family life; Family; Female; Focus Groups; Health services; Health Services, Indigenous; Home care; Humans; Inclusion; Indigenous peoples; Inequality; Male; Medical ethics; Mental health; Native peoples; Participatory action research; People and Places; Planning; Qualitative Research; Research and Analysis Methods; Research Design; Research methods; Sampling; Sampling methods; Sampling techniques; Science Policy; Social Sciences; Social services; Social services delivery; Study Protocol; Well being
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301237

Globally, Indigenous children have historical and contemporary connections with government child protection services that have caused significant harm to their long-term health and wellbeing. Innovative, culturally secure and recovery focussed service provision is required. This paper describes a research protocol that has been designed by Indigenous researchers led by Indigenous Elders, to explore culturally secure care planning and service delivery in out-of-home care agencies in Australia. Using participatory action research methods, we will collect data using a variety of forums, including focus groups and semi-structured interviews. These data will explore the challenges for out-of-home care agencies in providing culturally secure care-planning, cultural activity and resources, and explore solutions to address factors that influence health and can assist to redress social inequities for Indigenous children. We aim to recruit approximately 100 participants for the qualitative study and 40 participants for the quantitative survey. Study participants will initially be recruited using purposive sampling, and as the study progresses will be recruited using a mixture of purposive and convenience sampling techniques. The rich data that this study is expected to yield, will inform ways to collect cultural information about Indigenous children and ways to provide cultural connections and activities that will have benefit to Indigenous children and families, and a broad range of social services.