Supporting Aboriginal community organisations to use research
and information to help improve their services is a part of the CRC
for Aboriginal Health’s Capacity Development Strategy.
Aboriginal organisations receive many requests to be involved in
research projects, but in the past have felt they received very
little in return from the research. Many organisations have been
suspicious of working with researchers because of lack of trust,
lack of control or simply from not knowing what might be involved.
Increasingly Aboriginal organisations are coming to see that they
can use research for their own benefit.
The CRC for Aboriginal Health is committed to Aboriginal people
leading the development of CRC for Aboriginal Health research
priorities and being fully involved in the CRC’s
research activities at all levels. With two Aboriginal Medical
Services as partners (Congress and Danila Dilba) and represented on
the Board, community organisations play an important role in
leading the CRC for Aboriginal Health, as well as in being involved
in setting priorities and doing the research.
The CRC for Aboriginal Health has been working to support
Aboriginal organisations by:
- putting Aboriginal people in the driving seat in deciding what
should be researched (for CRC-funded research projects);
- providing ways for the Aboriginal health sector to get a feel
for research in ways that are manageable and safe (for instance, by
taking part in the review of research projects or industry
roundtables);
- funding projects initiated by community organisations; (for
example: Aboriginal Health
Council of South Australia, and Victorian
Aboriginal Health Service).
- ensuring community organisations are involved in research
projects as real partners;
- carrying out research projects that show how health services
can use their own data to help improve their services;
- supporting Aboriginal Health Workers to take up research (read
Carolyn
Thompson's story) or to become a CRC for Aboriginal Health Link
person (read Cyril Oliver's
story).
To read more about how the CRCAH has helped Aboriginal
people to develop research skills go to supporting
researchers and students.
To read about Aboriginal students go to student
profiles.
To read more about the Aboriginal control of research,
go to the CRCAH approach to
research.
