1. Common Themes and Priorities identified by the
National Indigenous Education and Boarding Symposium workshop groups

2. Summary Funding for Indigenous boarding
The following are the key themes and priorities from the workshops held at National Indigenous Education and Boarding Symposium:
Funding for Indigenous boarding
High quality mandatory national boarding standard
Transition processes
Boarding workforce development and training
Student health and wellbeing
Community engagement incorporating cultural practices
Cross sector partnerships and communication
These themes and priorities, expanded in the following slides, were identified as issues for further exploration and action.
They were presented in the final session of the Symposium.

3. Funding for Indigenous boarding
ABSTUDY - defining it as educational not welfare
Equity of outcome, current distribution of resources is inequitable, this needs to be considered in order to obtain equitable outcomes for all
Funding needs to be student centred and needs based
Look at current funding in sector and ensure that there is appropriate provision for all not just some.

4. High quality mandatory national boarding standard
Independently reviewed
Self assessment not sufficient
Should incorporate peer review and external oversight
Formal governance
The current document must be reviewed in light of the knowledge currently available, regarding risk etc, within the document there must be a section that specifically addresses Indigenous boarding and scholarship.
Establishing a National Indigenous Education and Boarding group to develop a National Framework. 

5. Transition processes from community
to boarding and also returning to community
after boarding
Culture shock upon leaving
Maintaining Cultural connectedness- essential not negotiable
Assisting with the transition process back to community
Child safety in travel to and from Boarding
Need to consider the impact of exclusions.

6. Boarding workforce development and training
Professionalising the workforce and industry (in-service and pre-service)
Minimum Cert 4 and be working towards a diploma
Staff development always with cultural competency at the centre
Qualifications for the leadership roles as it is a key component
Appropriate remuneration to attract and retain suitably qualified staff
Essential that there is qualified and trained Indigenous staff within Boarding
Increasing the number of qualified and trained Indigenous staff
Trauma informed training is necessary.

7. Student health and wellbeing
Knowing the history of the student and having appropriate medical and trauma informed care processes: What’s the best practice of information sharing?
Medical history
Social, family, community history
FASD diagnoses
Health: having accessibility to health services to deal with medical conditions and understand the social determinants of Indigenous health
All ties in to boarding and schools being prepared and ready to home and educate the children coming from a remote community
Child wellbeing services
Emphasising and listening to the student voice!
Action - Tap into the national mental health framework that will be released
Life changing education, creating opportunities beyond schooling
Having child safe policies, going beyond policy to nurture student wellbeing
Child safety in travel to and from boarding.

8. Increasing community engagement
incorporating more cultural practices into boarding
and education
Importance of culture and language
Increased governance by Indigenous communities and families within education and boarding
Community voice must be captured, respected, listened to and enacted upon
In order for change to occur the industry must work collaboratively together, in the interest of the child, not the organisation’s incentives
Cultural competency and awareness training and evaluation within all sectors is essential

9. Cross sector partnerships and communication
All sectors collaborate with a student based focus
Partnerships and information being shared between parents, teachers, community knowledge, students and boarding
Information sharing protocols established so boarding providers have full information

10. © Boarding Australia April 2018
© Boarding Australia April 2018
PO Box 1008 Clearview SA 5085
Phone
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