Building an Aboriginal allied health workforce to enhance culturally responsive care

The Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) SEED Allied Health Aboriginal Cadetship supports Aboriginal students into professional allied health roles, strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation across the workforce. The programme responds to a longstanding societal barrier which leads to Aboriginal staff often being confined to support roles, with limited access to professional pathways and leadership.¹ By creating structured entry points into allied health careers, the cadetship contributes to a workforce that better reflects the communities it serves and supports culturally safe care.

Crucially, the SEED Allied Health Aboriginal Cadetship was co-designed with Aboriginal people through extensive cultural consultation. It was developed by CALHN Aboriginal Workforce consultant Lenore Bagnara, with ongoing input from senior staff Ngara Keeler and Trish Laccos, alongside community members. This approach is strengthening pathways into employment and embedding cultural expertise within the allied health workforce, supporting more culturally responsive care. These leaders also provided cultural authority for the conference poster and this article. Co-design remains central to the programme’s development.

The cadetship is a key action within Listening, Caring, Healing: Aboriginal Health Framework and Action Plan 2022 to 2027, developed in partnership with Aboriginal communities. It challenges systems that have historically marginalised Aboriginal patients and staff by embedding cultural safety into workforce planning, supervision, and service delivery.

Cadets receive paid, hands-on experience across allied health disciplines, with flexible arrangements that recognise work, family, and cultural responsibilities.

The programme is driving broader organisational change and has influenced recruitment practices and workforce planning within the Allied Health Directorate. This work is supported by allied health leadership, who have helped establish partnerships with a local Aboriginal training organisation to support culturally informed supervision training and structured mentorship.

Early feedback from cadets has been positive. Leanne Stewart, practice lead at the Central Adelaide Local Health Network, SA Health, Government of South Australia, said participants described the programme as “very helpful” and reported feeling “like a staff member as well as a student” 

By building CALHN’s Aboriginal workforce, the cultural perspectives and lived experience of Aboriginal employees positively influence how services are delivered, with the goal that consumers experience culturally safe care.

Presenting this work at the Canberra Forum in 2025 shaped its next phase. Sharing outcomes and challenges with peers undertaking similar initiatives supported reflection beyond social work and informed plans to strengthen evaluation and feedback processes, ensuring the programme’s impact is clearly demonstrated and sustained.

CALHN SEED Allied Health Aboriginal Cadetship Programme team tell us they attended the Forum because it was the best place to showcase the programme, learn from similar approaches internationally, and make connections with others undertaking this work. The International Forum has since prompted internal discussions with senior leaders and working groups focused on recruitment and retention of Aboriginal staff.