Responding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Aspirations to Foster Self-Determination and Social and Emotional Wellbeing: Developing an evaluation framework

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  Project Leader
  Prof. Margaret Kelaher

  CHP-enquiries@unimelb.edu.au

Project Details

This research project is funded by a 4-year NHMRC grant and involves a range of stakeholders including the University of Melbourne and Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV). This project aims to evaluate the effect of a regionally tailored, Aboriginal-led life-coaching service on the health cultural, spiritual, social and emotional, wellbeing (SEWB) of Aboriginal people who are tenants of Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV).

Background

This project builds on an AHV pilot project conducted in the City of Whittlesea in 2017 and extends the potential benefits of the program to a broader range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Victoria. The initial project piloted a household survey examining the health cultural, spiritual, social and emotional, wellbeing (SEWB) of Aboriginal people. From this AHV trialled the provision of life coaching to assist tenants in setting and achieving aspirations and goals. The initial pilot of life coaching was successful in supporting participants in attaining a range of goals. AHV and the community wished to develop evidence to demonstrate the success of the approach and with the University of Melbourne successfully applied for a NHMRC research grant.

Project aims

The specific aims of the project are to

1) Combine Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing with epidemiological methods to describe and evaluate the impacts of a life-coaching service on the SEWB, physical health, housing, education, and financial wellbeing of Aboriginal people

2) Describe the patterns and trends in measures of SEWB over time among Aboriginal people opting in or opting out of this life-coaching service.

3) understand the impact of life coaching through collecting qualitative data on participants progress with goals, reflections on strengths used to achieve goals and their experience of life coaching