Slide 1

For John to receive culturally appropriate care as an Aboriginal youth, it is crucial that he
accesses a local community Aboriginal resource/organisation. Given the diagnosis of type 1
diabetes mellitus, a local Aboriginal People organisation is the Ballarat and District Aboriginal
Cooperative, also known as BADAC. This organisation was founded in 1979 and the services
provided by this organisation are founded on the principles of ‘Social Inclusion’ which promote
physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual health of Aboriginal People (BADAC, 2023a).
This part of the presentation will investigate how the practices of this organisation aligns with the
best practices while dealing with Aboriginal youth.
Slide 2
For a community organisation to be relevant to the case of John, it should provide services
related to the specific diagnosis of the individual. According to the organisation’s services page,
they offer services related to chronic disease management, and diabetes and asthma education to
both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people (BADAC, 2023b). According to Burnside et al.
(2023), diabetes management in Aboriginal People is significantly related to education and
empowerment to foster self-management. It was also argued that culture should also be a major
aspect of diabetes services provided to Aboriginal People (Burnside et al., 2023). Sanders et al.
(2018) notes that the theme of we are in it together is especially relevant to young people
diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the context of services they are receiving from a local
community organisation. In line with these best practices, an investigation of BADAC’s strategic
plan (2021) indicates that they offer culturally appropriate and culturally sensitive health services
to Aboriginal People.
Slide 3
According to Sadlon et al. (2020), significant differences exist between Western and Aboriginal
teaching styles due to which it is necessary that organisations engaged in providing health-related
education to the Aboriginal People adopt Indigenous teaching styles. BADAC (2021) notes that
all of their services are culturally appropriate and sensitive which implies that they adopt
Aboriginal methods in the provision of services and education. According to McNamara et al.
(2018), the levels of psychological distress in Aboriginal People diagnosed with diabetes is
substantially higher which impacts their social and emotional wellbeing. Given this disparity,
studies by McNamara et al. (2018) and Sanders et al. (2018) argue that the social and emotional
wellbeing of Aboriginal youth should also be considered during the provision of diabetes
services. BADAC notes that they have implemented a ‘Youth Engagement Program’ where
Aboriginal youth with physical, social and emotional issues are provided services in a culturally
appropriate way. This indicates that the organisation services are holistic and considers the non-
physical impacts of chronic diseases.
Slide 4
Through their Youth Engagement Program and culturally appropriate services, BADAC ensures
that Aboriginal youth receives tailored services which aligns with their needs and preferences. In
their values section, the organisation notes that they value shared knowledge which is an
indicator of shared decision-making (BADAC, 2021); providing the individual with complete
autonomy so that they have complete control of their lives. The strategies implemented with this
organisation in relation to the scenario of John are, therefore, aligned with best practice
guidelines.