News:
Health Literacy for Indigenous Women in Perth
Statistics show that 59% of people between the ages of 15-74 don’t have adequate Health Literacy, and that Western Australia was amongst the worst performing Regions in the country (4233 Health Literacy Australia ABS 2008). The ‘Women in Partnership Aboriginal Women’s Health Forum’ brings together eight health agencies, who take the opportunity to improve health literacy amongst indigenous groups in WA by promoting their messages with a united approach.
Centacare Employment and Training participated in the most recent forum in Cockburn on the 16th of September 2009, promoting the Language Literacy and Numeracy Program, funded by the Australian Government (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations). With an additional $86.5m for foundation skills announced in the 2009-2010 Federal Budget, there is an increase in opportunities to deliver pre-vocational, and language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) support, particularly for Indigenous Australians. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) have also adopted an Indigenous Education Statement: Towards the Development of an Indigenous Education Action Plan, which also gives scope to working more closely with indigenous groups on improving literacy and numeracy targets (COAG, July 2009). Centacare is taking a consultative position, working alongside other organisations to embed Language, Literacy and Numeracy in a way that is both relevant and timely.
In an effort to collaborate more widely across the community, Centacare is now welcoming enquiries from organisations who are interested in collaborating on Health Literacy Projects. With over 33 years experience in WA as a not-for-profit organisation, providing training and employment solutions to the community - Centacare is eager to connect with individuals and organisations to further initiatives in improving language, literacy and numeracy in WA.
If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with one of our staff please call on (08) 9482 7000 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)