Culturally Safe Support and Planning

Listen

Analysis of Lifetime Care Scheme participant survey data indicated that Lifetime Care may have an overrepresentation of First Nations participants. In addition, feedback from frontline service teams reported incidences of low engagement with First Nations participants which contributed to concerns about long-term health and wellbeing outcomes.

Learn

Two key insights were gathered:

• Processes did not support recording of First Nations identity if a participant shared this in service and support planning
• A lack of cultural safety perceptions in interactions with our teams may have been contributing to low engagement with some First Nations participants.

Act

Changes were implemented to the scheme case management system, application, and planning documents to record First Nations identity for willing participants. This indicates to icare and treatment providers the importance of First Nations cultural considerations with their treatment, rehabilitation, and care.

A First Nations Cultural Advisor and Mentor (CAM) service was piloted to better support participants by connecting them to culturally appropriate services and offering specialist advice to providers, aiming to improve engagement and care outcomes.

Feedback on the pilot, which ended in March 2025, was overwhelmingly positive. It confirmed the model’s value in meeting needs, building provider capability, and improving outcomes for First Nations participants. It validated the assumptions and identified potential barriers to long term success. Lifetime Care is committed to refining the service model and strengthening community networks to enhance treatment and care outcomes.