Lack of knowledge and understanding of disability among mainstream workforces can be a significant barrier to inclusion and access. Government can play an important role in shifting broader community attitudes by ensuring public sector workforces are disability-confident and inclusive.
'Educate staff and support workers about what disability looks like in our community and culture. Educate about First Nations perspectives on disability.'
– Consultation participant
We will build the diversity of key workforces and capability around inclusive service delivery. This includes building awareness about the social model of disability, intersectional approaches and Aboriginal cultural safety. This will include:
- continuing to implement Getting to work: Victorian public sector disability employment action plan 2018–2025, led by the Victorian Secretaries Board, to build more diverse and inclusive workforces
- building a shared understanding across government of what constitutes disability confidence in specific workforces and prioritising workforces for piloting disability-led approaches to awareness and inclusion training
- leveraging the work of specialist disability roles such as: disability liaison officers in health services and in children and family services; specialist disability practitioners; principal disability practice advisors; and family violence and disability practice leader roles – this will help build disability inclusion capacity in other settings and workforces
- building the system capability and awareness of Aboriginal culture and history, which increases the ability to deliver culturally safe services to Aboriginal people with disability
- a particular focus in the first two years of the plan on the following workforces: health, children and family services; family violence and sexual assault services; housing; justice; and education. Specific actions in relation to these workforces are identified in the next section of the plan.
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