FAMILY LIFE’S RECONCILIATION JOURNEY Oct 2024 – April 2026 Family Life is committed to building meaningful and respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations. Through our first Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), we have taken practical steps to strengthen cultural understanding, build community connections and embed reconciliation across our organisation. We’re still on our reconciliation journey and recognise that we have much more to learn. Through our Reflect RAP we’ve focused on building genuine relationships, increasing cultural understanding and engaging respectfully with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We’re seeking opportunities for our staff to learn directly from First Nations voices and perspectives, and we greatly value the expertise and lived experience that community leaders and organisations can share.
Building Relationships with Community Over the past 18 months, we have established and strengthened relationships with a number of local First Nations organisations and Gathering Places, including: • Casey Aboriginal Gathering Place • Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association • Nairm Marr Djambana • Derrimut Weelam Gathering Place • Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) • Dandenong & District Aboriginal Co-operative Ltd (DDACL) ur staff and leaders have attended O community-led events, NAIDOC celebrations and local gatherings, creating opportunities for shared learning, relationship building and ongoing collaboration.
Raising Awareness and Cultural Understanding We have worked to build cultural awareness across our workforce through: • Organisation-wide NAIDOC Week and National Reconciliation Week initiatives • Staff access to the Red Dust NAIDOC Yarn webinar • Promotion of National Sorry Day, Mabo Day, Close the Gap Day and other significant dates • Creation of a dedicated First Nations Resource Hub for staff • Cultural learning opportunities, including webinars, walking tours and communityled events • Regular reconciliation communications through newsletters, SharePoint and allstaff communications • Spent time on Country with Aboriginal Elder and Artist, Adam Magennis These activities have helped increase understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and perspectives across the organisation.
Demonstrating Respect Family Life has strengthened awareness of cultural protocols and acknowledgement practices by: • Developing resources about Traditional Owners and Country across our service regions • Embedding cultural information and resources into staff communications • Increasing visibility of reconciliation activities through our First Nations Resource Hub • Considering cultural protocols and First Nations participation in organisational events and communications hese initiatives support a more culturally T informed and respectful workplace.
FAMILY LIFE’S RECONCILIATION JOURNEY Oct 2024 – April 2026
Supporting Community-Led Initiatives Family Life has actively supported First Nations-led events and initiatives through: • Sponsorship of local NAIDOC Week celebrations and community dinners • Promotion of local First Nations events to staff and stakeholders • Attendance by Executive leaders, Board members and staff at community-led events e believe reconciliation is strengthened W through listening, learning and showing up consistently in community spaces.
Embedding Reconciliation into our Organisation To ensure reconciliation remains an ongoing commitment, we have: • Established and maintained a RAP Working Group • Developed governance structures and Terms of Reference for RAP oversight • Incorporated reconciliation reporting into our Annual Report and Performance & Impact Report • Added Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander supplier considerations into procurement practices • Developed communication plans to recognise significant First Nations dates each year • Created systems and resources to support ongoing engagement and learning hese actions help ensure reconciliation T becomes part of our everyday practice rather than a one-off initiative.
Our Commitment Moving Forward The Reflect RAP has laid important foundations for Family Life’s reconciliation journey. We remain committed to deepening relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, strengthening cultural capability across our workforce, supporting Aboriginal-led initiatives, and continuing to learn, listen and act with respect. As an organisation, Family Life has committed to continuing our journey of Reconciliation with another 18-month Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan.