Working with an Aboriginal community liaison worker

FPA Health (Family Planning NSW) has conducted two integrated clinical and health promotion projects with Aboriginal communities in western NSW, Australia. The first was in Coonamble, a small rural community which had been selected as a pilot site for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Women's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Project and was managed by FPA Health with support from the Dubbo/Plains Division of General Practice and Macquarie Area Health Service. The second was in Dubbo, a regional city where FPA Health had an existing centre and which had funding support from the Rio Tinto Aboriginal Foundation. The aim of this article was to share the learning and knowledge gained in managing these projects and to describe the experience of working with Aboriginal Community Liaison Workers who belong to and are supported by, the local Aboriginal community. The article aimed to illustrate the role and value of utilising these workers within a mainstream health service. The beneficial outcomes include improving service provision to Aboriginal women, adding to community knowledge about reproductive and sexual health issues and increasing the cultural knowledge and competency of a mainstream health service organisation.