Class work for groups in context

1. Cultural groups EG: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

2. Characteristics People who were born in another country People who speak a language other than English at home People who are from particular cultural background such as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.

3. Five Main needs Access to services Education Employment Financial support Safety, security and self-esteem

4. Access to services In remote areas of Australia where cultural groups may reside, access to health services is difficult due to the ratio of doctors to people being around 92:100,000. This is because the higher the number of Indigenous people that live in remote areas of Australia, make this population more vulnerable to difficulties in accessing necessary professional services.

5. Education Education for the Indigenous Australians is very important as they are much less likely to complete high school than other Australians and are less likely to pursue post-school qualifications. Education is important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as it helps provide them with the skills that they will need to secure financial security.

6. Employment The employment rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are significantly lower than those not of this culture. There are agencies in place to help create more opportunities for Indigenous people such as The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

7. Financial support Indigenous Australians have significantly lower mean incomes than non-Indigenous people. This means they have a greater need for assistance. The median gross individual income for Indigenous people who completed year 12 was $620 per week, compared to $811 for non-Indigenous people, therefore proving that the financial services available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are vital to help assist them in financial problems.

8. Safety, security and self-esteem The group has higher health problems including significantly higher rates of mental illness, lower life expectancy, lower levels of education and employment and greater difficulties accessing appropriate housing than non-Indigenous Australians. With all these issues in mind, it is not surprising that this population group may suffer from low self-esteem and doubts about their futurewhich therefore means that there must be services available to Indigenous people to help them feel safe, secure and have a good self-esteem.

9. Factors affecting resources Education affects access to resources because schooling and access to other education may be difficult to enroll in as the bills may be too hard to pay for as the rate of employment for Indigenous people is significantly lower than those who are not Indigenous.

10. Factors affecting access to resources Employment affects access to resources for indigenous Australians as they battle with acts of discrimination and poor working conditions which Have impacted on their levels of employment. Although the government introduced indigenous peoples’ right to equal pay in the workforce in 1960s, employment rates for this population group are much lower than that of their non-indigenous counterparts.

11. Factors affecting access to resources Access to health services affects the access to resources because indigenous Australians die at a younger rate and suffer a higher burden of illness than non-indigenous Australians and this is true for almost every type of disease for which information is available. Statistics show that injuries are a major cause of hospitalization among the indigenous population.

12. Factors affecting access to resources Housing affects access to resources because those living in remote communities have inadequate housing, substandard or limited access to water supplies and electricity, limited food storage and sub-optimal food preparation facilities and poor drainage or sewerage systems. These housing problems also impact on health status.

13. Factors affecting access to resources Security and safety affect Australian aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander access to resources because they are over-represented in prison populations. There has been a lot of media coverage about deaths of Indigenous people whilst in custody. They have greater health problems including significantly higher rates of mental illness, lower life expectancy, lower levels of education and employment and greater difficulties accessing appropriate housing than non indigenous Australians.