ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the shared views, knowledge and experience of non-Aboriginal social workers and Aboriginal health professionals who work together at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne (SYHM), a major metropolitan tertiary health service. Re-imagining the role of social work for people is about striving for cultural responsiveness and cultural safety and seeking better experiences and outcomes for Aboriginal patients, families and colleagues in mainstream health settings. It is well recognised that Aboriginal people underuse mainstream health services. Social workers in health need to have some understanding of the reasons behind this. It is essential to view Aboriginal health through a broad lens. An important starting point is to adopt an Aboriginal concept of health that is broad, inclusive and holistic, in which health is linked to all aspects of life; impacted by history; and inclusive of social relations, economics and the social, emotional and cultural wellbeing of the whole community.
