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Unit Synopsis
This unit offers a discrete exploration of culturally safe midwifery practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, focusing on the historical, social, cultural, and political factors that impact their health and wellbeing. You will critically engage with Indigenous knowledge systems, social determinants of health, and holistic approaches to perinatal care. You will investigate contemporary models of midwifery across diverse settings and design evidence-based, culturally safe strategies to address identified gaps in care. The unit places emphasis on developing your leadership, advocacy, ethical responsibility, and collaboration skills necessary for culturally safe and equitable midwifery practice.
Details
| Level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 9 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 1 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Pre-requisite: Professional Midwifery Frameworks Co-requisite: Complexities of the Childbearing Continuum
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Presentation | 50% |
| 2. Case Study | 50% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Critically evaluate the historical and ongoing impacts of colonisation and racism on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and examine how white privilege and dominant cultural norms influence midwifery practice and health service delivery
- Integrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems, social and cultural determinants of health, and holistic approaches to perinatal wellbeing to inform culturally safe, woman-centred care
- Investigate contemporary and emerging models of midwifery care to support equitable outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families across urban, regional, and remote settings
- Design midwifery actions, initiatives, or strategies in response to identified needs, issues, or gaps in care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, informed by evidence, Indigenous research approaches, policy frameworks, and cultural knowledge.
Content in this unit addresses the following professional requirements:
The ANMAC Midwife Accreditation Standards (2021)
Standard 1: Safety of the public
Standard 3: Program of study
The National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (2021)
Clinical governance
Partnering with consumers
Preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infection
Medication safety
Comprehensive care
Communicating for safety
The NMBA Midwife Standards for Practice (2018)
Standard 1: Promotes evidence-based maternal health and wellbeing
Standard 2: Engages in respectful partnerships and professional relationships
Standard 3: Demonstrates the capability and accountability for midwifery practice
Standard 4: Undertakes comprehensive assessments
Standard 5: Develops plans for midwifery practice
Standard 6: Provides safe and quality midwifery practice
The NMBA Code of Conduct for Midwives (2018)
Principle 1: Legal Compliance
Principle 2: Woman-centred practice
Principle 3: Cultural practice and respectful relationships
Principle 4: Professional behaviour
Principle 7: Health and wellbeing
The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Code of International Ethics for Midwives (2014)
Midwifery relationships
Practice of midwifery
Professional responsibilities of midwives
Advancement of midwifery knowledge and practice
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Presentation | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Case Study | • | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Communication | • | • | ||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | • | • | ||
| 4 - Research | • | • | • | |
| 5 - Self-management | • | • | ||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | • | • | • | • |
| 7 - Leadership | • | • | • | • |
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | • | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | |