Cultural capability

What is cultural capability?

Whilst there is no single definition for cultural capability at its simplest, it can be articulated as the skills, knowledge, behaviours and tools needed to support individuals to design and deliver better products and services.

Cultural capability is a continuous journey and cannot be achieve after a single training session or a course. Individuals should view cultural capability as a lifelong learning process to help them make culturally informed approaches to their day-to-day work to ensure policy, programs and services are appropriate and reflect the needs of First Nations people.

All staff are encouraged to enrol in relevant cultural awareness and cultural capability training to constantly be moving forward in their cultural capability. First Nations cultures varies from Country to Country.

• Country is the term often used by Aboriginal peoples to describe the lands, waterways and seas to which they are connected. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, cultural practice, material sustenance, family and identity. (AIATSIS, Welcome to Country, 2024)

Australia’s Indigenous peoples are two distinct cultural groups made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. But there is great diversity within these two broadly described groups exemplified by the over 250 different language groups spread across the nation. (AIATSIS, Indigenous Australians: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 2024). It is important to remember that what is considered culturally appropriate and safe in one community might not be in another. For this reason, it is crucial to understand that your cultural capability journey is unique and nuanced depending on what community group you are working with.

There are a number of resources that can assist in uplifting cultural capability. This includes the Cultural Capability Hub.