Lynda Coley and Tania-Rose Tutaki, with:
"I am them and they are me" Ana Ngamoki, with:
"Otainui – Kaitakitanga as an alternative to supervision"" />
Lynda Coley and Tania-Rose Tutaki, with:
"I am them and they are me" Ana Ngamoki, with:
"Otainui – Kaitakitanga as an alternative to supervision"" />
ALTA 2017 Utveksling/Exchange 11-14 June

Bi cultural supervision

Session moderator: Mai Camilla Munkejord


Glenda Kickett and Susan Young, with:
"Yarning for learning in social work"

Lynda Coley and Tania-Rose Tutaki, with:
"I am them and they are me" Ana Ngamoki, with:
"Otainui – Kaitakitanga as an alternative to supervision"

Session Nr.1: "Yarning for learning in social work"

A dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Social Worker educators from the University of Western Australia, School of Social Work and Social Policy who teach the core unit Indigenous People and Social Work to the Master of Social Work students. We will use a Yarning Circle which has been used in Indigenous communities in Australia to tell stories, learn from each other and to pass on cultural knowledges. The Yarning Circle has been used with Social Work students to demonstrate the cultural protocol of introductions and to listen, reflect and interact with each other by telling who they are, where they come from, and who their people are. This way of introduction enables participants to place each other in country and to make a connection with each other. Our dialogue through Yarning also models practices of engagement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous workers.

In the Yarning Circle, we will present the Masters of Social Work students’ learning to work culturally responsively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations through facilitating a reflective discussion of the students completing two group work assessments:

• Community Profile of a Aboriginal organisation in Perth

• Critical Reflection of a chapter from ‘Our Voices: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Work’ Bennett et al (Eds)

Discussion will focus on the presentations of the groups relating to culturally appropriate and responsive practice, representation and building relationships, what the students learnt and what we think was important about that learning


Session Nr.2: "I am them and they are me"

We have a rock that sits at our front door. We call it our ‘mauri rock’. It has an energy that comes from the rivers of the place I was grown in, It connects us to the world of our family in that time ... it is resilient in that it has survived the ravages of time and carries still within it the fossils of a time before. It tells the story of people coming together to traverse its waters in tumultuous times. It tells the story of how its waters fed the land that fed us. It tells the story of our interdependence with the universe. It reminds me of the newness of my journey in comparison ... it  also tells the story of individual ownership, devastation of forests for financial gain, alienation of people from their home lands, loss of dignity and worth of these people.

Taina and Hariata Pohatu (2007) suggest that like our rock, in our humanity, “Memories, heritage, valued reflection, imprints, templates and the notion of moving back and forward through time, are valued companions” (hoa-haere). That finding safe space to remember, reflect, reimagine and voice experiences from “your own cultural heartbeat” of that time, into this time is fundamental to emancipatory social work.

Supervision potentially creates such a safe space to reconnect with real people from another time, into this time. This work draws on my experiences as a Pākeha (white person) woman in offering an indigenous centered bi-cultural framework for supervision that creates a safe space for practitioners to take care of ourselves. A space to consciously reflect on and process our relationship with self, theory and those we serve.


Session Nr.3: "Otainui – Kaitakitanga as an alternative to supervision"

Otainui is a bi-cultural supervision model founded on the principle of kaitiakitanga. Otainui derives from a set of boxes within my whānau which contain whakapapa, place names, history, and photos which date as far back as the late 19th century. A set of guidelines intended to respect the fragility and value of the tāonga have been developed over the years, and passed through the generations to my father, who is the current holder of the boxes. These guidelines acknowledge our obligations as a keeper for future generations; and incorporate further takepū such as āhurutanga, wairua, mauri, whanaungatanga and rangatiratanga.

 

The guidelines and takepū developed over the years can be transported into the context of supervision. In pursuit of the activation of these takepū in supervision, a framework derived from the first four people who were in possession of the boxes will be employed. This framework is:

  • Ora – to seek wellbeing and clarity in all aspects of supervision
  • Ara – Pathway or direction of supervision
  • Kepa – To remain focused on discussions and not digress elsewhere
  • Ita – To be prepared, alert and ready to engage. This also refers to ‘depth’ or ‘deeper level’

 

In utilising this framework, the intended outcome is an acknowledgement of “the mana of others as having equal or greater importance than one’s own, through the expression of aroha, hospitality, generosity and mutual respect. Displaying manaakitanga elevated the status of all, building unity through humility and the act of giving” (Winiata, 2005)