Models of supervision: Providing effective support to Aboriginal staff

This paper identifies models of supervision that have successfully been utilised to support Aboriginal staff and establishes an evidence base around effective supervisory practice.(1) The literature review, on which this paper is based, was largely driven to meet the needs of Aboriginal staff in a large non-government organisation dealing with issues around the professional development and retention of Aboriginal staff While there are some models developed for Indigenous workers internationally, there wasn't one specific to Australian Aboriginal staffing needs. This paper therefore seeks to identify aspects of supervision that have been successfully utilised with Indigenous staff and that may be adapted to suit the unique cultural needs of Aboriginal staff in Australia. It encourages further research into the development and applicability of specific models for Australian Aboriginal staff.