The aim of this paper is to describe the development of a model of care to embed cultural safety for Aboriginal children into paediatric hospital settings. The Daalbirrwirr Gamambigu (pronounced “Dahl-beer-weer gum-um-be-goo” in the Gumbaynggirr language means ‘safe children’) model encompasses child protection responses at clinical, managerial and organisational levels of health services. A review of scholarly articles and grey literature followed by qualitative interviews with Aboriginal health professionals formed the evidence base for the model, which then underwent rounds of consultation for cultural suitability and clinical utility. Culturally appropriate communication with children and their families using clinical yarning and a culturally adapted version of ISBAR (a mnemonic for Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation) for interprofessional communication is recommended. The model guides the development of a critical consciousness about cultural safety in health care settings, and privileges the cultural voices of many diverse Aboriginal peoples. When adapted appropriately for local clinical and cultural contexts, it will contribute to a patient journey experience of respect, dignity and empowerment.

The objective of this scoping review was to map the current practice and best evidence for embedding cultural safety in child protection responses for Aboriginal families in hospitals. Electronic databases were searched systematically and the reference lists examined. Efforts to reduce the risk of bias were made including using an inductive approach. Eight research papers were included following the exclusion of 25 papers for the final analysis. Three main themes in relation to what is necessary to embed cultural safety for Aboriginal families when child protection responses are raised in hospital were found. These were (a) relationships, (b) organisational processes and (c) culture. The analysis underscores the need for development of child protection strategies that focus on cultural safety rather than cultural competence alone. This provides some direction for policy and practice development in this field, and has also highlighted the deficiencies in evidence and urgent need for further research.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to validate measures of professional self-efficacy for detecting and responding to child abuse and neglect presentations, and then evaluate a clinical training programme for health professionals in a tertiary-level hospital in Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach: A prospective, cohort design was used and professional self-efficacy was measured immediately prior to, and shortly after, training 116 nurses and doctors in emergency settings. Longer-term follow-up was measured six months later. Findings: Linear mixed modelling showed that there was a statistically significant improvement in efficacy expectations for both suspected and known cases of child abuse and neglect between the pre- and post-test measures at zero and six weeks. These improvements did not persist to the six-month follow-up. Research limitations/implications: The training succeeded in improving detection and clinical response to child abuse and neglect presentations but not faith in the provision of ongoing support for children and families. Practical implications: Practice change in emergency settings in Vietnam can be achieved using a sustainable theoretically driven training programme. Social implications: Building the capacity of health professionals to respond to cases of child abuse and neglect relies on the strength of the community and support services within which the hospital is located. Originality/value: Measures of self-efficacy expectations and outcome expectations for responding to child abuse and neglect presentations in emergency settings in Vietnam are now validated.