Victorian Aboriginal services co-creating knowledge about healing and recovery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survivors of child sexual abuse: A study protocol.

Abstract

Abstract Background: Child sexual abuse is a human rights and public health issue with harmful impacts on individuals, families and communities of all nations and cultures. There is a lack of research on healing and recovery from child sexual abuse for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families, and communities. This protocol has been co-designed with practitioners and senior staff from six Aboriginal partner services dedicated to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survivors of child sexual abuse in the Australian state of Victoria. Methods: This multi-method study is grounded in Indigenous research methodologies and methods of data generation, in addition to complementary Western methodology and methods of data analysis. The protocol outlines three related research activities, which make up the first phase of the study. The first activity involves three Cultural Wellbeing and Yarning Gatherings over an 8-month period. These gatherings will provide a culturally safe space for practitioners and senior staff of the partner services to participate in data generation through yarning about healing and recovery from child sexual abuse. This research activity utilises yarning and a grounded theory approach. The second activity involves formative evaluation of an 8-month Community of Practice for practitioners and senior staff, utilising yarning for data generation. This activity will use reflexive thematic analysis as the approach to data analysis. The third activity is a scoping review that investigates Indigenous peoples’ experiences of healing and recovery from child sexual abuse and will utilise thematic analysis. Discussion: This co-designed program of research focuses on supporting practitioners and services dedicated to supporting survivors of child sexual abuse. It addresses some key needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners and services working in the area of healing for Aboriginal survivors of child sexual abuse, through developing new knowledge and support processes that are inclusive of practice wisdom and that privilege Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges.