Linking up with vital family history research skills

 

Link-Up

Photo: Nine Link-Up caseworkers from across Australia gathered in Canberra recently as part of the accredited workshop – run by AIATSIS’ Family History Unit (FHU). They are pictured during a a tour of AIATSIS.

From left to right: Nicole Wighton (FHU), Raelene Rosas and Tyron Major from the Northern Territory, Rob Baldwin from Victoria, Lou Turner from South Australia, Rebecca Stubbs (Manager FHU), Ross Morgan from Victoria, Rita Metzenrath Clients Services Library, PJ Williams (FHU), Denise Sweet from Victoria, Trishna Malhi (Library), Cathy Illin from Queensland, Jasmine Brady and Susan McNamara from Victoria.

 

27 April 2012

Clients of the various Link-Up services around Australia will be the beneficiaries of a week-long training program run in Canberra recently by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).

Nine Link-Up caseworkers from across Australia were the second group of staff to complete a newly developed training course which now formally trains them with the research skills and knowledge of family history records and resources and how to access them.

The accredited workshop – run by AIATSIS’ Family History Unit (FHU) – was established last year as part of a new partnership between AIATSIS and the Canberra Institute of Technology’s Yurauna Centre.

AIATSIS Principal Mr Russell Taylor said that the FHU has long worked with Link Up services to play a vital role in helping members of the Stolen Generations to find their family and to find out about their family history.

“There is no doubt that those who complete this training program hone and improve their ability to research family histories and in so doing improve the chances of achieving family re-unions,” Mr Taylor added.

Those who attended were Denise Sweet, Ross Morgan, Susan McNamara and Rob Baldwin from Victoria; Jasmine Brady and Cathy Illin from Queensland; Tyron Major and Raelene Rosas from the Northern Territory and Lou Turner from South Australia.

Mr Taylor said the close knit, four person AIATSIS Family History Unit Training team was staffed by qualified trainers and family history researchers.

“This course is vital to the changed teaching and training role now being undertaken by the AIATSIS team.”

The FHU is a Department of Health and Ageing funded program that assists the national network of Link-Up services to support and assist Aboriginal people affected by past removal policies in tracing their family history and potentially reuniting them with their families.

Acting FHU team leader, PJ Williams, a Ngunnawal/ Ngambri man from Canberra, said the course had been carefully developed with participants having to complete all modules.

“Skills that are acquired include having to demonstrate the ability to access resources such as catalogues from libraries and other institutions to gaining an understanding of birth, death and marriage indexes, online archives and other records and apply that knowledge to perform detailed searches.

“We also include sessions on case management skills and how to deal appropriately and sensitively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This is particularly important given the sensitivity and stressfulness of the issues that having to be dealt with in family reunion cases.

“We make sure that everyone who participates is not only assessed properly but also have the opportunity to interact readily with team members in a ‘buddy’ system. 

“Feedback is provided at the completion of all assessments by way of telephone conversions between Family History staff members and their assigned buddies.

“A very important additional component is that the managers of all participants also agree to be part of the formal assessment process by completing a third party report on how participants are using their family history skills in the work place once they have completed the course,” PJ added.

Mr Williams said during their week in the National Capital, course participants also visited AIATSIS and other Canberra institutions - such as the Australian War Memorial where they learned about military records – as well as covering sessions on the records of Australian missions, electoral roll information, assessing ABS data as well as cemetery records. 

“Although we are a very small team it is our intent to hold at least three of these training programs each year,” PJ concluded.