Partnering to Uphold Self-Determination: Partnership Case Study

This case study is shared to contribute to the growing evidence base on equitable partnership approaches between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organisations, with the hope that it may inform future partnership practices across the family violence sector.

Establishing partnerships that uphold Aboriginal self-determination is not only possible but transformative for everybody involved. Djirra and Safe and Equal established a strategic partnership in 2022 with the aim to support mutual capability building and to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing family violence. Partnerships are a crucial tool for transforming systems and strengthening practice within organisations. All partnership work in so-called Victoria is taking place on unceded Aboriginal lands, where the impacts and actors of colonisation continue.

In the context of partnerships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organisations, there is memory of the history and current practices of non-Aboriginal organisation’s role in replicating colonial structures, racism and harm. Taking a partnership approach means being intentional in how organisations work together in ways that resist transactional and extractive interactions to create conditions for equitable relationships and self-determination. Find more information about the work here.