Respectful Workplaces Workshop Series 2026

An implementation program to embed respect and cultural safety in small–medium NFPs

Starts Thursday 2 April 2026
$9,900 (incl. GST)

If you’d like to talk through whether this is right for your organisation, book a 30-minute conversation.

Why Respectful Workplaces

Many organisations want to create safer, more respectful workplaces for Aboriginal people. But too often, good intentions turn into one-off workshops, statements, or “tick-the-box” actions that don’t change anything.

Real cultural safety doesn’t come from slogans or awareness sessions. It comes from embedding the right projects into the daily practice, policies, and leadership of your workplace.

Respectful Workplaces is a guided implementation program. I work directly with your organisation to put in place seven essential workplace projects that make cultural safety visible, consistent, and lasting.

This is about shifting from intentions to actions. From words to lived experience.

Who It’s For

Respectful Workplaces is for small to medium not-for-profits, community services, and values-driven workplaces.

It is designed to work with the people who already carry responsibility for culture, people, and decisions — not large teams or layered structures. Depending on your size, this may be one person wearing several hats.

Typically, this includes:

• The most senior leader (CEO, Director, or Manager)

• The person responsible for people and culture (formal or informal)

• Managers or team leads with day-to-day responsibility for staff

• A staff representative, where appropriate

• A board member, where governance involvement makes sense

For best results, I recommend a small, consistent group across all seven projects. Three to four people is generally the right size to maintain focus and continuity without slowing implementation.

This is not training for individuals. It is a guided implementation program for small teams to embed respectful practice into how the organisation operates.

The 7 Projects

These seven projects are the foundations of a respectful and culturally safe workplace.

1. Language Matters

Implementation:
Your organisation defines and documents the terms it will use when referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, based on your context, audience, and purpose. Using a clear template and guidance, these choices are codified into a formal language guide and policy reference.

Outcome:
Language use is deliberate and consistent. Staff know what terms to use, when to use them, and why. Respectful terminology becomes standard practice across the workplace.

2. A Simple and Compelling Rationale

Implementation:
Your organisation develops and documents a clear rationale for Aboriginal employment and cultural safety, grounded in your purpose, strategy, and responsibilities. This rationale is embedded into policies, induction, leadership messaging, and decision-making.

Outcome:
There is shared clarity about why this work matters. Staff, leaders, and board members can explain the rationale and apply it consistently.

3. Community Profile

Implementation:
Your organisation maps the Aboriginal communities relevant to your work, including staff and client catchments, Traditional Custodians, and local Aboriginal organisations. This profile is documented and used to inform planning, relationships, and employment goals.

Outcome:
Decisions are informed by facts rather than assumptions. The organisation has a clear understanding of who it serves, who it employs, and where relationships need to be built.

4. The Question

Implementation:
Your organisation establishes a consistent, culturally safe approach to asking staff and clients whether they identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. This includes agreed wording, timing, purpose, and data handling, documented for ongoing use.

Outcome:
Trust is built through clarity and consistency. Data is reliable and can be used to inform employment goals, service delivery, and reporting.

5. Workforce Aboriginal Cultural Capability Plan

Implementation:
Your organisation develops a workforce Aboriginal cultural capability plan using a structured template and guidance. The plan defines expectations, responsibilities, and cadence, ensuring cultural capability is addressed, reviewed, and strengthened on an ongoing basis.

Outcome:
Cultural capability is embedded into normal workplace practice. Progress is sustained year on year, Aboriginal staff and clients are better supported, and organisational risk is reduced.

6. Welcomes to Country and Acknowledgements of Country

Implementation:
Your organisation documents when and how Welcomes to Country and Acknowledgements of Country are used, aligned with purpose, audience, and local protocols. This is formalised through clear policy and procedure.

Outcome:
Welcomes and Acknowledgements are applied consistently and appropriately, strengthening respect, credibility, and relationships with Aboriginal communities.

7. Workplace Signals

Implementation:
Your organisation defines and standardises the physical and symbolic signals that demonstrate respect for Aboriginal people, such as flags, artwork, signage, and digital presence. These decisions are documented to ensure consistency across the workplace.

Outcome:
Respect is visible and unambiguous. Staff, clients, and community members can see where the organisation stands and what it values.

How the Program Works

• Format: Delivered as a series of 7 live online practical workshops.

• Start: The first workshop is scheduled for Thursday 2 April 2026. Dates for all the workshops will be confirmed with participating organisations.

• Approach: Each workshop focuses on one project. Practical work is completed during the sessions, with guidance throughout.

• Inclusions:

  • Tools, templates, and policies to make each project stick.

  • Lifetime access to recordings and a resource library.

  • Structured guidance that replaces the need for consultants or lengthy strategy processes.

Investment: $9,900 (including GST) for the complete 7-project program.

This program is deliberately implementation-focused. It cuts through the overwhelm and gets the work done.

Prerequisite
To participate in Respectful Workplaces, the participants in the program must have completed Aboriginal Cultural Awareness for Workplaces before the first workshop, or commit to completing it in April 2026. This ensures a shared foundation and supports effective implementation across the seven projects.

Aboriginal Cultural Awareness for Workplaces is a separate program and is priced independently.

If you’d like to talk through whether this is right for your organisation, book a 30-minute conversation.

Outcomes for Your Organisation

By completing Respectful Workplaces, you will:

• Embed cultural safety into policies, systems, and leadership.

• Move beyond “tick-the-box” approaches into lasting organisational change.

• Build stronger trust with Aboriginal communities.

• Create a workplace where Aboriginal people are respected, supported, and able to thrive.

• Strengthen staff retention, engagement, and reputation in the sector.

About Blakworks

I’ve been working in Aboriginal employment and workplace strategy for more than 25 years. Along the way, I developed models and frameworks such as the Blakworks Model of Aboriginal Experience™, adapted Terry Cross’ Cultural Capability Continuum, and guided dozens of organisations through the practical steps of creating safer workplaces.

I’ve seen what works — and what doesn’t. Respectful Workplaces is built from this lived experience and proven practice.

Results from Other NFP Leaders

Next Steps

The first Respectful Workplaces series begins in April 2026.

I am working with a maximum of 7 organisations in this series.

• Book a call via the button below to talk through whether Respectful Workplaces is the right fit for your organisation.

You’ll be asked a small number of questions before booking. These help shape the conversation. Your place is only secured once we’ve spoken.

If nothing changes, workplaces stay the same. Respectful Workplaces gives you the structure to make cultural safety part of your organisation’s DNA.

If you’d like to talk through whether this is right for your organisation, book a 30-minute conversation.