Innovate RAP | Page 7

A message from Reconciliation Australia Reconciliation Australia congratulates KU Children’s Services on developing its inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Originally having intentions to develop a Reflect RAP, the adoption of an Innovate RAP displays KU Children’s Services’ readiness to develop and test innovative approaches to reconciliation, and champion reconciliation at every level of the organisation. KU Children’s Services’ commitments in its first RAP stands it in good stead to make progress across the elements of reconciliation—relationships, respect and opportunities. KU Children’s Services understands the importance of building and maintaining respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in order to produce mutually beneficial outcomes. It drives these relationships by raising internal and external awareness of reconciliation by promoting community events such as National Reconciliation Week (NRW). Respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and cultures is key to KU Children’s Services’ core values and vision for reconciliation. It demonstrates this by embedding cultural protocols such as Welcome to Country into everyday business practices, and engaging with employees to understand their significance. KU Children’s Services is dedicated to driving reconciliation through employment and training opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Through proactive consultative processes, it engages with external Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations to advise on recruitment, employment and retention strategies, including professional development. On behalf of Reconciliation Australia, I commend KU Children’s Services on its inaugural RAP and look forward to following its continued reconciliation journey. Justin Mohamed Chief Executive Officer About the Reconciliation Action Plan program The Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program is a framework, developed by Reconciliation Australia, for organisations to realise their vision for reconciliation. There are four different RAPs within the RAP Program – Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. KU’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan reflects our journey and commits us to move forward over the next two years. An Innovate RAP is for organisations that have developed relationships with their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and are ready to develop or implement programs for cultural learning, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment and supplier diversity. An Innovate RAP provides KU the freedom to develop and test new and innovative approaches, and embed our RAP within our organisation.