Knowledge Exchange Pilot

Why knowledge exchange?

First Nations aged care organisations often work within complex systems. Workforce pressures can also limit opportunities to connect and learn from other services.

The pilot responded to priorities identified through the 2024 First Nations Aged Care Workforce Roundtable. These priorities included workforce exchange, knowledge sharing and support to adapt useful practice for different community settings.

The visits moved learning beyond written policy. Participants could see how another organisation worked to solve common problems, ask questions and discuss what might be useful when implementing back in their own organisations.

How the pilot worked

The pilot used a culturally safe, strengths-based approach. It placed relationships, informed choice and shared responsibility at the centre. 

The process involved:

1. Identifying the challenge: applicants identified a workforce, service or organisational challenge they wanted to address.
2. Selecting participants: applications were reviewed against the pilot criteria with the First Nations Governance Group.
3. Finding a host: ARIIA contacted potential host organisations with relevant experience and capacity to support the exchange.
4. Preparation for visit: participants identified their expectations, learning goals and capability needs before the exchange.
5. Observation and shared reflection: participants observed practice, shared knowledge and used reflection and mentor discussions to test what was relevant.
6. Plan local action: participants considered how learning could be adapted to their own organisation.
7. Share and build: post-visit feedback, participant reports and ongoing support helped carry learning beyond the visit.

What we learned

The two exchanges addressed different challenges. They still revealed several shared lessons about how knowledge moves into practice, which others might also find useful to support adaption of new ideas into their own organisations.

Multifaceted benefits

Participants discussed business within a shared understanding of cultural safety. In-person conversations made specific issues and ideas more personal and relevant to the knowledge exchange, while also enabling broader discussion of common policy, system and practice challenges. 

Participants also valued the opportunity to connect and yarn face-to-face with other culturally safe providers working with First Nations communities.

Seeing practice in action

Participants gained practical understanding by observing real systems, routines and service delivery. This helped move learning beyond theory and policy.

Relationships make learning possible

Participants valued access to experienced peers, mentors and organisations working in comparable settings. Trust and openness supported useful discussion.

Adapt rather than copy

Participants assessed ideas against local culture, community preferences, workforce capability, infrastructure and organisational readiness.

Reflection connects learning to action

Structured reflection and mentor discussions helped participants compare the host approach with their own systems and priorities.

Implementation needs support

Planned change involved staff training, administration, software or system changes, consultation, procedures, equipment and management support.

The relationship can continue

Participants saw value in ongoing mentoring, networking and peer learning as implementation progressed.

What the participants found

Both the participants provided feedback on their observations of the visits and the ongoing benefits to their organisations.

What enabled learning and change?

The pilot suggests that a visit alone is not enough. Human relationships, organisational conditions and implementation support all shape what happens next.

Challenges and lessons

Both Knowledge Exchange experiences within the pilot also showed where knowledge exchange can be difficult and what additional benefits there were.

Lessons

• Exchanges provided participants the ability to see processes in action and identify differences in approaches, enabling the transition of learning to the participants setting. 
• Shared challenges and the use of similar systems gave participants the ability to focus on commonalities and similar ways of working to fix common shared issues. 
• The exchanges provided practical examples of solutions to local problems and enabled participants to consider the steps needed to implement learning within their home communities. 

Challenges

• Careful preparation took time and extended the original timelines. Senior staff often held critical service and leadership roles, which made time away difficult. One selected organisation withdrew before its exchange began due to lack of capacity.
• Host organisations needed enough staff, resources and flexibility to support a visit and some participants needed shorter, split or blended visit arrangements.
• Implementation required staff time, administration, system changes, consultation and management support. Practices could not be transferred without considering culture, place, workforce, infrastructure and organisational readiness.

Bringing learning into your own practice

The two exchanges addressed different challenges. They still revealed several shared lessons about how knowledge moves into practice, which others might also find useful to support adaption of new ideas into their own organisations.

These reflection questions are drawn from the pilot. They are not a fixed model. Use them to guide local discussion with Elders, community, staff and leaders.

Before the exchange

• What challenge are we trying to address?
• Who should help define the learning need?
• What do we want to understand by the end?
• What cultural permissions and relationships are needed?
• What time, travel and back fill support will be required?

During the exchange

• What are people doing in everyday practice?
• What systems and relationships enable the work?
• What depends on local culture, Country, community or workforce?
• What questions should we discuss with the host and mentor?
• What should we record for later reflection?

When adapting the learning

• What fits our community and organisation?
• What should not be copied?
• Who needs to be involved in decisions?
• What staff, system, resource or infrastructure changes are needed?
• What support could help us maintain momentum?

When checking progress

• What would meaningful improvement look like?
• Whose feedback should guide us?
• What data or observations are useful and appropriate?
• Are the changes culturally safe, practical and sustainable?
• What still needs to change?

Further reading

For more information on the Knowledge Exchange Pilot visit our program report.

Acknowledgements

ARIIA would like to thank the participants and mentors in the pilot and the First Nations Governance Group for their support, insights and guidance in enabling a successful Knowledge Exchange Pilot.