Background: The extent, experience and assistance needs of Indigenous peoples with complex disability including mental health disorders and neurocognitive disability (NCD) is unknown. NCD relates to any disorder of the brain affecting cognitive, physical, emotional and/or behavioural functioning. Services report lack of knowledge or tools to understand and support people with complex disability. Many remain disengaged from research and mainstream services due to a lack of culturally safe practices.

Objectives: This session aims to:

develop a culturally safe and culturally informed assessment tool and engagement methodology to support services and communities to identify and respond effectively to First Australians experiencing complex disablement and

add to the evidence base to better address policy and service responses to this cohort.

Methods: The Guddi Protocol is a culturally safe assessment process including questions relating to thinking skills, psychosocial functioning, depression, psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol and drug use.

Findings: Services report that training in The Guddi Protocol has increased workforce and organizational capacity. The establishment of a data repository provides evidence to influence policy.

Conclusions: Community partnerships and culturally safe methodologies facilitate service user engagement in research and contribute to an accurate evidence base to inform the development of policy and services that more effectively meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by complex disability.