Post on 01-Apr-2015
Supporting family carers in Melbourne’s West
Presented by Jenny Mitchell
Supporting Caring Families in Refugee Communities
Supporting family carers in Melbourne’s West
Why people from refugee backgrounds?
• Demographics of refugee settlement in Melbourne’s West
• Culturally inclusive services
Supporting family carers in Melbourne’s West
At first glance…
Government policies select “healthy” refugees:• 69 refugees 65 + (2010)• No refugees with disabilities
BUTWar has an impact for life
Supporting family carers in Melbourne’s West
The refugee experience
• Violence • Loss and grief• Trauma• Lack of basic
human rights• Resilience
Who is coming to Australia?
Culture shock and settlement
Case study
Barriers to supporting carers in new arrival families
• Family duty and honour
• The stigma of mental illness
• Lack of understanding of services
• Distrust of “authority”
• Lack of bicultural carers and staff
• Inaccessible information
• Settlement v. carer needs
Dismantling barriers
• Awareness raising in settlement organizations
• Community education
• Knowledge of settlement data
• Translations for new arrivals
• Respite workers in new communities
• Cultural competency review
Ask ourselves …
Do our values, governance, staff team, planning, policies, practices, procedures, and communication strategies demonstrate our cultural competency?
Post-war care