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