Ramadan 2023 - Multilingual Resources
Ramadan Mubarak. We wish all communities a peaceful and holy month. To keep your community safe during Ramadam The Multicultural Health Communication Service has produced a range of multilingual resources. The resources encourage you to:
- Stay home if you are unwell and take a COVID-19 test.
- Encourage family and friends to stay home if they are sick.
- Stay connected with your family and friends online if you are unwell.
The resources are available in Arabic, English, Bengali, Bosnian, Burmese, Dari, Farsi, Hazaragi, Indonesian, Somali, Swahili, Turkish and Urdu.
Entries for TheMHS Awards 2023 Now Open
The Mental Health Service Awards of Australia and New Zealand recognise innovation, research excellence, best practice and lived experience leadership in mental health services. They also aim to reduce stigma by acknowledging responsible media reporting of mental health issues and encourage others to promote the importance of mental health and wellbeing.
Award winners are honoured at a prestigious ceremony each year, as part of TheMHS Annual Conference. They also receive a three- day conference registration, financial support to attend an ‘in person’ conference, and recognition on TheMHS website and media materials.
Entries Close 20 April 2023
Click here for more information and to submit an entry.
Refugee Camp in My Neighbourhood Interactive Tours for Health Professionals
Refugee Camp in my Neighbourhood is an interactive tour through a simulated refugee camp experience. Participants experience the journey of a refugee and gain a better understanding of the challenges they face as they arrive in Australia. Tours are delivered by guides from a range of refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds, and NSW Refugee Health staff.
Bookings are now open for health-focused professional development tours.
Thursday 27 July 2023
Friday 4 August 2023
Time: Tours depart between 9:30am and 2.30pm (approximately 2.5 hours each)
Book here.
Cost: $35 (discounted rate for health workers)
Interpreting services for PHN mental health providers
In order to assist in removing barriers faced by Australians from multicultural backgrounds when accessing mental health support, the Australian Government has made interpreting services available to Primary Health Network (PHN) mental health services.
Approved PHN-funded mental health service providers can now use the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) for free to:
- set up appointments and referrals
- support discussing available services with care recipients
- talk to their clients about their mental health needs.
This ensures all people who are non-English speakers can access the mental health care that they need.
For more information click here.
Making health information accessible for people with an intellectual disability
People with an intellectual disability can experience communication difficulties, and these difficulties have been identified as a barrier to accessing and participating in health care. Accessible health-related information is important for supporting the best health outcomes for people with an intellectual disability. To support people with an intellectual disability 3DN at the University of NSW has developed easy read information sheets on accessing mental health services in NSW.
The information sheets are available in English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese.
Click here to access the information sheets.
NSW Settlement Strategy February 2023 - June 2025
Multicultural NSW has released a new Settlement Strategy. The strategy brings together existing and new NSW Government initiatives to improve settlement outcomes for people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds living in NSW.
The NSW Settlement Strategy will be implemented by the NSW Government from February 2023 to June 2025. The Action Plan will complement and strengthen programs and initiatives underway in NSW that are led by the Commonwealth Government and non-government sector.
The NSW Settlement Strategy in English and summaries in Arabic, Assyrian, Burmese, Dari, Hakha-Chin, Hazaragi, Karen, Kurdish - Kurmanji, Kurdish - Sorani, Nepali, Pashto, Persian, Russian, Swahili, Tamil, Tibetan and Ukrainian are available here.
Multicultural Media COVID-19 Online Conference
This online press conference was broadcast on Wednesday 8 February 2023. The press conference featured Dr Jan Fizzell, Senior Medical Advisor, NSW Health and Maria Cassaniti, Manager, Transcultural Mental Health Centre. Dr Fizzell provided COVID-19 and public health updates while Maria talks about the new Transcultural Mental Health Line, which provides in language support for people across NSW who are from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Click on the links below to view the video.
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/798219036/b8d4204c2f
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Dtb_VEsbQ
Tell Your Story
Many people struggle with memories of terrifying past experiences and stress in their everyday life. The Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program (RTRP) is offering a free, confidential, online program called 'Tell Your Story'. You do not have to share your story, rather, you learn about how other Arabic-seeking refugees and asylum seekers have dealt with stressful life events and adjusting to life in Australia. You can access the program privately, on your phone or a computer at times that suit you.
As part of a research study RTRP is currently looking for Arabic-speaking refugees and asylum seekers to help evaluate the 'Tell Your Story' program.
If you are interested in participating in the study click here for more information and to check if you are eligible.
Download a brochure about the study in English for referrers here (PDF 443.8KB) or in Arabic for participants here (PDF 701KB).
R U OK? in Multicultural Communities
R U OK? encourages people to meaningfully connect and have conversations that can help others through difficult times in their lives. Sometimes, when someone is going through a difficult time, the conversations may include discussions about mental health and suicide.
R U OK? wants to learn more about how they could better support people in multicultural communities. To achieve this R U OK? are inviting multicultural communities to share what is helpful for them when having these conversations, share feedback and help design resources for the future.
Information about the project, and the form to register interest to participate in the project, can be found here.
National Eating Disorders Strategy Survey
The National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) has been tasked to develop a National Eating Disorders Strategy. The National Eating Disorders Strategy 2023-2033 will provide a 10-year roadmap and plan to build the eating disorder system of care, with a strong focus on implementation and activation.
To inform the development of the National Strategy, NEDC is inviting the Australian public ages 15 years and over to complete an online survey. This survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete and is open until 7 February 2023. NEDC wants to hear from people with an interest in eating disorders, including people with a personal interest in eating disorders (e.g., people who have or have had an eating disorder, carers, family, other supports), people with a professional interest in eating disorders, or people with a general interest or knowledge of eating disorders.
To have your say complete the survey here
Delivering healthcare to refugee communities in regional NSW
This new online resource provides health professionals, local health services and community partners in regional NSW with guidance on how to establish trauma-informed and culturally-safe health services for refugee communities in regional NSW. The resource includes:
- key facts about refugee communities in NSW
- key elements that contribute to a positive healthcare experience for people from refugee backgrounds
- information on how to respectfully engage with people from refugee backgrounds
- insight from local health districts that have established local refugee health services in regional NSW
- access to practical resources to help you establish a new regional refugee health service.
View Delivering healthcare to refugee communities in regional NSW here.
Multicultural Health Connect
Multicultural Health Connect is a national helpline to help people in multicultural communities get health information and advice. The helpline is free and confidential. Multicultural Health Connect is run by workers from multicultural backgrounds who can help you in your language or with the help of an interpreter.
The service can provide:
- free health advice from a nurse
- help to find doctors, hospitals, support, and community health centres
- nearby services that can help you
- information about COVID-19, including how to get a vaccination, protect yourself and your family and manage your symptoms if you get COVID-19.
Call Multicultural Health Connect on 1800 186 815 from Monday to Friday, 11am to 7pm or visit the Multicultural Health Connect website.
Go to our News page for 2022