The Embrace Project team has been working with 13 Primary Health Networks (PHNs) over the past year to embed the Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (the Framework).
Initially 11 PHNs were selected to receive regular support to implement the Framework from 1 April 2022 for 12 months.

A mid-term report was received from all participating PHNs in November 2022 which highlighted the changes made since embarking on this process. Some of the activities PHNs have undertaken include a review of how CALD data is collected, working in partnership with community organisations who engage with refugees and migrants, and exploring ways to ensure commissioned services are culturally responsive.

It’s been exciting to be a part of these journeys!

PHN Community of Practice meetings
As part of the EOI process, the Embrace Project will facilitate at least two Community of Practice (CoP) meetings to enable PHNs to share learnings and gain inspiration from each other’s work. The first CoP meeting was held on 10 August 2022 and the next CoP meeting will be held in March 2023.

PHN Resources
As a result of the engagement with PHNs the Embrace Project team has developed some targeted resources, these include a Guide on Framework Implementation. Further resources in development include a Best Practice Examples Fact Sheet. Please contact the Embrace Project team if you would like a copy of these. 

The Embrace Project is implementing a CALD Community Engagement Project which strives to increase engagement and close partnerships with CALD communities.

There are four phases of this project:

• Phase one involved developing a Toolkit for CALD community engagement and is completed.
• Phase two involves applying the Toolkit (from Phase one) in three target communities each year.
• Phase three involves implementing the activities generated from Phase 2.  
• Phase four involves reporting and evaluation and will be done concurrently.

Following extensive consultation and discussion by the Embrace Project advisory groups, the following three communities have been selected for the first year of this Project:

• Rohingya community in Melbourne, VIC
• Chinese/Mandarin speaking community in NSW
• CALD Youth in Darwin, NT

The Embrace Project sent out a tender for Phases 2 and 3 (Identifying and developing tailored responses to mental health issues) to target community organisations.

Three organisations have been successfully appointed to undertake Phases 2 and 3 with the above selected communities.

Mental Health Australia commissioned research to investigate the mental health of three specific CALD communities over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. These were the Italian, Turkish and Vietnamese communities.

The Embrace Project is delighted to share the Final Report detailing the research findings and recommendations and the one-page infographic. Both documents can be accessed on the Embrace website here.

Two webinars were held on 31 August and 26 October 2022 to launch the research findings to Mental Health Australia members and Embrace Project key stakeholders.

Mental Health Australia commissioned University of Western Sydney to help further inform broader stigma and mental health research in specific CALD communities. These communities included the Congolese, Arabic-speaking and Mandarin-speaking communities.

A webinar was held on 14 November 2022 where Associate Professor Shameran Slewa-Younan from the University of Western Sydney presented the key findings and recommendations.

You can access the Final Report and Literature Review via the links below:

• Final Report 
• Literature Review

As part of the Mind Your Health wellbeing initiative launched by SBS this October, the Embrace Project in collaboration with SBS adapted a self-check in infographic that sets out six questions for an individual to reflect on when assessing their own health and wellbeing.

Ruth Das, Embrace Project Lead – Partnerships and Engagement spoke to SBS about the specific aspects that an individual should consider when answering each question in the self-check-in. You can check out the article here.

To find out more information and access articles, podcasts and videos in English and in a number of languages visit here.

Mental Health Australia and the Embrace Project had the opportunity to attend the Mental Health Services (TheMHS) Conference in Sydney from 11 – 14 October 2022.

TheMHS conference is Australasia’s leading and most diverse mental health conference. This year’s theme was ‘Navigating complexity – embedding integration that makes a difference’.

The Embrace Project team was delighted to facilitate a workshop on ‘Working with CALD Communities’ and undertake a panel presentation about ‘Navigating Cultural and Linguistic Diversity’.

Mental Health Australia's inaugural 2022 Report to the Nation is an independent annual benchmark survey to address a key gap in mental health data in collaboration with Ipsos. This national survey will provide regular insight into the mental health and wellbeing of Australians, providing a regular “pulse-check” and identifying important issues for further advocacy around mental health and wellbeing issues.

Check it out here.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is co-designing a new Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) Strategy to improve access, experience and outcomes for people with disability from CaLD backgrounds.

To do this, they are hosting a series of focus groups between November 2022 to January 2023.

You can join these focus groups if one of the following applies to you:

• CALD NDIS participant
• Carer/ family member of a CALD NDIS participant
• A person with a disability from a CALD background

Payment

All attendees will be paid up to $150 voucher per session for taking part in the focus groups 

Registration

To register for this, please click here. 

As a part of the nation's mental health reform agenda, the National Mental Health Commission has been tasked with developing a National Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Strategy.

The draft National Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Strategy has now been released for public input and feedback.

You are invited to submit feedback by 1 February 2023.

For more information visit here. 

Check out this case study which highlights the amazing work undertaken by Neami National in collaboration with Victorian Chin Baptist Church (VCBC) community and Migrant Information Centre (Eastern Melbourne) (MIC).

Letters to Australia is an initiative from the Australian Multicultural Foundation (AMF) aimed at amplifying voices not always heard in the national conversation.

They have developed an online collection of ‘letters’ to elevate the voices of young advocates and thinkers so they may be heard by the wider Australian community.

The NSW Transcultural Mental Health Line operates Monday to Friday between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm.

The Transcultural Mental Health Line is a telephone service available to support people who live in NSW and who are from CALD communities.

The Line is specifically focused on supporting people from CALD communities to get the help they need, with a specialist team of health care professionals who speak their language and understand their mental health concern from shared cultural perspectives.

The service provides brief over-the-phone and telehealth support for callers, including in-language information and support for carers and family members of a person with a mental health concern.

The Line will also provide information for callers on how to access mental health care and it will be able to connect them with relevant services and community support.

For more information on the Transcultural Mental Health Line visit here.

Transcultural Mental Health Centre (TMHC) has developed an online resource Iranian Community Mental Health Profile to understand and meet the mental health needs of communities impacted by the upheaval in Iran.

The Embrace Project is now on social media and we would love to connect with you. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube - or search for us @EmbraceMultiMH.

For more information visit the Embrace website https://embracementalhealth.org.au

02 6285 3100

9-11 Napier Close, Deakin ACT 2600

multicultural@mhaustralia.org

www.embracementalhealth.org.au