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Dear friends and stakeholders,

Welcome to our September 2023 e-newsletter. 

Since the last e-newsletter in June, we are excited to share several Embrace Project activities and engagements completed over the last quarter. A few highlights include:  

  • facilitating the collection of valuable insights from our Lived Experience Group via online meetings with Roses in the Ocean and the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care 
  • concluding and collating learnings from our Primary Health Networks (PHN) Expression of Interest (EOI) targeted support process with 13 PHNs 
  • presenting our webinar on the Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (the Framework) to over 200 attendees 
  • collaborating with Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA) on the identification and co-location of CALD suicide prevention resources, with the Framework now featured in SPA’s Learning Hub 
  • seeing unique community engagement approaches and co-design resource development take place with different multicultural communities via our CALD Community Engagement Project.

In addition to this, the Embrace Project continues to progress day-to-day activities, including: 

  • engaging with local and national peak bodies, community organisations and advisory groups 
  • sharing culturally safe and relevant resources via our website and social media platforms
  • supporting services to be reflective and provide culturally responsive care via the implementation of the Framework  
  • empowering multicultural communities to embrace mental health and wellbeing.  

We look forward to continuing to share our project activities and highlights with you. Stay tuned for our next e-newsletter in December. 

Warm regards,

The Embrace Project Team

Embrace Multicultural Mental Health
Phone: (02) 6285 3100
Email: multicultural@mhaustralia.org
Website: www.embracementalhealth.org.au
 

In this edition
  • Embrace Lived Experience Group Update   
  • Engagement with Primary Health Networks   
  • CALD Community Engagement Project Update and key highlights  
  • Embrace Suicide Prevention Pilot Update
  • Framework Webinar 
  • The National Eating Disorder Strategy 2023-2033 is now live!
  • Updates from our Alliance partner Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA)
  • Updates from our Alliance partner National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA)
  • Resources
    • First Nations Translated resources  
    • Translated Information about the 2023 Referendum 
    • National Women’s Health Advisory Council - #EndGenderBias Survey 
    • Emerging Minds Podcast - Dismantling interpersonal racism to support culturally diverse families
 

Embrace Lived Experience Group Update 

The Embrace Lived Experience Group consist of CALD mental health consumers and carers from each state and territory across Australia and provides key input into the Embrace Project.  

The Embrace Project facilitates two yearly meetings and monthly online meetings with the Group. The most recent meetings were held in June and July 2023.   

The July online meeting was held on 26 July 2023 and led by Roses in the Ocean (RITO) and Folk for the Universal Co-Design Project. The purpose of this meeting was to explore what the National Best Practice Guidelines for aftercare, postvention and distress brief support services need to reflect for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.   

The August online meeting was held on Wednesday 23 August 2023 and organised by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) for a consultation exclusively for this group. The focus of the consultation was the safety and quality expectations of Safe Space Services for CALD consumers.  

We thank the group for their ongoing commitment and amazing contributions.  
 

Engagement with Primary Health Networks

The Embrace Project provided formal support to 13 PHNs for a period of one year to improve CALD mental health service delivery and build the capacity of PHNs and their commissioned services to respond to CALD communities within their catchment. This targeted support consisted of 91 monthly meetings, two online Community of Practice meetings, development of two guided resources and frequent Framework training and workshops.  

As a result of this process, the participating PHNs have established cross-organisational working groups, developed, and implemented action plans, and made real progress towards improving their cultural responsiveness. The Embrace Project team will share PHN best practice case studies to highlight some of the achievements PHNs have made in this space. Stay tuned! 

The Embrace Project would like to say a huge thanks to the participating PHNs: 

  • Adelaide PHN (SA)   
  • South Eastern Melbourne PHN (VIC)  
  • Eastern Melbourne PHN (VIC) 
  • Central and Eastern Sydney PHN (NSW)
  • Went West - Western Sydney PHN (NSW)
  • Northern Sydney PHN (NSW)   
  • Primary Health Tasmania (TAS) 
  • WA Primary Health Alliance (Perth North PHN, Perth South PHN, Country Western Australia PHN) (WA)
  • Brisbane North PHN (QLD)  
  • Darling Downs West Moreton PHN (QLD)  
  • Northern Queensland PHN (QLD)   

Going forward the Embrace Project will continue to offer informal support to PHNs through website resources, email and phone enquiries, and general Embrace communication modalities. In addition to this, the Embrace Project team will conduct progress surveys, lead twice yearly online Community of Practice meetings for PHNs to share learnings and progress and continue to engage with the PHN Cooperative and PHN Cultural Diversity Community of Practice. 

CALD Community Engagement Project Update

The CALD Community Engagement Project is well underway and strives to increase engagement and close partnerships with CALD communities and support for mental health. Over four years and four phases we will engage with 12 communities.  

A select number of community organisations have been contracted to lead this work with the selected communities. This will involve identifying mental health issues and developing co-designed solutions and resources which will be shared widely and made accessible to communities.  

Engagement has commenced with the following three communities for round 1 of the Project:  

  • Rohingya community in Melbourne, VIC – with Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre (SMRC) 
  • Chinese/Mandarin speaking community in NSW – with Chinese Australian Services Society (CASS)  
  • Youth in Darwin, NT – with Melaleuca Australia 

In addition to this, engagement has commenced with the following three communities for round 2 of the Project: 

  • Pasifika and Māori community in Queensland – Brisbane South Primary Health Network (BSPHN) 
  • Afghan community in Adelaide - Survivors of Torture and Trauma Assistance and Rehabilitation Service (STTARS) 
  • African women in Western Australia - Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services   

An evaluation for the Project will occur across the 12 communities and will be led by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI).  

Keep an eye out for this Project and the co-designed resources.
 
Embrace Suicide Prevention Pilot Update

Now entering its tenth month, the Embrace Suicide Prevention Pilot (ESPP) is guiding a heightened focus on suicide prevention within the Embrace Project. Developed and delivered in collaboration with Suicide Prevention Australia and R U OK?, the first year of the ESPP is informing: (1) expanded use of the Framework in mainstream suicide prevention organisations through organisation-wide implementation within R U OK, and (2) best practice in CALD community engagement and resource co-design through R U OK’s work in with three CALD communities – Arabic, Hindi and Vietnamese speaking. 

Highlights of the last quarter include: 

  • R U OK? concluding their series of three co-design workshops with each of the community groups, led by bi-lingual community leaders (“co-facilitators”), and subsequently commencing final production of each group’s co-designed resources. The final step in the co-design process will be focus group testing of the co-designed resources in the community
  • collaboration with R U OK? community co-facilitators and the Pilot consortium to ensure a safe and culturally appropriate approach for the process and impact evaluation of the co-design process, led by Kantar Public. This process has reinforced that mainstream evaluation approaches are not always suitable for safe and effective evaluation of mental health and suicide prevention initiatives in multicultural communities. Learnings will be documented in project and evaluation reports to add to existing evidence and best practice in this space
  • inclusion of the Embrace Framework in Suicide Prevention Australia's Learning Hub, a comprehensive platform that aims to facilitate learning and skill development in the field of suicide prevention. 
  • active interest from other suicide prevention organisations in the Embrace Framework. Embrace will support these “early adopters” with Framework implementation as needed and incorporate any feedback and learnings into resources to guide and support implementation
  • advancing our collaboration with Suicide Prevention Australia in the ongoing identification and linking of CALD suicide prevention resources across our respective Learning and Knowledge Hubs

As we enter the final months of Phase 1 implementation, we are delighted to report that the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care has committed to extend the ESPP for a second year. Expected to commence in early 2024, Phase 2 will endeavour to amplify and build upon the learnings, partnerships, and outcomes during year 1. Embrace will be working closely with the Department and in consultation with its partners, advisory groups and a range of sector stakeholders to progress scoping of Phase 2 activities in this last quarter. 

We look forward to announcing our plans and findings in the December Newsletter.

The Framework within SPA’s National Suicide Prevention Learning Hub
 

Framework Webinar

The Embrace Project held a Webinar on the Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (the Framework) on 6 September 2023.  

Over 200 attendees joined us to learn more about the Embrace Project, the Framework and how it has been implemented by a Primary Health Network within a local context.  

The Framework is a free, nationally available online resource and quality improvement tool which allows organisations and individual practitioners to evaluate and enhance their cultural responsiveness. 

A recording of the webinar is available on YouTube here and on our website here. 

We would like to say a huge thanks to WA Primary Health Alliance for sharing their Framework implementation journey and for the attendees who joined us from all over Australia.  

To register for the Framework or find out more about how you can tailor the Framework to best meet your needs and the needs of your local community visit here.

 

The National Eating Disorder Strategy 2023-2033 is now live! 

The 2023-2033 National Eating Disorders Strategy was released on 30 August 2023. It is a tool to help people at all levels and in all settings to work in a collaborative and sustained way to achieve a full and coordinated system of care for all. 

It was developed by the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) including input from our Embrace Lived Experience Group.

Our Alliance partner National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) would like to thank their LGBTIQA+ Inclusion Officer Grace for contributing her lived experience to the Strategy. 

You can access the Strategy and materials here. 
 

Updates from our Alliance partner Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA)

CALD COVID-19 Health Grants Fund 

FECCA continues to work with the Federal Government and other organisations to administer the CALD COVID-19 Health Small Grants Fund. This fund has played a crucial role in empowering multicultural community groups to drive grassroots communication efforts concerning COVID-19 and the vaccination rollout. We welcome grant applications for projects that align with the following objectives:   

  • Addressing barriers to accessing COVID-19 information 
  • Providing the opportunity for communities to identify and respond to issues and concerns surrounding COVID-19 and the vaccination program 
  • Providing accurate and culturally relevant information on the COVID-19 Vaccination Program 

If you are interested in applying for this grant, please reach out to FECCA’s Small Grants team today via smallgrants@fecca.org.au.

Find more information here. 

 

Updates from our Alliance partner National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) 

Focus Groups for NDIS Review  

The National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA) recently held national focus groups for the 2023 NDIS Review. Many spoke of how those from newly arrived backgrounds who have experiences of mental health and psychosocial disability are missing out on getting onto the NDIS. This came down to invisible disabilities, willingness to disclose mental health needs, and the complexity of systems navigation. 

Input into National Guidelines for inclusion of wellbeing in early childhood checks 

NEDA also participated in a consultation held by the National Mental Health Commission on the development of 'Guidelines for the inclusion of wellbeing in early childhood health checks'. NEDA is currently working to include and amplify the voices of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) families in these important discussions on early childhood mental health and wellbeing. More information can be found here.

Lastly, NEDA is moving to a new office location in Deakin, ACT. This is an exciting time for us as we expand our base of operations. We hope to be able to welcome you into the new space very soon. 
 

Resources

First Nations Translated Resources 

You can access a range of translated resources about the Voice and the referendum including videos, a community toolkit, radio ads, posters, fact sheets, social media materials and a conversation guide. 

You can download and share the resources in the way that best supports your region or community. 

Access translated resources here.

Translated Information about the 2023 Referendum

A referendum is being held this year on whether to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. 

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has information available in a variety of languages and formats to help everyone understand enrolling and voting for the 2023 referendum in Australia. 

The AEC is committed to supporting people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to participate by voting in the referendum. 

Visit here for information about the referendum in your language and links to the in-language telephone interpreter service. 

National Women’s Health Advisory Council - #EndGenderBias Survey

Have you or someone you care for been unfairly treated as a woman in Australia’s healthcare system? 

Have you had issues with the quality of your healthcare because of your gender? 

The National Women’s Health Advisory Council wants to hear from women, along with experts, health care professionals, consumer representatives and peak stakeholder groups to better understand the unique barriers and gender bias women face in Australia’s healthcare system.  

Share your experiences by completing the consultation survey today. To change the language, click on the world symbol within the survey. The #EndGenderBias survey is available in 17 languages. 

Be part of the solution and complete the #EndGenderBias survey here.

Emerging Minds Podcast - Dismantling interpersonal racism to support culturally diverse families 

In this Podcast episode, practitioners Julie Ngwabi (Emerging Minds), Etty Garabelli (Australian Refugee Association), and Steph Shavin (Victorian Transcultural Mental Health) explore how racism impacts the mental health of children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Australia. The practitioners use their critical self-awareness and reflection to discuss how biases and privileges can be managed and responded to when working with children and parents. 

Listen to Dismantling interpersonal racism to support culturally diverse families on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and on the Emerging Minds website here.
 

Contact us

If you would like further information about the Embrace Project or to discuss how we could support you, please contact us via email on multicultural@mhaustralia.org or call 02 6285 3100.
 

Connect with us on social media 

The Embrace Project is 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
 

The Embrace Multicultural Mental Health Project is delivered by Mental Health Australia, and funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care.

 

02 6285 3100

9-11 Napier Close, Deakin ACT 2600

multicultural@mhaustralia.org

www.embracementalhealth.org.au

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