August updates
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In this August issue:
- News and Events
- Health and Community-based resources
- Disability Updates
- COVID-19 Updates
- Research, Submissions and Advocacy Opportunities
- Professional Development Opportunities
News and Events
Women's Health Sector Survey
Are you currently working for a service supporting women from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds?
The Victorian Refugee Health Network is conducting a survey with settlement, health and community services to better understand how women from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds access and navigate health services in Victoria.
This survey seeks your perspective working in the sector, whether you are referring to or providing health services. We encourage responses from those working across diverse locations (metropolitan, regional and rural).
Responses will be de-identified and used to follow up on areas of focus for the Refugee Women’s Health Community Consultation, commissioned by the Victorian Department of Health.
We encourage you to complete this survey to contribute to this important consultation. This survey is anonymous and should take 5 - 10 minutes to complete. This survey will close on Friday 11 August at 5pm.
Data Bulletin: April - June 2023
The Data Bulletin produced by Victorian Refugee Health Network (VRHN) for the second quarter of 2023 as mentioned in the recent VRHN Statewide meeting has been released. If you have any questions regarding this Data Bulletin or would like to receive more specific information and access to any of the raw datasets included in this report, please contact our team at refugeehealth@foundationhouse.org.au
National Multicultural Health and Wellbeing Conference 2023
Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative and the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) are hosting the inaugural National Multicultural Health and Wellbeing Conference in Sydney on 21-22 November. The conference will review best practices, and explore how to address challenges and improve access to health and wellbeing services for Australia's migrant and refugee communities.
Ethnolink Summit 2023
Ethnolink will be hosting a full-day Summit on multicultural communications on 23 August in Melbourne. The Summit will be an opportunity to connect with more than 200 professionals as well as to engage with community leaders and industry experts on the latest trends, insights and strategies in community engagement and multicultural communications. RMIT Associate Professor Dr Erika Gonzalez will be keynote speaker.
RCAA Conference: Building On the Foundation of Lived Experiences
The Refugee Communities Association of Australia (RCAA) will be hosting its inaugural conference on 20-21 September. Themed 'Building on the Foundation of Lived Experience,' the Melbourne conference will aim to begin a continuing conversation, share knowledge and advance the capacity of refugee communities. Delegates from diverse communities, government, service providers and businesses are invited to attend.
Family and Domestic Violence - Financial Assistance for Temporary Visa Holders
Minister Amanda Rishworth MP has recently announced an increase in financial assistance available to temporary visa holders experiencing family and domestic violence from $3000 to $5000.
Read the media release HERE and click the link below for more information on how to apply:
The Andrews Labor Government’s Priority Primary Care Centres (PPCCs) are directly taking pressure off our busy emergency departments – with more than 100,000 Victorians getting the urgent care they need since they launched late last year. PPCCs are free to all Victorians, with or without a Medicare card – with most clinics accepting both walk-ins and pre-booked appointments.
Internship program for people from refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds
Victorian Public Sector Commission (VPSC) is currently running an internship program that aims to offer university students from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds with valuable working experience, networking opportunities, and exposure to the public service.
Expressions of interest to participate in this program are open until Friday 18th August 2023.
Communicating with multicultural communities
The Victorian Government has developed a resource to help improve communications and engagement with migrant and refugee communities across the state. The Better Practice Guide features case studies on how to effectively communicate with multicultural audiences, information on how to run an effective multicultural campaign, and more. ECCV was pleased to provide feedback on the Better Practice Guide.
Health and community-based resources
Set the PACE: designing leadership programs for migrant women, non-binary and gender diverse people
Set the PACE supports migrant and refugee women, non-binary and gender diverse leaders to design and implement community-based projects that empower and strengthen our communities. This guide offers five ways community leaders/project designers/workers can improve migrant and refugee women, non-binary and gender diverse people’s leadership by centering their experiences, challenging traditional leadership models, increasing accessibility, collaborating with others, and using an intersectional approach.
Creating accessible and culturally safe breastfeeding information
Following the Breastfeeding Summit, a collaborative partnership between cohealth, Maribyrnong Maternal and Child Health Services, Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA), and GenWest was established to codesign two major projects that targeted community-identified needs.
Translated Easy Read Resources on Mental Health
The University of NSW has released a series of Easy Read resources for people with intellectual disability on mental health in Arabic, simplified Chinese and Vietnamese.
Digital health learning resources
The Australian Digital Health Agency has a new series of webinars supporting the community to learn to use digital health tools such as My Health Record, my health app and electronic prescriptions.
Australian Immunisation Registration - without Medicare
Individuals who aren’t enrolled in Medicare or don’t have an Individual Healthcare Identifier can have their vaccinations recorded on the AIR by a provider in one of three ways:
- by entry on the AIR secure site,
- by using practice management software,
- or by using an official AIR form uploaded via Health Professional Online Services (HPOS) .
Where providers have difficulty submitting a vaccination encounter for non-Medicare individuals, they should contact the AIR on 1800 653 809
Vaping resources - Translated factsheets
Vaping asset collection has been updated to include all current, translated resources:
Factsheets are available in:
- Dari
- Persian (Farsi)
- Arabic
- Burmese
- Karen (audio recording)
Disability Updates
The National Ethnic Disability Alliance want to hear from CALD participants
Throughout July and August, NEDA (National Ethnic Disability Alliance) with support from the NDIS Review, are hosting a series of online working groups for CALD participants and their families. NEDA want to hear from CALD participants and their families interested in joining an online working group to share their lived experiences, and discuss ideas and views on how to improve the NDIS.
To register your interest in participating in an online working group please contact Dominic Golding at dominic@neda.org.au or send an SMS to 0491 201 555 with your name and contact details.
COVID-19 Updates
COVID-19 Chief Health Officer Update
The seven-day rolling average of patients with COVID in Victorian hospitals is 122, a decrease of 2 per cent from last week. There are currently 118 COVID patients in Victorian hospitals.
COVID-19 boosters - People with psychosocial disability a priority
Data from the Department of Health and Aged Care shows people with psychosocial disability have a high risk of severe illness from COVID-19, but also have lower vaccination rates. Vaccination is one of the best protective measures against severe illness associated with COVID-19.
All adults can get a booster if it’s been over six months since you had COVID-19 or a COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters can be booked through the healthdirect Service Finder.
Research, Submissions & Advocacy Opportunities
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) has released a new report marking ten years since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made the choice to send over 3,000 men, women and children who sought asylum by sea to offshore detention centres and deny them permanent resettlement. The report touches on the stories of seven people subjected to offshore detention since July 19, 2013. The people interviewed and ASRC calls for the immediate evacuation of the 80 people remaining in PNG, permanent resettlement for all and a Royal Commission into offshore detention.
Click the link below to read the full report:
Insights from the public consultation on the draft National Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Strategy
Earlier this year, the National Mental Health Commission called for public feedback on the Draft National Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Strategy. The feedback received informed the revisions to the Strategy, which has now been delivered to the Australian Government for its consideration.
A report on the consultation is available in the link below:
Strengthening Victoria’s laws against hate speech and hate conduct
The Victorian Government is strengthening its anti-vilification protections to better prevent and address hate speech and conduct. To ensure changes to the laws are fit-for-purpose and meet the needs of all Victorians, The Victorian Government is seeking community feedback through a consultation on Engage Victoria, with the first consultation paper open now and closing at 5pm on Friday 8 September 2023.
Call for Applications Patient and Consumer Experience -Community Advisory Committee
The Royal Women's hospital is seeking community voices to join their Community Advisory Committee to ensure the diverse views and cultures of women and their families are considered in our hospital’s decision-making processes.
To become a member of the Patient and Consumer Experience Community Advisory Committee, learn more about the application process below:
RACGP's: position statement about healthcare for refugee background and asylum seeker patients
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) have released a position statement regarding healthcare for refugee background and asylum seeker patients.
Professional Learning Opportunities
Foundation House Professional Learning Calendar
Incidental Counselling: Nurses and Allied Health Professionals Working with People from Refugee Backgrounds - Rural & Regional
When: Thurs August 17 and 24, 9:30- 3:30pm
Where: Online Via Zoom
This two day workshop will provide practitioners with the key theories, approaches, and methods for providing counselling to survivors of refugee trauma when this is incidental to their primary roles. Practitioners will gain incidental counselling and other skills for responding to difficult and distressing situations. The workshop involves presentations, practical exercises, roleplay, and discussions in large and small groups.
Muslim women leadership training
The Centre for Muslim Wellbeing is offering a scholarship for Muslim women to participate in a four-month-long leadership development program designed to cultivate confidence and empower them to become leaders in their communities, families, and workplaces. Beginning in August, the program includes online coaching and training as well as an in-person event in Melbourne to consolidate the learnings from the online program.
Understanding children’s mental health in culturally diverse communities
Emerging Minds recently released a free online course to support culturally responsive and inclusive practice. This foundation course introduces four key domains for professionals to consider when working with families from a culture different to their own. It features video interviews with practitioners and parents from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, along with reflection activities designed to help learners apply the information to their own work context.
About the Victorian Refugee Health Network
The Victorian Refugee Health Network brings together health, settlement and community services to be more accessible and responsive to the needs of people from refugee backgrounds, including people seeking asylum. The e-Bulletin provides a regular forum to share news, resources and information to support practitioners and services in providing health care to people from refugee backgrounds.
Connect
You can contact the Victorian Refugee Health Network secretariat at refugeehealth@foundationhouse.org.au You can subscribe to become a Network Member.
