A number of Victorian organisations offer professional development around issues related to refugee health. Some of them are listed here. Click on the name of the organisation to be redirected to its website. For a list of refugee health online modules click here.
Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture Inc. (Foundation House)
With recognised expertise in torture and trauma informed care, Foundation House provides professional and organisational development to individuals and organisations involved in service delivery to people of refugee backgrounds. Courses include an introduction to the refugee and asylum seeker experience, incidental counselling and trauma focused counselling. While settling in a new country, survivors of torture may seek assistance from health and social workers as well as teachers and others in the community. Foundation House professional and organisational development programs assist workers such as these to respond, especially if they have limited experience in meeting the unique needs of survivors of organised violence. Details of upcoming professional and organisational development opportunities are available from the Foundation House website. Foundation House also runs targeted professional development with nurses and allied health, primary and secondary schools.
Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (CEH)
With a specialisation in cultural competency, CEH’s training focuses on understanding and overcoming specific challenges relating to working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse clients in service delivery. CEH’s Multicultural Health Support Service also provides professional development and resources for culturally and linguistically diverse men, women and young people, and for service providers.
Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY)
CMY delivers cross-cultural professional development and training programs that focus on working with migrant and refugee young people. CMY training is informed by cross cultural practice, cultural competency frameworks, multicultural and diversity policies, human rights legislation, youth work theories, and principles and current good practice in migrant, refugee and newly arrived youth work. CMY training offers practical strategies for project development and implementation.
Family Planning Victoria
Family Planning Victoria offers a number of trainings around sexual health and sex education. FPV also hosts the Family and Reproductive Rights Education Program (FARREP). The FARREP program provides community education and support to health professionals to raise awareness of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and some other sexual and reproductive health issues. For more information contact Koula Neophytou on T/ 03 9257 0176 or at E/ .
Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH)
VTMH offers learning and professional development to clinicians and workers in mental health services to improve the quality of transcultural interaction between mental health workers and clients from diverse linguistic and cultural background. VTMH has developed on online, accredited, one-day introductory course, and also offers learning and professional development on site. For a schedule visit VTMH here.
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC)
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre offers on demand legal training to services and staff who work with asylum seeking clients in order to provide background information about Australia’s asylum process and of the differing service access available to asylum seekers while their asylum application is being processed. For more information contact the ASRC: 03 9326 6066.
