referral
referral
Referral
Lifeline
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing emotional distress with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. Lifeline can also be accessed by phone at 13 11 14.Visit
referral
Referral
Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) – National Helpline
Category: Maternal Health
FIND SOMEONE TO TALK TO, MONDAY TO SATURDAY. 1300 726 306Visit
referral
Referral
Raise Our Voices- Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria
Category: Disability Health
Raise Our Voices aims to empower and improve self-advocacy skills for people from migrant and refugee communities living with disability, their families and carers.Visit
referral
Referral
National Immunisation Program eligibility for refugees and humanitarian entrants
Category: Immunisations
The Commonwealth guidance states that NIP vaccines are free for ‘refugees and humanitarian entrants of any age’.Find out more
referral
Referral
Upcoming professional development opportunities
View upcoming professional development and training for 2024.Find out more
referral
Referral
Head to Health
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
Head to Health is a free confidential service from the Australian Government. It connects you with the help and support you need to keep mentally healthy.Visit
referral
Referral
Women’s sexual and reproductive health hubs
Category: Sexual Health, Women’s Health
Sexual and reproductive health hubs are available for all Victorian women, girls and gender diverse people throughout community health services in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. You usually do not need a referral to make an appointment.Visit
referral
Referral
AMES NDIS Support
Category: Disability Health
AMES specialise in connecting migrants and people with language barriers to services that help them thrive. But it doesn’t matter what age you are, or your nationality or background, AMES can help anyone understand the NDIS plan. AMES will communicate and help you understand your NDIS in the language you speak.Visit
referral
Referral
Specialised and Intensive Services (SIS)
Specialised and Intensive Services (SIS) is a component of the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) available to humanitarian entrants and other eligible visa holders who have complex needs. SIS offer clients short term needs-based support to help them access appropriate mainstream services and develop the necessary skills to manage their needs independently.Visit
referral
Referral
School’s In For Refugees (SIFR)
Category: Child Youth Health
School’s In for Refugees is a Foundation House resource designed for busy school staff. We can assist your school to confidently support students’ engagement, wellbeing and achievement, and promote staff wellbeing too! Our professional learning content is easy to find and full of tips, links, resources, and good practice examples addressing primary and secondary school settings.Visit
referral
Referral
Australian Multicultural Community Center (AMCC)- Disability Support services
Category: Disability Health
Provides a range of community support services and aim to support Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, to gain control over their lives including youth and women group activities, learning workshops traditional and religious celebrations, seniors group activities, disability Support services, family support and health and wellbeing.Visit
referral
Referral
Headspace
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
If you or someone you support is between 12-25 years, it is recommended that you contact your local headspace for mental health and wellbeing support. Interpreter services are welcome.Visit
referral
Referral
Parentline
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
Parentline is a free phone service for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years old. We offer confidential and anonymous counselling and support on parenting issues.Visit
referral
Referral
MensLine
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
MensLine Australia is a free telephone and online counselling service offering support for Australian men anywhere, anytime.Visit
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Referral
Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals are a service that supports Victorian adults to get mental health and wellbeing treatment and support closer to home. Support is free of charge, and clients don’t need a referral from a doctor or health professional. Locals are for anyone aged 26 years and over experiencing mental health or wellbeing concerns.Visit
referral
Referral
Red Cross- Emergency Relief Support
Support for temporary visa holders, people seeking asylum and people with an uncertain visa status to help meet their basic needs.Visit
referral
Referral
Refugee Health Nurse- Dental Programs
Category: Dental Oral Health
Refugee health nurses are located at various community health services, some of those have public dental programs.Find out more
referral
Referral
Refugee Health Program
The Refugee Health Program (formerly the Refugee Health Nurse Program) operates in 15 local government areas of Victoria.Find out more
referral
Referral
Priority Primary Care Centres (PPCC)
Category: Rural and Regional Health
Priority Primary Care Centres (PPCCs) provide GP-led care to people who need urgent care, but not an emergency response. Each PPCC is partnered with a busy emergency department. Care is available to anyone with or without a Medicare card, at no cost to the patient. (Costs may be required for imaging, pathology and other services.)Visit
referral
Referral
Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (Foundation House): Practice and Sector Development
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.Visit
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Resource
Kin | Disability Advocacy for Diverse Communities
Category: Disability Health
Kin helps people from diverse backgrounds living with disability, their families and carers. Visit their website to access translated resources in languages on various topics including structure of NDIS, and NDIS Quality.Visit
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Resource
Jean Hailes for Women’s Health – Translated Videos on Menopause
Category: Women’s Health
Short animated videos in English, Mandarin and Vietnamese to help women learn more about changes to the body during the menopause, how to manage menopausal symptoms and the top three things women can do to stay healthy after menopause.Visit
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Resource
Disability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU)
Category: Disability Health
The Disability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU) has launched their new website sharing resources and provide training opportunities to keep disability advocates informed and up-to-date about issues affecting people with disability in Victoria.Visit
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Resource
Engaging Men from Multicultural and Faith-Based Communities in Primary Prevention
Category: Family violence
This resource has been developed as part of the Connecting Communities program, a partnership between the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health (MCWH) and Safe and Equal to support the learning and professional development needs of the Connecting Communities network.Visit
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Resource
Newly developed contraception-information videos in Arabic, Cantonese, Hindi and Mandarin
Category: Sexual Health
The EXTEND-PREFER Project has developed educational videos discussing the different contraceptive methods available in Australia. This video has also been translated into Arabic, Cantonese, Hindi and Mandarin.Visit
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Resource
Growing a Healthy Baby Project
Category: Maternal Health
New in-language culturally adapted ‘Safer Baby Bundle’ resources: addressing high stillbirth rates through co-design.Visit
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Resource
Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) – Support in different languages
Category: Maternal Health
Get the support you need with resources translated into 40 languages.Visit
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Resource
Interactive map that shows increase in incidence of Sexually Transmitted Infections(STI)
Category: Sexual Health
Please find an interactive map that shows increase in incidence of diseases such as Gonorrhoea and syphilis that are all STIs. We do not have any specific data as per community groups. But you can look into each LGA on the map.Visit
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Resource
Designing mental health services for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
A tip sheet for mental health clinicians, counsellors and key workers working with children, young people and families from a refugee or asylum seeking background.Visit
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Resource
Working with Children, Young People and Families from a Refugee and Asylum-seeking Background: A Tip Sheet
Category: Child Youth Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing
A tip sheet for mental health clinicians, counsellors and key workers working with children, young people and families from a refugee or asylum seeking background.View Document
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Resource
Factsheet on health requirements for protection visa applicants
Applicants for Protection visas are required to undergo medical examinations, however you will not be prevented from being granted a visa if you have a medical condition or are accessing any medical or disability services. Find out more here.View Document
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Resource
Helpful information for GPs seeing a patient from refugee background
This resource was developed by the Refugee Health Network QueenslandFind out more
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Resource
National Immunisation Program eligibility for refugees and humanitarian entrants
The Commonwealth guidance states that NIP vaccines are free for ‘refugees and humanitarian entrants of any age’.Find out more
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Resource
PHN Multicultural Framework
The PHN Multicultural Framework provides high-level guidance and best practice actions to support PHNs to deliver locally informed and relevant responses in partnership with other stakeholders.View document
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Resource
Health checks for women (Poster)
Category: Women’s Health
A handy guide to the health checks women need, and when to get them. Available in English, Vietnamese, Karen, Chinese Traditional and Chinese Simplified.Visit
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Resource
Best practice guide for migrant and refugee inclusive disaster preparedness, response, and recovery
Best practice guide to support service providers, emergency response agencies, healthcare providers, non-government and community organisations who are working with migrant and refugee communities as part of their disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.Visit
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Resource
Bendigo Community Health Services – Emergency Preparedness Hub
Category: Rural and Regional Health
The hub builds the capacity for former refugees and emergency providers to better prepare for and manage severe weather events. Through a collaborative approach with SES, CFA, City of Greater Bendigo emergency staff and BCHS staff of refugee lived experience, the hub features co-designed fact sheets and videos in the Karen, Dari and Dinka languages.Visit
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Resource
Australian Fire Danger Rating System Communications Kit
Four animations have been developed to help community members understand the changes to the Fire Danger Rating system, better understand what each level means and what they need to do in response to the level when it is declared. The animation are available in 12 languages.Visit
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Resource
Fire Safety Translations
Please find information about fire safety in your language. There are over 40 languages to choose from published by Country Fire Authority (CFA).Visit
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Resource
Bushfire Safety (In Easy English)
Find reports on 'Fire Danger Ratings' and 'Leave early before a bushfire starts' published by CFA. Easy English is an accessible format that uses images, everyday words and simple sentences to help readers understand the information.Visit
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Resource
Fire Safety Video (in Karen)
CFA have released a video on Fire Safety in Karen language with the local community in Nhill, Victoria.View Video here
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Resource
Catch up vaccinations
Category: Immunisations
The Immunisation Unit at the Department of Health has created a new webpage to support immunisers through the vaccination catch-up journey with their patients.Visit
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Resource
Catch-up immunisation in refugees
Category: Immunisations
Vaccine preventable diseases (VPD) are endemic and/or epidemic in countries of origin of refugee families, and disruptions to health care may affect vaccine quality and access to vaccination. Information on vaccination coverage and disease status in country of origin is available from the World Health Organization (WHO), including immunisation schedules by country.Visit
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Resource
National Immunisation Program Schedule
Category: Immunisations
The National Immunisation Program (NIP) Schedule is a series of immunisations given at specific times throughout your life. The immunisations range from birth through to adulthood.Visit
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Resource
Influenza vaccination
Category: Immunisations
Influenza can be serious. The best way to protect against influenza is to get vaccinated each year. For some people the vaccine is free.Visit
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Resource
COVID-19 booster vaccine advice
Category: Immunisations
Learn about booster doses for COVID-19 vaccines, who they are for, when you need one and how to get it.Visit
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Resource
National Immunisation Program (NIP) Schedule
Category: Immunisations
The National Immunisation Program (NIP) Schedule is a series of immunisations given at specific times throughout your life. The immunisations range from birth through to adulthood.Visit
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Resource
Catch up vaccinations for refugees and asylum seekers in Victoria
Category: Immunisations
This resource was designed for refugee and migrant communities in Victoria about catch-up vaccinations.Visit
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Resource
Life! Program
Category: Health Literacy
The Life! program is a free type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke prevention program that is funded by the Victorian Government and managed by Diabetes Victoria. The program is delivered in English, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Chinese (Cantonese/Mandarin).Visit
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Resource
Glossary of terms – Accessing mental health services
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
This glossary is designed to help you understand the technical terms related to mental health services in Victoria. In particular, it explains the terms used in the ‘Mental health services’ video. It may also help the work of interpreters in this area.Visit
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Interpreting Services for PHN-Commissioned mental health services
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
As a provider of mental health services funded by a Primary Health Network, your organisation is now able to access interpreting Services funded by the Australian Government through the National Translating and Interpreting Services (TIS National).View Document
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Resource
Access to mental health local services in twenty-one languages
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health and Victorian State Government has developed videos about access to mental health local services in twenty-one languages.Visit
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Resource
Healthcare for people from refugee backgrounds and people seeking asylum- RACGP
The RACGP recognises the complexity of health care needs of people from refugee backgrounds. General practitioners have a key role to play in supporting this group, but they need to be supported through access to interpreters, appropriate education and training, evidence-based research, a coordinated approach between health services, and guided by a national strategy.Visit
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Resource
Working with patients from refugee background: GP Administration Tips
A brief guideline on GP Administration tips when working with patients from refugee backgrounds.View Document
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Resource
Working effectively with interpreters to support families from refugee backgrounds
A brief guideline on how to work effectively with interpreters to support families from refugee backgrounds.View Document
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Resource
National Cervical Screening Program – Cervical screening explained (videos)
Category: Women’s Health
This video provides an overview of the National Cervical Screening Program. It outlines what a Cervical Screening Test is and the test options available to participants.Visit
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Resource
How to take your own HPV test (translations available)
Category: Women’s Health
Self-collection is now an option for all participants in routine cervical screening. 'How to Take Your Own HPV Test' is available in multiple languages.Visit
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Resource
Factsheets on difference between new mental health locals and existing hubs
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
Victoria’s mental health and wellbeing system is transforming, with mental health and wellbeing hubs being phased out, and mental health and wellbeing locals established.Visit
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Resource
Country Fire Authority Victoria: Fire Safety in other languages
We want to make sure that all Victorians understand the importance of fire safety and what they can do to improve their own safety. These in-language resources have been developed for you to share with your community.Visit
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Resource
Vic Emergency
The VicEmergency website provides a centralised location for Victorians to access timely emergency information and warnings.Visit
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Resource
Vic SES- Information in other languages
To assist people from multicultural communities, important information is available in a number of languages.Visit
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Resource
Our Voice – Our Experience: Floods in Shepparton
In a special partnership between Human Chapters and Regional Victorians of Colour, engaging in conversations with community members about their experience of the recent floods in regional Victoria. Neha Samar and Arti Shah participate in this conversation about the multicultural experience of the recent floods.Visit
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Resource
National Ethnic & Multicultural Broadcasting Council- Victorian Flood Payments Explainer
There are several different payments you may be able to get if you live in a flooded area and have had to leave your home or your home or business has been damaged or destroyed by floods.Visit
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Resource
Healthy Mind, Healthy Family, Healthy Community (Arabic)
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
Healthy Mind, Healthy Family, Healthy Community is a video produced by members of the Syrian and Iraqi Community Advisory Group of the Diverse Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Project. This video is in Arabic.View
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Resource
Hope and Life (Dari)
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
Hope and Life is a video produced by members of the Communities from Afghanistan Advisory Group of the Diverse Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Project. This video is in Dari.View
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publication
Publication
A photovoice study exploring what culturally safe pregnancy care is to Karen women of refugee background in Victoria, Australia
Category: Maternal Health
A photovoice study founded on community-based participatory research principles was undertaken with a Karen community of refugee background living in Victoria, Australia. A community advisory group was established, guiding study design and conduct. Five S’gaw Karen-speaking women with experience of pregnancy care in Australia were invited to take photos within their community. Participants shared their photos and stories with each other in four online discussion groups.Visit
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Publication
Domestic Violence Identification and Response for Refugee Women in Settlement Services (The SAHAR Study)
Category: Family violence
Around one third of refugee women in Australia are estimated to have experienced domestic violence (DV) and many face multiple post-migration challenges. Universal screening for domestic violence, and response, is recommended for women in priority populations and has been implemented in health services across diverse jurisdictions.View Document
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Publication
Cultural safety and belonging for refugee background women attending group pregnancy care: An Australian qualitative study
Category: Maternal Health
Refugee women experience higher incidence of childbirth complications and poor pregnancy outcomes. Resettled refugee women often face multiple barriers accessing pregnancy care and navigating health systems in high income countries. A community-based model of group pregnancy care for Karen women from Burma was co-designed by health services in consultation with Karen families in Melbourne, Australia.View Document
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Publication
Finding our own ways of working together: reflections on implementing and facilitating a multidisciplinary and equity-orientated model of Group Pregnancy Care for women of refugee background.
Category: Maternal Health
This paper explores professional staff experiences of implementing and facilitating a multidisciplinary equity-oriented model of Group Pregnancy Care for women of refugee background. This model was the first of its kind in Australia and one of the first worldwide.View Document
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Publication
Trauma-Informed Care and Equity in Group Pregnancy Care for Women in Refugee Background: Reflections from the workforce.
Category: Maternal Health
For women and families of refugee background having a baby in Australia, trauma-related experiences contribute to maternal and neonatal health inequities. Group Pregnancy Care for women of refugee background is a new model of care that was codesigned with communities of refugee background, to incorporate a trauma-informed approach to care. The aim of this paper is to explore how trauma-informed care is understood by Group Pregnancy Care professional staff.View Document
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Publication
Perceptions and Experiences of Inequity for Women of Refugee Background Having a Baby during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Melbourne, Australia
Category: Women’s Health
A new report has been released from the Listening to What Matters Study.View Document
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Publication
Interpreter Engagement in General Practice in Australia- Migrant & Refugee Health Partnership (2020)
This report investigates the potential benefits, costs and disincentives involved in engaging interpreters, and the risks of failing to do so, with an emphasis on general practice settings.View Document
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Publication
Community Engagement Framework
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
A Community Engagement Framework was developed through the Diverse Communities project to establish a model for engaging refugee and asylum seeker background communities into the mental health reforms. It outlines principles, key considerations, and strategies to facilitate meaningful engagement among these communities.View Document
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Publication
Lost in translation: using standardised self-report measures in cross-cultural research
The goal of this resource is to provide guidance regarding the use of standardised self-report measures in research involving people of refugee and migrant backgrounds.View Document
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Publication
Refugee Women’s Health Community Consultation
Category: Women’s Health
The Refugee Women’s Health Community Consultation Report, released by the Victorian Refugee Health Network, shares key findings and recommendations to inform implementation of the Victorian Government’s reform initiatives in Women’s Health.View Document
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Publication
Listening to women’s voices
Category: Women’s Health
Results of the Victorian Women's Health Survey 2023 conducted by Engage Victoria.Visit
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Publication
Our Health, Our Mind: Mental health needs in Muslim migrant and refugee communities
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
Report by the Australian Muslim Women's Centre for Human Rights on community members' understanding of mental health and mental health issues, including summary of key findings and recommendations.View document
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Publication
Emergency Preparedness Program: Fire, Flood and Heat Health 2022-2023
Category: Rural and Regional Health
Bendigo Community Health Service delivered this project to provide access to detailed visual and culturally appropriate, user-friendly easily understood resources related to emergency preparedness; fire, flood, heat, and information sessions and resources to support residents of refugee background.View Document
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Exploring Barriers and Facilitators to the Use of Qualified Interpreters in Health
The purpose of the paper is to summarise available evidence regarding the use and failure to use qualified interpreters in various health settings and describe the main barriers and facilitators to the use of qualified interpreters in health settings.View Document
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Promoting the engagement of interpreters in Victorian health services
Evidence shows that there are many occasions when credentialled interpreters are not engaged even though they should be, creating risks for both clients and health practitioners.View Document
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Immunisation Fact Sheet: For case workers working with refugees and asylum seekers
Category: Immunisations
This information sheet is to inform case workers in Victoria about immunisation policy and considerations for people of refugee backgrounds.View Document
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Publication
The Social Determinants of mental health and disorder: evidence, prevention and recommendations
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
In this paper we provide a roadmap to address the social determinants that cause mental ill health. Relying as far as possible on high-quality evidence, we first map out the literature that supports a causal link between social determinants and later mental health outcomes.View Document
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Chronic health conditions among culturally and linguistically diverse Australians, 2021
People from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds are identified as a priority population in a number of key Australian Government health strategies. This web report is part of a program of work on the health status of CALD people in Australia and presents data on the prevalence of chronic conditions reported by CALD Australians in the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2021 Census of Population and Housing.Visit
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‘Set the PACE’ report
Category: Women’s Health
This resource is developed by the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health(MCWH) for individuals and organisations working to implement leadership programs for migrant and refugee women, non-binary and gender diverse people.View Document
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Mental deterioration of refugees and asylum seekers with uncertain legal status in Australia: Perceptions and responses of legal representatives
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
In 2014 Australia introduced a ‘fast track assessment’ (FTA) system of processing refugee claims for asylum seekers who arrived by boat, those found to be refugees were only eligible for temporary residence. Legal professionals play a pivotal role in protecting the rights of asylum seekers and gain unique insight into the impact of the legal system has on clients mental health.Visit
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The mental health effects of changing from insecure to secure visas for refugees
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
This online longitudinal study investigated whether refugees who transitioned from low visa security (e.g. short-term transient visas) to medium (e.g. temporary protection visas) or high visa (e.g. permanent visas) security showed changes in depression symptoms, social difficulties and immigration-related fears.Visit
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Guide for clinicians working with interpreters in healthcare settings
This Guide focuses specifically on effective communication and working with interpreters and seeks to provide relevant recommended approaches and evidence-based goodpractice points.Visit
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Mental health and Wellbeing Workforce Strategy 2021-2024
Category: Mental Health and Wellbeing
The mental health and wellbeing workforce plays a key role in the mental health system reforms. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Strategy 2021-2024 identifies the gaps and the challenges in getting workers skilled up and provides a pathway towards building a workforce to deliver appropriate care.Visit
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Looking after ourselves & others: Community support services in Greater Shepparton
There are a range of support services throughout our community in Greater Shepparton who can help during difficult times. This brochure outlines a few of those available.View Document
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Valuing strengths, building resilience: Improving emergency management outcomes for multicultural communities in Victoria
The COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing threats posed by climate change are reshaping the disaster resilience and emergency management policies of our time. Since 2009 and the devastating Black Saturday bushfires, Victoria has embarked on ambitious, whole-of-system reforms of the emergency management sector.View Document
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Data Bulletin: Quarter 2 2024
Find the latest settlement data compiled and published by the Victorian Refugee Health Network.View Document
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Data Bulletin: Quarter 1 2024
Find the latest settlement data compiled and published by the Victorian Refugee Health Network.View Document
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Data Bulletin: Quarter 4 2023
Find the latest settlement data compiled and published by the Victorian Refugee Health Network.View Document
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Data Bulletin: Quarter 3 2023
Find the latest settlement data compiled and published by the Victorian Refugee Health Network.View Document
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Publication
Data Bulletin: Quarter 2 2023
Find the latest settlement data compiled and published by the Victorian Refugee Health Network.View Document
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Publication
Data Bulletin: Quarter 1 2023
Find the latest settlement data compiled and published by the Victorian Refugee Health Network.View Document
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Data Bulletin: Quarter 4 2022
Find the latest settlement data compiled and published by the Victorian Refugee Health Network.View Document
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Publication
Data Bulletin: Quarter 3 2022
Find the latest settlement data compiled and published by the Victorian Refugee Health Network.View Document
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Publication
Data Bulletin: Quarter 2 2022
Find the latest settlement data compiled and published by the Victorian Refugee Health Network.View Document
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Publication
Data Bulletin: Quarter 1 2022
Find the latest settlement data compiled and published by the Victorian Refugee Health Network.View Document