About the project

Implement the CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) pilot demonstration/evaluation project for health practitioners in training, and enhance cultural competency in working with migrants and refugees.

The national CALD project was collaboratively developed by Refugees as Survivors NZ Trust in association with Waitemata District Health Board, supported by the Northern DHB Support Agency. The two organisations combined resources and skills to meet a growing and vital need for training in cultural competencies that enables health professionals to work effectively with people arriving as refugees from diverse multicultural backgrounds. The training is intended for psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and other mental health practitioners who may be working with refugees and/or migrants from diverse cultural backgrounds. It will include components of how to work with and through interpreters, how to assess and assist in more culturally responsive and effective ways, and how to apply new knowledge in practical settings. Over the course of the pilot project, it is expected that over 100 health practitioners across New Zealand will complete the training.

The outcomes expected from this programme include:

A foundation of materials, experience and expertise that will provide a springboard for building capacity in this country for working with new migrants and traumatised refugees.
Mainstream mental health and primary health providers will become more familiar with migrants and refugees, and more culturally aware and competent to work effectively with migrants and refugees.
Pathways will be opened for migrants and former refugees to become involved as practitioners and/or trainers and consultant advisors in the mental health field in Aotearoa New Zealand.
To establish a base of expertise for multicultural clinical case consultation which is augmented by technology in relation to working with migrants and refugees and one which may accessed nationally via video conferencing technology.

Wings category	Refugee and Migrant
Amount of funding received	$100,000
What the evaluation panel said	The panel were unanimous that this programme should be funded. The programme has huge potential to contribute to positive mental health outcomes for refugees.
What the applicant said	"Everyone on the panel was receptive and we got a fair hearing. We are very pleased and grateful that the CALD Workforce Development Project was selected for support through the Wings Innovation Fund. We would like to thank the panel and Te Pou for recognising the high need in this area and for providing the resources which will make it possible to deliver programmes in workforce development leading to a positive impact on the lives of refugees and migrants in New Zealand. It's wonderful to have central agencies take notice of the needs of refugees and migrants."
Background	In November 2003 the Mental Health Commissioner consulted on what are likely to be key issues for migrants or refugees living in New Zealand. Some of the migrant and refugee issues appear to overlap, however there are some important differences. The acculturation process of migrants and refugees are at different rates and if settlement expectations are unmet it may lead to migrants becoming withdrawn, depressed, unable to learn the language or to find work. Migrants may experience mental health problems two or three years after the ‘honeymoon period' is over (i.e. getting residency and getting settled). These may be due to the differences between expectations and experience, the effects of discrimination, problems in adapting and so on. Health practitioners do not commonly understand these concepts which may impact on the provision of culturally appropriate services. There has not been a comprehensive training programme to address the needs of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) peoples in New Zealand, particularly in relation to work with refugees and migrants. Attempts in the past around the country had been ad hoc, and limited to 'one-off' workshops without proper follow-up, supervision or ongoing case consultation. Over 65% of all refugees in New Zealand have settled in Auckland, in new intakes of refugees between 40% to 50% are still settling in Auckland. Those agencies including RASNZ involved with refugee resettlement are endeavouring to resettle refugees to other areas of New Zealand. The majority of migrants (66% of Asian migrants) reside in Auckland and the rest reside in the bigger cities of New Zealand - Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. If this national resettlement is going to take place, then there is a real need to ensure that proper health and support services are available to new migrants and vulnerable refugees from the early stages of settlement and resettlement. During 2007, Sue Lim of the WDHB developed a range of training materials and worked collaboratively with Victoria Camplin-Welch and Dr Kathy Jackson producing the Cross-Cultural Resource for Health Practitioners Working with CALD Clients. Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Sai Wong and RASNZ Clinical Manager Dr Pennie Blackburn will lead follow-up with remote clinical consultations via teleconferencing technology as the project is advanced nationally. The funded programme will test and demonstrate how it is possible to develop capacity for working more effectively and culturally appropriately in mainstream mental health services with migrants and refugees in an economic way. This pilot project will benefit migrants and refugees by boosting the capacity of mainstream health providers to become more culturally competent and responsive to refugees and migrants. Migrants and refugees can be expected to benefit directly by gaining better accessibility to mainstream health services. As there are few areas with specialist migrant and refugee services, and given that migrants and refugees are being settled in increasingly diverse areas, there is a compelling case that it is important that a national resource base is developed. Innovative and collaborative developments in metropolitan Auckland have been at the leading-edge of this process. Read the project update. Read the New Zealand Herald article about this initiative, published 13 June 2008.

Page last updated: 31 August 2009