The national Multilingual Disability Hub is a multilingual hotline and website providing relevant and easily accessible information on disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in 14 languages: Arabic, Assyrian, Bangla, Cantonese, Farsi, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Mandarin, Nepali, Spanish, Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese.
“Providing access to information is key to enabling people from CALD backgrounds to become active players in the disability space,” said Karen Bevan, SSI General Manager Service Delivery – Community.
“Whether it’s the friendly bilingual staff operating the hotline or the informative website, the Multilingual Disability Hub continues to help bridge this gap for many people with disability,” she said.
People wanting to access information in their language have the choice of calling the hotline, which is operated by trained bilingual staff, or visiting the website, which contains “in-language” information about disability and the NDIS.
For more information on the Multilingual Disability Hub please head to www.multilingualdisabilityhub.info
The Multilingual Disability Hub is funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Program.
Kathy Karatasas, Director of SSI’s Multicultural Child and Family Program said, “When children and young people from CALD backgrounds are in foster care they can lose access to important cultural, religious and linguistic influences which shape the development of identity and belonging; a loss of connection to culture can have immediate and ongoing detrimental effects on the child or young person.”
Maintaining a connection to culture could have positive effects on young people’s identity development, personal growth and wellbeing, she said.
“At SSI, we believe children and young people who are supported to learn about and maintain a connection to their culture – their family’s ethnicity, religions/s and language/s – will have better opportunities to stay connected with their other family (often also referred to as biological / birth) and community. In time, this can contribute to positively shaping their self-identity and self-esteem.”
Therapeutic life story work for children and their families allows for exploration of the past, understanding of the present, and hope for the future.
In his foreword to My Life and Me, Richard Rose, Director of Child Trauma Intervention Services UK and Honorary Associate at the Institute of Open Adoption Studies, University of Sydney, says within life story work there is a need to share lives and share stories, to acknowledge the present and to feel connected to self, family, culture and community.
“We achieve this through the completion of life story work books,” he says.
“My Life and Me provides the template for discussion, acknowledgement and affirmation; with these in place it affords celebration, connection and the chance to accept who we are.”
In an effort to help providers respond to children’s cultural needs, SSI is calling for greater collaboration to help educate and build upon an aspect of care that will benefit the whole foster care sector.
SSI CEO, Violet Roumeliotis, said, “SSI is proud to offer a culturally responsive approach to children and families and we want to help other providers create tailored packages to respond to children’s cultural needs.
“The My Life and Me suite of resources will improve the capacity of our own workforce, and that of other providers, to confidently deliver culturally responsive practices in our work with children and families.”
In addition to the life story workbook, which draws upon material from the Department of Communities and Justice, SSI has developed its own unique resources for practitioners delivering life story work. These are:
- My Life and Me companion guide
- All About My Child (for birth parents)
- Having Difficult Conversations
- A guide to foster care for children from 6 – 12 years of age
- A guide to foster care for children and young people from 13 – 18 years of age
The My Life and Me resources will be launched with the support of the Department of Communities and Justice.
“The Department of Communities and Justice is proud to see providers like SSI build upon the sector’s practice, and proactively contribute to shaping better outcomes for the children and young people of New South Wales,” said Daniel Barakate, Department of Communities and Justice Director.
Known as ‘the squad’, the congresswomen President Trump targeted are all from diverse backgrounds. He reserved the worst of his remarks for Rep. Ilhan Omar, who came to America as a child refugee from Somalia and was singled out at a campaign rally days later.
The rally crowd’s responding chant to “send her back” was chilling – and a sentiment that has increasingly crept into our own mainstream discourse in Australia, thanks to the likes of Pauline Hanson and Fraser Anning normalising fringe ideas.
Click here to read this opinion piece from SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis in full on Women’s Agenda.
Federal government data released overnight sparked a furore after it revealed just under four in five participants in the Jobactive scheme had their welfare payments suspended at least once in the 12 months to June this year. Reasons for suspension of payments included failure to attend job interviews or appointments and failure to look for work.
These figures are indicative of a complex system that is not adequately meeting the needs of people experiencing unemployment, particularly disadvantaged jobseekers, said SSI’s General Manager Service Delivery – Community, Karen Bevan, noting the federal government is already progressing a $1.3 billion overhaul of Jobactive to improve access to vacancies and training.
“Everyone should be able to exercise agency and control over their pathways to employment. This leads to stronger, long-term employment outcomes. A lack of flexibility in the current Jobactive system has led to perceptions that it is overly focused on compliance and penalties, rather than support,” said Ms Bevan.
“We welcome the government’s move to overhaul this system, with a national roll-out due in 2022.”
Ms Bevan said a particular deficiency in the current Jobactive program was the lack of specialist providers for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds – something that existed under the previous iteration of the program, Job Services Australia.
“Future employment service providers should be required to demonstrate capacity to be culturally responsive to job seekers from diverse backgrounds, including newly arrived migrants and refugees,” she said.
Migrants and refugees face unique barriers to employment including lack of local work experience, limited local networks and limited English language proficiency – something that is exacerbated by the move towards more online service delivery.
“We remain concerned that online service delivery of employment programs may unwittingly exclude cohorts with poor English language proficiency and/or poor digital literacy,” said Ms Bevan.
“We suggest the inclusion of digital literacy screening in the initial assessment, providing digital literacy training to job seekers and including this as an approved activity to meet mutual obligation requirements.”
In SSI’s experience, the key ingredients to support individuals to navigate, enter and remain in the workforce long-term are individualised employment pathways, job readiness support, pre-employment training and work experience, effective job-matching and post-employment support.
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Officer Hannah Gartrell: 0478 679 078, hgartrell@ssi.org.au
SSI Communications Officer Stephen Webb: 0488 684 163, swebb@ssi.org.au
Yesterday, the Queensland Senator’s private members Bill to hold a plebiscite to gauge the public’s views on the number of migrants allowed to live and work in Australia was defeated 54-2.
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said the Senate rightly saw how misguided Senator Hanson’s proposal was.
“SSI welcomes a public conversation about population policy and migration in Australia,” she said, “but population and migration policy should be informed by analysis of the economic, social and environmental costs and benefits of growth for the wellbeing of the Australian community, not by a plebiscite.”
Ms Roumeliotis said, “Australia is a successful multicultural society and this is a key part of our identity as a nation, making Australia a destination of choice for business, work, study or tourism.
“We are recognised internationally for our success in the settlement and integration of migrant communities and for our strong social cohesion. Our multicultural policy has also promoted the economic advantages of a culturally and linguistically diverse population.”
Ms Roumeliotis said migration provided a net benefit and contributed to Australia’s economic growth, addressing the challenges of an ageing population by attracting migrants who were younger, more skilled and educated.
“Any conversation about immigration or population needs to be balanced, informed by the facts and recognise the value of our multicultural society. It should not try to blame migrants or divide our society,” she said.
An online intervention by UNSW Sydney scientists, in partnership with Settlement Services International (SSI), has successfully helped traumatised refugee men overcome the stigma associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a randomised control trial has shown. Men who participated in the trial went on to seek more help than those in the control group, and they experienced less self-stigma compared to the control group.
The trial’s results were recently published online in Psychological Medicine, an international, peer-reviewed journal.
“Over 70 million people are currently forcibly displaced as a result of war and persecution—their rates of psychological disorders are elevated,” says study and trial lead Associate Professor Angela Nickerson from the Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program at UNSW Science’s School of Psychology.
“The prevalence of PTSD in people from a refugee background is five times higher than in Australia’s general population, so PTSD is a devastating burden on refugees’ mental health.
“But even though the group’s mental health needs are high, their treatment uptake is low. That’s a big concern—those who don’t access treatment may have an increased risk of ongoing distress and impairment.
“One key barrier to seeking help is self-stigma, or negative beliefs about the psychological symptoms commonly experienced following exposure to trauma and help-seeking.”
Greg Benson, General Manager of Client Services and Operations at study partner SSI noted the reality of mental health stigma in recent refugee arrivals.
“SSI is a major provider of on-arrival support to refugees in NSW, and we observe first hand the psychological symptoms and the barriers to seeking help in our frontline work with refugees.”
That’s the problem the researchers wanted to address with this intervention—aiming to reducing stigma and improving help-seeking behaviour.
A/Prof Nickerson says the intervention is the first of its kind.
“Before our project, there was no intervention to specifically reduce mental health stigma in refugees – ‘Tell Your Story’ (TYS) is the first program of its kind, and it’s so exciting to see the results of it after years of work.”
TYS consists of 11 short, interactive web-based modules that contain information, short videos, and activities. Participants completed up to 3 modules per week over a 4-week period.
“The focal point of the intervention was videos featuring Arabic, Farsi and Tamil-speaking men sharing their personal experiences overcoming stigma, and describing how they successfully sought support for PTSD,” A/Prof Nickerson says.
“Other interactive activities educated users about PTSD and supported them to develop personalised plans for seeking help. There was no therapeutic assistance, but a computer algorithm was used to feed back responses to various activities to assist men in generating a help-seeking plan.”
“SSI has seen the real world benefits in partnering in trials like this, where an online intervention is available to refugees in community languages,” said Mr. Benson.
Encouraging results: more men seeking help
103 refugee men with PTSD symptoms from Arabic, Farsi or Tamil-speaking background were randomly assigned to either receive the TYS intervention, or to participate in a control group of men who were put on a wait list.
The TYS participants completed an online assessment of their PTSD symptoms and help-seeking behaviour before the intervention, straight after the intervention, and 1 month after completion.
“One key finding was that men who participated in the intervention sought more help from new sources than those in the control group,” A/Prof Nickerson says.
Dr. Yulisha Byrow, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program, and the Project Manager believes the positive impact of this intervention relates to the nature of the content.
“We think the reason it worked so well could be because the videos gave participants concrete examples of the potential benefits of help seeking.
“For example, some study participants told us that realistic stories and information helped them understand the psychological state they are experiencing, and that psychological treatment can help them overcome these symptoms.
“The study participants often expressed their appreciation for a culturally sensitive resource that has been developed with their unique experiences, culture, and language in mind.”
The findings suggest that evidence-based stigma reduction strategies are beneficial in targeting self-stigma related to help-seeking and increasing help-seeking among refugees.
“Online interventions focusing on social contact may be a promising avenue for removing barriers to accessing help for mental health symptoms in traumatised refugees—that’s consistent with previous research,” A/Prof Nickerson says.
“What’s very encouraging is that participants had accessed more sources of support between post-intervention and follow-up than the control group.
“That’s important because previous studies showed that behaviour change is especially difficult to get from self-stigma interventions.”
Extending research to larger trials—and women
The authors now want to conduct larger randomised control trials to test some of these hypotheses and disentangle their findings’ exact mechanisms.
“We also plan to extend the program to women—we focused on refugee men in this study because they are less likely to access psychological treatment than refugee women, but we’d love to extend this to women, too,” A/Prof Nickerson says.
“We also have already made stigma reduction guidelines available to case workers as a result of this research.”
“These guidelines have been helpful for SSI’s frontline staff working with refugees, to deepen their understanding of ways to reduce stigma,” noted Mr. Benson.
Director and Chief Scientist of the Black Dog Institute and contributor to the research, Scientia Professor Helen Christensen, highlights the importance of building on this evidence base.
“Refugees come to our shores often experiencing significant trauma and in desperate need of culturally sensitive mental health resources and services; therefore, it is imperative we understand the barriers that might prevent our refugees from seeking this much-needed help. This research is one pivotal step in the right direction” said Christensen.”Our next step is to broaden this evidence-base to address stigma preventing all refugees from seeking help, regardless of age, gender or religion.”
Originally published by Isabelle Dubach, University of New South Wales
According to a research paper released by community organisation and social business Settlement Services International (SSI), people born in a non-English speaking country have similar rates of disability as other Australians but are about half as likely to access support services.
To overcome that gap, SSI launched Our Voice – an educational initiative for disability service organisations. Educators with lived experience combine their unique insights and expertise to deliver tailored learning sessions in English, using first-hand accounts to break down stigmas and shift attitudes.
One such educator is Jubran Eesee, who arrived from Iraq as a refugee in 2015 and is well versed in the challenges facing new arrivals with disability.
“It was difficult in the beginning when we arrived in Australia,” said Mr Eesee. “Disability information is only available in English, so many people do not understand how to navigate the resources or know what support is available.”
“Our Voice is very unique. It provides an understanding of our perspective through our stories. If people can see things through our eyes, then I think they will be more able to meet our needs.”
A passionate ambassador and disability advocate, Mr Eesee leapt at the opportunity to improve the experiences of people with disability arriving in Australia today.
“My goal with Our Voice is to help services understand the challenges and difficulties faced by people with disability when settling in Australia,” he said. “There is a great opportunity here for organisations to learn from people’s stories and experiences.”
While the program offers many benefits for service providers, it also provides a platform for learning and growth for each of the Lived Experience Educators.
“For many of us educators, Our Voice helps us to achieve our goals and build confidence to lead a better life,” said Mr Eesee. “One of the reasons I took part in this project was to achieve my goal of developing my skills as a public speaker.”
Mr Eesee will be delivering his learning activity at the Hireup 2019 Support Worker Conference on Wednesday, August 7.
To learn more about Our Voice and how you can book a learning activity head to www.ourvoice.ssi.org.au
………………………………………………END……………………………………………………
About Our Voice:
Our Voice provides opportunities for mainstream disability service providers to build their capacity in responding to the services access needs of people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds through learning from people with lived experience. Learning activities are delivered in English and are free to participating disability service providers for team meetings and staff learning and development activities
About SSI:
Settlement Services International is a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Officer Greg Clennar
M: 0417 687 064
With one in five Australians living with a disability, making employment opportunities accessible for all is paramount for local businesses. Inclusive practices give employers access to wider skillsets and provide pathways for local community members with disabilities to achieve independence and economic empowerment.
The two-hour forum, hosted by SSI Ability Links NSW, in partnership with the Illawarra Business Chamber, aims to build confidence and capacity for businesses to recruit, advance and maintain inclusive workplaces by demonstrating what that looks like on a local and national level.
SSI Ability Links Operations Manager Ben Fioramonte, said, “Committing to a diverse workforce and inclusive team environment is a must for all businesses and organisations. Employing people of all abilities is key to providing goods and services that reflect the need of individuals and the community”.
Beyond Blue ambassador Brett Saunders will provide a keynote address, highlighting the growing need for businesses to better understand workplace mental health and how employers can create mentally healthy workplaces.
The forum will also feature a panel discussion that will look at removing barriers and creating inclusive work environments.
Panellists include:
Thomas Kuzma (Host and Facilitator) – Engagement Officer, Autism Spectrum Australia
Kylie van Luyn – Employment Services and Social Enterprise Director, Settlement Services International
Jason White – National Manager, Business Development & Engagement, Specialisterne Australia
Alan Gibson – Director, Wollongong Surf Leisure Resort
Mina Aziz – Professional Adviser, Job Access
Elise Kiviniemi – Disability Employment Service (DES) client, staff member, Wollongong Surf Leisure Resort
What: Workplace Disability & Inclusion Employer Forum
When: Thursday, June 20, 11.00am – 1.30pm
Where: Lagoon Restaurant, Conference Room, Stuart Park, George Hanley Drive, North Wollongong
About SSI:
Settlement Services International is a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.
Media Enquiries:
SSI Communications Officer Greg Clennar – gclennar@ssi.org.au / 0417 687 064
Every minute in 2018, 25 people were forced to flee their homes, according to UNHCR’s annual Global Trends report, released to mark World Refugee Day today. By the end of the year, 70.8 million people globally were forcibly displaced – representing the highest level since the UN Refugee Agency began 70 years ago and a year-on-year increase of 2.3 million people.
“These sobering figures show how important it is for Australia to accommodate the world’s most vulnerable people through a generous refugee intake in our humanitarian program,” said Violet Roumeliotis, who is the CEO of community organisation and social business Settlement Services International (SSI).
“Earlier this year, our federal government announced plans to freeze Australia’s humanitarian intake, which currently accounts for less than 5% of our annual migration program.
“A community sponsorship program like we see in Canada or the UK would be a great supplement to our current humanitarian program. It’s something that could really make a difference in the lives of people who are forcibly displaced. It would also provide opportunities for everyday Australians to change people’s lives. Australia currently has a similar program, but there are a number of key differences between our model and what is working overseas, which may hinder take up from community.”
Refugee settlement brings a multitude of benefits from an economic, social and cultural perspective, said Ms Roumeliotis.
“It’s something we at SSI see every day in our work resettling refugees and supporting them to live rich, independent lives in Australia.
“Refugees are the most entrepreneurial migrants in Australia ― nearly twice as likely to be entrepreneurs as Australian taxpayers, according to research released in March. If just 5% of the refugees Australia settles each year were to start a business, this would add $98 million to our economy in one year alone ― and nearly $1 billion over a 10-year period,” she said.
“Refugee settlement also brings with it cultural and social benefits that are harder to measure but no less valuable to our country.”
Ms Roumeliotis said it was only four years ago that the Australian government made the unprecedented decision to resettle an additional 12,000 people in response to the conflict in Syria and Iraq.
“With one action, we lived up to our reputation as a leading global citizen and helped thousands of children, women and men who were forced to leave behind their friends, family and everything they know in order to live a life that is free from war or persecution,” she said.
“SSI was involved in that resettlement on the frontline ― resettling 10,000 refugees in NSW in a single year ― and the results speak for themselves. Refugees from that intake are now well on the way to successful settlement ― forging friendships, engaging in education, starting businesses ― making economic, social and cultural contributions to their new homes.
“Last year Syria accounted for the highest proportion of refugees worldwide at 6.7 million people. Despite these high numbers, only 92,400 refugees from any country were resettled during 2018. We must do better by these individuals and families.”
UNHCR’s The Global Trends Report is published every year to analyse the changes in UNHCR’s populations of concern and deepen public understanding of ongoing crises.
About SSI:
Settlement Services International is a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Officer Hannah Gartrell, P: 02 8799 6782 M: 0478 679 078 E: hgartrell@ssi.org.au
Through its 2019 theme, ‘A World of Stories’, RCOA is encouraging the broader community to celebrate the immense courage, resilience and valuable contributions made by refugees to Australian society.
On Wednesday, June 26, SSI will present cultural activities and performances over a shared meal at its Community Kitchen in Auburn, a place where people from different backgrounds cook, eat, dance, learn and create together.
Through the concept of a shared meal, the Community Kitchen reduces social and cultural isolation of community members, including refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants living in the local Auburn area.
Refugee Week celebrations will include an array of activities and entertainment, including tours of the SSI Friendship Garden, a cultural fashion show, and dance and vocal performances.
“This is a place that lives and breathes the ‘Share a meal, share a story’ ethos,” said SSI General Manager, Public Affairs & Communications, Shannon Kliendienst.
RCOA CEO Paul Power said, “The ‘Share a meal, share a story’ theme for this year’s Refugee Week speaks to the incredible stories and the rich culinary heritage that people bring with them when they come to Australia. Food brings people together, and we’re encouraging people to do just that as they celebrate our refugee communities next week.”
Every fortnight the Community Kitchen serves a warm, culturally familiar meal in a relaxed setting that allows for intercultural and interfaith friendships to be formed. It is a welcoming place where people from different backgrounds meet and learn about each other over lunch and through participating in activities.
Nasrin Azizi came to Australia as a refugee from Afghanistan in 2002. She gained her degree in social work in 2014 and runs a wellbeing group for Afghani women, which aims to decrease social isolation.
“As refugees, we appreciate the freedom of Australia. Dancing was once forbidden in Afghanistan [under Taliban rule] so, by sharing their culture through things like dance and music, the Community Kitchen makes the women in my group feel empowered and builds their self-esteem. Plus they enjoy meeting and learning from other cultures – hearing stories and eating new food.
“The Community Kitchen is one of the best programs to make people feel included.”
Ms Kliendienst said, “We welcome everyone in the local community and beyond to come and be part of our Community Kitchen on June 26 to ‘share a meal, and a story’ with us.”
The event will be sponsored by Allianz, a long-standing corporate partner of SSI. Members of the Allianz executive team will also be volunteering their time on the day.
Allianz Australia Senior Manager, Social Impact, Charis Martin-Ross said that this event is one of many examples of how the ongoing partnership with Allianz and SSI has broadened employee perspectives on diversity and community engagement.
“Allianz is proud to partner with SSI and our partnership has given our employees a better understanding of refugee experiences as well as a chance to connect and give back to our diverse community,” Ms Martin-Ross said.
“We hope our experience showcases the benefits of hiring people with a refugee background. Through our refugee employment programs, I have seen first-hand the talent and potential that refugees bring to the workforce.”
Organisations can get involved in volunteer opportunities to ‘share a meal, share a story’ with SSI’s newcomer community throughout the year. Contact partnerships@ssi.org.au
Event details – Celebrating Refugee Week at SSI Community Kitchen
When: Wednesday, June 26, 2019, 11 am – 2 pm
Where: Auburn Centre for Community, 44A Macquarie Road, Auburn
Program:
11:00 am – Activities commence
11:30 am – Cultural fashion show
12:30 pm – Performances
1:00 pm – Lunch is served
About SSI:
Settlement Services International is a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other Australians to achieve their full potential. We work with all people who have experienced vulnerability, including refugees, people seeking asylum and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, to build capacity and enable them to overcome inequality.
Media enquiries:
SSI Communications Officer
Alicia Chapple
E: achapple@ssi.org.au
M: 0432 807 816