Introduction
Australia’s population includes many foreign-born, foreign-born parents, and multilingual individuals. These groups are also known as CALD populations (AIHW, 2018). Based on the ABS (2021) data collection, there is a 25,422,788 CALD population living around Australia. This report will focus on the CALD community in Blue Mountain. Based on the ABS (2021) census, the total number of people living in the Blue Mountains is around 78,121. Australia’s 2021 census recorded 25,422,788 usual residents. This is a 2,020,896-person increase since 2016. Despite decreased population growth in the previous two years, this is the greatest Census rise ever because of local borders, fewer individuals were temporarily abroad, and 96.1% of homes responded (Informed Decisions, 2022). This report aims to submit available resources for the CALD community around the mountains to Blue Mountains Women’s Health and Resource Centre (BMWHRC) to help the organisation to help the CALD community and provide necessary health services available for them.
Background
Summary of project plan
Objective: To gather information and resources available for the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Community (CALD) within the Blue Mountains and Lithgow area
Within Week 1 of placement, Andrey assigned our groups, and Tayla was appointed as the team leader. A WhatsApp chat and google docs were created for us to communicate with each other and complete our tasks. During weeks 2-4, Norraine, Laharlyn and I started our 140 hours of placement on campus. By Week 5, Tayla emailed Gina Vizza, the centre manager at Blue Mountains Women’s Health and Resource Centre (BMWHRC), asking her what day would suit our group to visit the centre. She replied that Wednesday 10 August at 2 pm would be an appropriate meeting time. My team and I agreed and prepared questions for the following week.
In addition to this, Fatima joined our group. On Wednesday, the 10th of August (Week 6) Myself, Norraine and Fatima went on a field trip to the Blue Mountains Women’s Health and Resource Centre (BMWHRC). Laharlyn was unable to attend as she had covid. We had a meeting with the centre manager (Gina Vizza). My group and I learnt a lot about the issues the CALD community encounters within the Blue Mountains. We were also able to discuss our knowledge about the CALD community. She then arranged for us to have a zoom meeting with her the following week.
week. During Week 6, our group had a Zoom meeting with Gina. We discussed the research we discovered on the CALD community within the Blue Mountains. She suggested we meet with community manager: Cecilia Hung, a community manager at SydWest, as she can help provide us with additional information on refugees and
asylum seekers living within the Blue Mountains and Lithgow area. On Monday, the 22nd of August (Week 8), Our group had a Zoom meeting with Cecilia Hung, a community manager at SydWest. She shared with us presentation slides that were helpful with our report and findings. During Week 9, we had a group meeting with Liz Atteya as she filled the Placement project director position for Andrey. Our group met in person once at university. We continued to gather additional research for our report. In week 10, Tayla stated that she would do the literature review for the young CALD women and appointed Fatima and Laharlyn for the CALD middle age group and Norraine for the elderly population. We then did the usual individual research and individual hours at the campus. Throughout week 11, we continued to work on the report. We were supposed to meet with Gina on Wednesday, the 21st of September, but she cancelled for unknown reasons. We then decided to reschedule the meeting for the following week. In week 12, Norraine and I met and had a zoom meeting with Gina on the 27th of September. Laharlyn and Fatima were unable to attend. We updated her on our report progress.
Stakeholders
Stakeholders refer to any individual, group, or organisation that can impact or can be affected by another organisation (Freidman & Miles, 2002). Lithgow’s stakeholders advocate for proactive and collaborative working relationships with government and non-government organisations (Lithgow Mercury, 2022). Additionally, stakeholders are interested in the project’s progress and outcomes (Goodman & Thompson, 2017).
The key stakeholders within this project are the NSW Ministry of Health, Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Networks (PHN), Blue Mountains City Council, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD), Department of Community and Justice, SydWest, The Mountains Community Resource Centre and lastly, the Nepean Blue Mountains Multicultural Health Service. These stakeholders are helping to support women’s health and enabling CALD women to access a wide range of services and resources from women’s health services within the Blue Mountains and Lithgow region, such as the BMWHRC.
Risk Management Plan
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
As a group, we recognise our responsibility and duty to provide a safe and hazard-free working environment to prevent accidents and injuries. Therefore, we have decided to use the ‘’Safe Work Australia’ method.
The four steps of the ‘’Safe Work Australia’’ method are:
- Identifying, assessing, and controlling hazards (Safe Work Australia, 2021)
- Having personal protective equipment (Safe Work Australia, 2021)
- Emergency plans and procedures (Safe Work Australia, 2021)
- Managing psychological risks and mental health at work (Safe Work Australia, 2021)
Logic model
Organisation: Blue Mountains Women’s Health and Resource Centre (BMWHRC)
Objective: To gather information and resources available for the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Community (CALD) within the Blue Mountains and Lithgow area
Social determinants of health – CALD women
As a core idea in public health, social determinants of health have garnered considerable attention. Income, authority, and resource inequalities at the international, regional, and municipal levels impact the socioeconomic determinants of health (Murray, 2019). Social determinants of health are defined by the World Health Organization as the settings or situations under which individuals are born, mature, live, work, and age (World Health Organization, 2022). Undesirable circumstances could arise from a toxic combination of weak policies and practices, unjust economic structures, and poor governance (Islam, 2019). Preferably, a community’s circumstances ought to be such that its members have access to a desirable group of social resources that are allocated equitably (Islam, 2019). To a considerable extent, these resources’ nature, amount, and allocation impact people’s health and well-being (Vart, 2022). Several of these resources include educational opportunities, healthy living surroundings, food, healthcare, and work.
Literature Review 1 – Young CALD women (18-25)
Young culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) experience various challenges. CALD individuals often face many barriers when encountering health and welfare systems within Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2022). This includes language barriers, lower literacy levels, racism, and bullying (Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2016). In 2021, it was reported that 2,108 people living in the Lithgow area were born overseas, with 8% arriving in Australia 5 years before 2021 (Informed Decisions Community, 2021). Many CALD people do not pursue finding health professionals and health services when experiencing mental health problems. This is mainly due to suicide prevention services not having culturally appropriate services and translators not being available (Australian Government, 2020).
There are several issues affecting CALD women that need to be properly addressed. Firstly, transportation is a crucial barrier for individuals with mental health issues such as anxiety, and driving makes it difficult for people to access services and resources (Cecilia Hung, 2020). There are gaps within services provided to CALD women. Experts state that there is a need for an increase in mental health services among CALD communities due to the complexities of their situations, e.g., grief, poverty, and trauma (ABC News, 2021). Additionally, there are gaps in funding as there is not enough funding for the long-term health of CALD women (Women’s Agenda, 2021).
Health care services and resources for young CALD women must be allocated appropriately and effectively. Health care delivery must be equitable and reliable, but it must also provide value (University of Western Sydney, 2014). To address the gaps that young CALD women encounter, there needs to be an outreach to these communities living in the LGA of the Blue Mountains. To overcome the disparities that young CALD women face, outreach to these communities in the Blue Mountains LGA is required. Furthermore, health care practitioners must contact CALD women and assist them in becoming acquainted with local resources. Finally, consistency in delivering CALD-friendly programming and creating community relationships is required to build a rapport between the CALD community and develop additional services.
Literature Review 2 – Middle aged women (35-50)
Australia ranked the 9th most significant proportion of overseas-born people in 2015 at a 26 per cent migration rate compared to New Zealand and Canada. In 2016, the median age for the overseas-born population was 44 years, and an estimated 49 per cent of Australians were born or had at least one parent born overseas. Meanwhile, Asian migrants born in Asia had a younger median age profile of 35 years old (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021). Twenty-one per cent were second-generation Australians with parents born in another country under 40 years old (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). Nevertheless, 47.3 per cent of CALD women have a lower workforce participation rate. The critical barriers to skilled employment for women are lack of English proficiency, limited understanding of the Australian workplace culture system and lack of recognition of their skills and qualifications.
Similarly, women under the humanitarian entry have low educational attainment with family responsibilities, and some arrived with physical and mental health conditions. In addition, CALD women miss opportunities to obtain a driver’s licence. They are expected to work as a domestic helper, childcare, and community care providers, which limits their employment and skills development (Australian Government, 2017). In the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, the leading cause of death in women is cardiovascular disease. However, it is not clear the proportion of the CALD women group. There is also a lower cancer screening rate for CALD women in the Blue Mountains and Lithgow. (Australian Government, 2017).
Literature Review 3 – Elderly CALD women (65+ years)
Australia’s older adults (65 and over) come from all over the globe, and there’s no standard method to define CALD. They can be referred to as people not born in Australia, and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people may also be included. People’s experiences and situations differ. According to the 2016 ABS Census, 1.2 million older Australians were foreign-born or 37% of all 65-and-overs. North-West Europe, Southern and Eastern Europe, and South-East Asia were the most prevalent birthplaces. In younger age groups, fewer came from Europe than in older age groups, and others were from Asia and other places (AIHW, 2021).
Circumstances may affect people’s health, requirements for health care and access. CALD older Australians are not a homogeneous population. Personal experiences, health status, and requirements differ widely among groups, and CALD subgroups may vary over time. As with other older persons, the percentage of CALD seniors who require help with fundamental tasks (communications, self-care, and mobility) rose with age. As with health care, some elderly Australians may have trouble accessing aged care. They may experience language problems, and services may not be culturally suitable or match requirements. 28% of home care, 20% of permanent residential aged care, and 20% of respite or transition care users on 30 June 2020 were CALD (Department of Health 2020).
Recommendation
Over the last two decades, a substantial body of research has developed demonstrating that settings in the surroundings in which individuals exist, the social determinants of health, influence various well-being aspects To achieve health equality, all imbalances in healthcare, and the workplace and living environments that impact wellbeing must be eliminated. While socioeconomic circumstances are changing, current supporting programs and policies will face new obstacles, and ongoing modifications to health equality efforts will be required. Collaborative efforts will be rewarded with a community in which everyone may gain and participate. The recommendations for further studies involve focusing not on nationwide health equity and social determinants of health but a review of a worldwide spectrum to gain a deeper understanding of health’s correlation with other factors. In this sense, it is vital to include perspectives of various cultures. Furthermore, there must be a closer review and deep analysis of programs and policies that aim to eradicate issues or mitigate negative influences on women’s health.
Resources
The resources available in the Blue Mountains City Council are the following:
References
ABC News. (2021). Mental health services for CALD communities face funding challenges as WA election looms. Web.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016). Cultural Diversity in Australia, 2016.Web.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Blue Mountains. Web.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Australia’s Population by Country of Birth. Web.
Australian Government. (n.a). Fact sheet: Mental health services for people of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Web.
Australian Government (2017). Towards 2025 an Australian government strategy to boost women participation. Web.
Australian Government. (2021). Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network. Core Needs Assessment. Web.
Australian Government. (2020). Fact sheet: Mental health services for people of culturally linguistically and diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Web.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2018). Culturally and linguistically and diverse populations.Web.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2022). Culturally and linguistically diverse Australians. Web.
Blue Mountains City Council. (2022). Groups and services. Web.
Cecilia Hung. (2021). Community Navigator Project In the Blue Mountains, Lithgow and Hawkesbury. SydWest.
Commissioner For Children and Young People. (2016). Children and Young People from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds Speak Out. Web.
Informed Decisions Community. (2021). Overseas arrivals. Web.
Informed Decisions. (2022). 2021 Census data reveals the changing nature of Australia. Web.
Islam, M. M. (2019). Social determinants of health and related inequalities: confusion and implications. Frontiers in Public Health, 7, 11.
Friedman, L.A., & Miles, S. (2002). Developing Stakeholder Theory. Oxford, UK and Boston, USA: Blackwell Publishers Ltd. 39(1), p.1-21.
Goodman, M.S., Thompson, L.V. (2017). The science of stakeholder engagement in research: classification, implementation, and evaluation.7(3):486-491.
Lithgow Mercury. (2022). Lithgow’s stakeholders advocate for more proactive and collaborative working relationships. Web.
Murray, T. A. (2018). Overview and summary: Addressing social determinants of health: Progress and opportunities. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(3), 1-3.
Safe Work Australia. (2021).Identify, assess and control hazards. Web.
Safe Work Australia. (2021). Mental health. Web.
University of Western Sydney. (2014). The Nepean Blue Mountains Partners in Recovery Evaluation.
Vart, P. (2022). Understanding the social determinants of health. The Lancet, 399(10334), 1467.
Women’s Agenda. (2021). Budget leaves migrant and CALD women on fringes.Web.
World Health Organisation. (2022). Social determinants of health. Web.