Transcript History - World Mental Health Day

A governmental policy
initiative on transcultural
mental health:
An Australian Approach
A/Prof Abd Malak AM
This presentation will cover:
•
Social justice policy development in
Australia
•
Australian Multicultural Health Policy
•
The need for policy targeting the diverse
community
•
An example of an Australian policy
approach – Multicultural Mental Health
Australia.
Background

Immigration



1901 white Australian policy – approx. 6
million
WWII other European countries (2006) ¼ out
of 20 million
Policy



1940 – 1960 assimilation
1966 abolished assimilation
1970 multiculturalism
Milestones






Introduction of universal health insurance – 1970s
The Henderson Report (Commission of enquiry
into poverty 1975)
Federally funded community health program 1975
Ethnic lobby and voluntary organisations (Bilingual
Professionals and Health Care Interpreters)
Galbally report (Migrant services and programs)
1978
Federal and State Government legislation and
policy
Multicultural Policies

What is multiculturalism?

Where is multicultural Australia heading?

What is our future?

What is our identity as a culturally diverse
nation?

What is our Australian value?

??????
The policy emphasises:
 A commitment to and promotion of an
Australia of ethnically and religiously
diverse peoples
 A vision of an Australia in which the
public good informs development and
implementation of all government
policies and programs.
Let me define multiculturalism as:

A value-system based on respect and
understanding that is reciprocal

An agent for peace and community
harmony

A rights and social justice based and

A framework that embraces diversity in all
its forms and gives it social, cultural,
political and economic meaning with
modern, pluralist communities
Why Australians Need a
Multicultural Policy and Plan
1. Respond to Growing Diversity in
Australia
2. Provide Quality Health Services
Address Special Health Care Needs
of Residents from Culturally &
Linguistically Diverse Communities
•
Ensure that health benefit is maintained
•
Address the special areas where health
status is shown to be poorer than
Australian born residents
•
Address the needs of particular at risk
or priority groups
Maintain Cost Effectiveness of
Area Services
Increased costs can result from:
 Incorrect or late diagnosis for NESB patients/consumers
as well as delayed discharge
 Failure to gain informed consent, overuse of crisis
services, accident and emergency and acute mental
health services
 Unnecessary hospitalisation
 Carrying out unnecessary procedures and the overuse of
tests and pathology to assist in reaching a diagnosis
 Failure to comply with treatment regimes leading to the
deterioration of health, unnecessary readmission and in
some cases passing on of infection to a public health risk
 Wasted appointments
 Legal and insurance costs
Utilisation of Mental Health
Services

Lower rates of hospitalisation for mental
disorders than the Australian born

Longer lengths of stay than English speaking
people

A much higher proportion of CALD inpatients
are involuntary

Low rates of utilisation of community-based
mental health services
About Multicultural Mental
Health Australia (MMHA)

A national program focusing on and providing
national leadership in multicultural mental health
and suicide prevention for Australians from
culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Works to promote better mental health and well
being for a diverse community.

Represents an alliance of consumers, carers,
the community, state-wide specialist services the
tertiary sector operating as a consortium.
Aims of the Framework

To promote the mental health of all people in
Australia from culturally and linguistically
diverse communities

Where possible, to prevent the development of
mental health problems and mental illness for
people from CALD backgrounds

To reduce the impact of mental illness of
culturally and linguistically diverse individuals,
families and communities and

To assure the rights of CALD people with mental
illness
Target groups
Community
groups
Community
Consumers
Carers
Services &
service providers
Commonwealth & state
Governments
& national programs
Broad direction and agenda setting
Affiliated
Organisations
Partner
Organisations
Strategic Forum
Advisers
Framework Implementation and state
development
Joint Officers Group
Partner
Affiliated
Organisations Organisations
Strategic Forum
Advisers
Consortium Operations Group
–program oversight
MMHA Consortium
MMHA Foundation
Advisers
•Clinical issues
•Evaluation
•Governance
•MH promotion & prevention
•Service development & clinical leadership
•Suicide Prevention
•Workforce development.
State-wide
specialist service providers
consumer, carer, disability
and community organisations
Founder organisations
Peak
MMHA
Staff and
ex officio
member
s
Joint Officers Group
Partner
Affiliated
Organisations
Organisations
Strategic Forum
Advisers
MMHA Consortium Members are

State-wide specialist service providers
concerned specifically with advancing the mental
health of people form culturally and linguistically
diverse backgrounds.

Peak consumer, carer, disability and community
organisations concerned with the well-being of
culturally and linguistically diverse individuals,
their families, carers and communities.

Founder organisations are current members who
were members of the original MMHA consortium.
conclusion
Basic Principle

Mainstreaming
– long term
– quality
– structural change

Partnership
– we can’t do it all
– we haven’t got all the ????
Key components of successful
policy and programs

Responsibility

Resources and infrastructure

Monitoring & evaluation

Community involvement

It is everyone’s business
Australian legislation and policy
 Provides protection under the law for
the individual as an Australian Citizen
 Be part of Australia
 Australia part of a diverse and
interesting world
It is:

A whole government approach (national,
state and local government)

Supported by Major political parties

Achieved significant gain to community
building and economic prosperity
 However, we still need more time and
honesty in identifying challenges of
diversity and responding to it
Contact Information
 dhi.gov.au
 dhi.gov.au\clearinghouse
 mmha.org.au
Strengths & Sustainable Solutions
10 – 12 March 2008
Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre
Darling Harbour, Sydney
Visit: www.dhi.gov.au/conference