We are a Catholic healthcare service inspired by the spirit and vision of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
We are a community of care, reaching out with compassion, integrity, courage and respect to all we serve.
We provide excellence in all of our services and work to identify and meet unmet needs.
Cabrini Outreach recognises the traditional rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and we pay our respects to the elders of all First Nations peoples across the globe. We acknowledge past and current injustices experienced by Australia’s Indigenous people and seek reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Cabrini Outreach also recognises the human rights of Australia’s newest arrivals, and we extend our welcome, compassion and service to those seeking asylum.
Our values are drawn from Mother Cabrini’s life and reflect her heart, her spirit, her conviction and her approach.
Compassion: Our drive to care is not just a professional duty to provide excellent quality care but is born of a heartfelt compassion for those in need, motivated by God’s love for all people.
Integrity: We believe in the power of hope to transform people’s lives and remain faithful to the bold healing mission and legacy of Mother Cabrini.
Courage: We have the strength, determination, vision and conviction to continue the work of Mother Cabrini and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Respect: We believe every person is worthy of the utmost respect and the best possible healthcare. We know that our resources are entrusted to us to use for the benefit of others.
Cover: Maymum Mohamud, Practice Nurse/Refugee Health Nurse.Cabrini Outreach is a community development organisation and member of an international family of services inspired by the spirit and vision of Mother Cabrini and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
We are part of a long tradition of healthcare that operates today in some of the poorest countries in the world. Our heritage teaches us that every person has inherent dignity and deserves the opportunity to reach their potential. Our experience reveals that socio-economic factors are mostly responsible for the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries.
Addressing the social determinants of health is at the heart of our mandate to seek social justice, alleviate social inequality and enable better healthcare for people seeking asylum and those experiencing place-based entrenched disadvantage in Australia and overseas. We work as a health service provider and a capacity-strengthening partner to disrupt disadvantage and contribute to the development of more inclusive, equitable and compassionate communities.
As a service provider, we have learnt that both lived experience and professional expertise are fundamental to effective service design and delivery, so we seek to know and understand each of the communities we serve. We identify and address gaps in health service provision and collaborate with others, including all levels of government and social institutions, making a long-term commitment to enable sustainable change.
The belief that mutual respect and trust are the foundation for effective partnerships is at the heart of our work in capacitystrengthening. For us, mutuality involves listening to one another, transparency, probity, flexibility and accountability, and we have long-standing partnerships with organisations that share our vision and values. We support health projects that meet an identified community need and where we can leverage our human, financial and material resources to make a difference to health outcomes.
We are proud to be part of the Cabrini family in Australia. We are here for good, the common good.
• 82.4 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, with 48 million people displaced within their own countries (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR 2021)
• 38,513 people seeking asylum and applying for temporary or permanent protection visas in Australia (Refugee Council of Australia - RCOA, November 2022)
• 1100 people estimated to be on bridging visas seeking asylum in Victoria (RCOA, January 2022)
• More than 60% of clients in our asylum seeker health services are not eligible for Medicare
• Eswatini, with just over one million people, has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world, with an estimated 27% of adults living with the disease (Global Fund 2020)
• 63% of people living with HIV in Eswatini are women (Global Fund 2020)
• The leading causes of premature mortality in Ethiopia are neonatal disorders (4243 per 100,000), diarrhoeal diseases (2898 per 100,000), lower respiratory infection (2415 per 100,000) and Tuberculous (1853 per 100,000) (The Lancet 2022)
Throughout 2021-22, Cabrini Outreach was proud to continue delivering care to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Through our unique mix of services within Australia and internationally, we continued seeking ways to address social disadvantage and contribute to the development of more inclusive, equitable and compassionate communities.
Our work was guided by the mission, vision and values of Cabrini Australia and by the organisation’s 2021-25 strategic plan, which sets out our future direction. As part of this plan, Cabrini Outreach identified two key focus areas, which we believe will deliver Cabrini’s mission, meet unmet needs and provide quality, compassionate care.
• Asylum seeker health service delivery and advocacy
• Health capacity strengthening across the Cabrini community
Throughout 2021-22, we continued taking steps to achieve these plans.
Delivering care and services to asylum seekers remained at the forefront of our work. There are more than 38,500 people seeking asylum and applying for temporary or permanent protection visas in Australia and throughout 2021-22 we noticed many people experiencing continuing distress because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and sought to provide meaningful support.
We continued into our second year of partnerships in regional Victoria with Project Sihat to expand mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic and Clinic Sihat opened in Shepparton in June 2021, in partnership with Primary Care Connect (PCC), the local community health service. The aim of the clinic was to provide weekly GP and practice nurse services to people seeking asylum (particularly those without Medicare or income) and newly arrived refugees.
A rewarding moment during the year, was receiving the Victorian Multicultural Award for Excellence in Health 2021. It was humbling to receive feedback about how our service addresses a “pressing unfunded gap in primary healthcare and
specialist mental health services for people of all cultures, faiths and ethnicities seeking asylum” and how we strive to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care. This award was a well-deserved acknowledgement of the hard work of the team, who go above and beyond to provide individualised care that meets the needs of the people we serve.
We are proud to be part of an international family of services inspired by the spirit and vision of Mother Cabrini and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and during the year, we continued supporting Cabrini missions around the world through services in Eswatini, Ethiopia and New York City.
In 2021-22, there were more than 10,362 visits to Cabrini St Phillips’ Missionary, Eswatini, providing access to much needed quality health services for vulnerable clients. More than 6800 patients were cared for at Cabrini St Mary’s Catholic Primary Hospital in Dubbo, Ethiopia. In the spirit of the Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Patroness of Immigrants, Cabrini Immigrant Services in New York City helps newest Americans realise their dreams, with the goal of providing vital advocacy for changes in policies that will help the immigrant population. In 2021-22, our service continued to provide legal services, social services (case management and counselling), immigrant services and community education.
While undertaking all of this work, we remained guided by the spirit and vision of Saint Frances Cabrini – a compassionate, visionary women who sought to make positive change in the world. As we take this time to reflect on the year that was and look to the future, I draw your attention to a poignant quote from Mother Cabrini:
Whether it is supporting our global communities or extending
“The world is too small to limit ourselves to one point. I want to embrace it entirely and to reach all its parts.”
our care and service to those less fortunate, I am proud to be leading a team at Cabrini Outreach, who seek to provide care and services where there is a need.
I would like to acknowledge the dedicated and compassionate team who work at Cabrini Outreach, for their hard work and ongoing commitment to addressing social disadvantage. I thank our pro bono workers, who generously give their time to support our service and the people we serve.
We are fortunate to also be supported by many other organisations who share our passion and commitment to creating a better, more equal society and I thank everyone who has supported us through the provision of goods and services, financial support, fundraising and partnerships. A full list of these organisations can be found in this report.
I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Cabrini Board, led by Chairman Sylvia Falzon, and Cabrini Australia Chief Executive, Sue Williams, for their guidance in both developing our 2021-25 strategy and for their continued support in helping us achieve our plans.
Sharon Sherwood Chief of Mental Health and Cabrini Outreach
*Refugee Council of Australia - RCOA, November 2022
10,362 visits to Cabrini St Phillips’ Missionary, which provides quality health services for vulnerable clients
18 clients assisted with optometry appointments and received free glasses
869 direct consultations delivered by our nurse-led service and more than 5700 care coordination activities
284 new referrals received across our Asylum Seeker Health Services
550client consultations conducted by 7 general practitioners (employed and pro bono)
More than
3 health waiver programs supported
2939 onsite and telehealth consultations delivered by mental health clinicians
$111,000 worth of pharmaceuticals provided 3884 essential medications to 1456 clients
6847 patients cared for at Cabrini St Mary’s Catholic Primary Hospital in Dubbo, Ethiopia
206 community members educated about their rights regarding healthcare, housing, education and employment at Cabrini Immigrant Services, New York City.
3 onsite pop-up clinics established to offer COVID-19 vaccinations
0% HIV transmission rate between mother and child at Cabrini St Phillips’ Missionary Eswatini (maintained for more than one year)
The Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Hub (The Hub) provides comprehensive primary health care and specialist mental health services to people seeking asylum and newly arrived refugees. To provide these services, we rely upon a mix of employed and pro bono staff to provide quality primary and specialist health care. Our services are provided, at no charge.
Throughout 2021-22, 284 new referrals were received across all our Asylum Seeker Health Services based in Brunswick and Shepparton.
Our nurse-led service delivered 869 direct consultations and more than 5700 episodes of care coordination with clients. Our General Practitioners (mix of employed and pro bono) conducted more than 500 client consultations.
Through our health waiver programs, which waive the cost of prescription medications for eligible clients, we spent $111,000 on pharmaceuticals. During 2021-22, we provided 1456 clients with 3884 essential medications through this service.
Mental health was a central feature of our service offering. Approximately 55% of clients in our asylum seeker health services have a mental health diagnosis, so we are continuously looking for ways to support these vulnerable people.
During 2021-22, our psychiatrists (mix of employed and pro bono) conducted more than 487 client consultations and our mental health clinicians delivered 480 onsite and 2459 telehealth consultations (including care coordination) with clients. The large increase demand for this service, and particularly for telehealth, was attributed to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also offered the services of clinical psychologists and psychiatry registrars, who also provided onsite and telehealth consultations to meet the needs of our clients.
The Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence honour outstanding individuals and organisations that foster crosscultural understanding, support migrants and refugees, and celebrate and preserve the diversity of cultures that make Victoria such a great place to live.
Cabrini Outreach was delighted to be awarded the winner of the Victorian Multicultural Award for Excellence in Health, presented by the Governor of Victoria The Honorable Linda Dessau AC.
The Victorian Multicultural Award for Excellence in Health award recognises health practitioners, researchers and organisations that provide outstanding health care, support or services to multicultural communities.
address a pressing unfunded gap in primary health care and specialist mental health services for people of all cultures, faiths and ethnicities seeking asylum. They provide specialist medical care for communities who would otherwise be ineligible for mainstream public mental health care and unable to afford private specialist care.
All these services are provided free of charge and include culturally and linguistically sensitive primary nurse-led care, specialised mental health support, engagement to access welfare and supports and advocacy on policy.
Many positive case studies have come out of the program during the added stresses and uncertainties of the pandemic and lockdowns.
- Award citation
During the past year, we witnessed an increase in individual and family distress due to the impacts of government policy and prolonged protection visa processing, exacerbated further by the impacts of COVID-19. This has resulted in increased destitution, homelessness, family violence and people requiring emergency food and material aid supports. Many clients’ physical and mental health deteriorated during this time and the team went beyond normal service delivery to reach out to clients via increased phone calls and telehealth consultations. The primary care nurses and mental health clinicians alone had almost 9000 episodes of phone consultations and care coordination activities to support clients.
There were 284 referrals received across all program areas. These figures include responding to the release of people seeking asylum and refugees who had been held in alternative places of detention (e.g. hotels), having been transferred from offshore detention (e.g. Manus Island, PNG, and Nauru) as part of the now repealed Medivac Legislation. We were able to respond swiftly to physical and mental health needs by reviewing previous detention health records, triaging urgent health issues, undertaking health assessments, providing ongoing medication, counselling, care coordination and making referrals where necessary. We worked collaboratively with settlement service providers, other community and tertiary health services and community-based agencies to support clients.
The partnership with Melbourne Health as a rotational site for the Specialist Training Program in Psychiatry has continued since February 2020 for psychiatry registrars. Registrars must apply and it is a highly sought-after rotation due to the specific nature of psychiatry work undertaken that is not found in any other service. Five trainees have been through the program on sixmonthly rotations, with supervision from our Psychiatry Medical Director and support from the mental health clinician team.
Tracey Cabrie, General Manager Cabrini Outreach Asylum Seeker Health Services.
Not only have they had a unique experience in their training, working with people seeking asylum, but they have made a significant impact on the mental health of our clients that would otherwise not be possible with a mostly pro bono psychiatry workforce. This year the registrars had 94 face-to-face and 216 telehealth consultations.
Our Program for Refugee Immunisation, Monitoring and Education (PRIME) catch-up immunisation project slowed down during the peak waves of COVID-19 due to the limitations of having too many clients onsite, so the main focus was on children requiring their childhood vaccinations rather than adults, unless it was medically indicated for them. The project began to ramp up again in the second six months of the year. Since the project commenced in September 2018, 590 clients have been notified into the project for assessment. Of these, 455 clients were identified as requiring vaccinations, 454 have commenced and 386 (85%) have completed their full course.
Giam D’Amico, Mental Health Clinician, Cristina Scarmozzino, Mental Health Clinician and Nicholas Mueller, Team Leader Mental Health.
Our COVID-19 immunisation work continued providing support to our culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) clients with key messaging in their languages, dispelling myths and misconceptions, for them to make informed choices and navigate access to COVID-19 vaccination clinics.
We reached almost 400 clients and assisted 90% of them to achieve at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. To help improve access to COVID-19 immunisation for our clients in a supported, trusted environment we partnered with both the Department of Health (DH) and IPC Health via the C-19 Network to deliver three pop-up vaccination clinics onsite. Two clinics were held in October 2021 and one in February 2022, resulting in 118 clients being vaccinated. This ongoing work would not have been possible without the generous support of the Department of Families Fairness and Housing (DFFH) Victorian Government, through the Priority Response to Multicultural Communities during Coronavirus (PRMC) program funding and the DH PRIMECOVID immunisation funding.
We continued into our second year of partnerships in regional Victoria with Project Sihat expanding mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two bicultural psychosocial case workers continued in Shepparton and Mildura with Uniting VicTas and CatholicCare respectively providing care to 20 to 30 clients at any time. The aim of this partnership and caseworker support has been to provide referrals, information, practical support and emotional support to people seeking asylum, undocumented migrants and temporary visa holders with vulnerabilities, to assist with maintaining and improving mental health. A mental health clinician was available from the Hub in Melbourne to provide more intensive counselling support to clients when required and the Mental Health Team Leader has provided mental health supervision to the case workers. The Psychiatry Medical Director has also provided mental health advice and support via primary and secondary consultations.
Clinic Sihat opened in Shepparton in June 2021 in partnership with Primary Care Connect (PCC), the local community health service.
The aim of the clinic was to provide weekly GP and practice nurse services to people seeking asylum (particularly those without Medicare or income) and newly arrived refugees. This assisted the PCC refugee health team with access to GP care and both teams worked together to support clients with complex health, mental health and psychosocial support needs. We have had a pro bono GP from Euroa and GPs from our Melbourne service supporting this work. It has been difficult to recruit to the practice nurse position due to the workforce shortage in regional areas along with the impacts of COVID-19 on nurses. Therefore, we supported the service with a practice nurse travelling up from Brunswick. Due to these workforce challenges, we also chose not to promote the service as widely as first anticipated. As a result, we provided ongoing care to 30 people seeking asylum throughout the year (all with no Medicare), conducting refugee health assessments, managing chronic diseases, referring people for dental and optometry checks, to City of Greater Shepparton for catch-up immunisations, to PCC for allied health services and torture and trauma counselling, to Project Sihat for psychosocial support, to our pharmacy waiver program for assistance with payment of medications and to specialists in tertiary services.
We currently support three health waiver programs – one at the Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Hub (since 2016), one in partnership with Whittlesea Community Connections in Epping called the Hume Whittlesea Pharmacy Waiver Program (since 2018) and the newest one called Shepparton Pharmacy Waiver Program (since 2021).
These programs provide essential medications and medical aids, such as glasses, to clients for people seeking asylum who have no income and no access to a Healthcare Card, making the cost prohibitive for essential medical care.
This year, hundreds of clients across all of the waiver programs were supported with their medication costs, with 1456 clients receiving 3884 essential medications at a cost of $111,000. In addition, 18 clients were assisted with optometry appointments and received free glasses.
These programs have been well supported by the generosity of Cabrini Outreach’s donors and would not be possible without the cooperation and partnership of key organisations – Brunswick Pharmacy, Chemist Depot Pharmacy in Epping and Shepparton Pharmacy along with the Australian College of Optometry and Specsavers Shepparton.
Thanks to a generous three-year pledge from the Barr Family Foundation, we are able to continue providing support to children and their families through the health waiver programs.
We welcome children at the Asylum Seeker and Refugee Hub and try to create a safe and happy space for them while their parents are accessing our services.
Artwork created by children, like the drawing above, is proudly displayed throughout the Hub. We believe this image reflects the hope we strive to provide our clients and their families.
The eSTAR-MH was launched to a global audience in September 2021 and was promoted by Professor Suresh Sundram in his address to the Union of Superiors General and Scalabrini International Migration Institute’s three-day international conference on the Theology of Human Mobility in the 21st Century.
In partnership with the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy, the eSTAR-MH has been employed to screen newly arrived forced migrants in Italy as part of a government-funded project to integrate migrant intake processes and public mental health services in the Milan region. The team is developing a similar study with a Malaysian non-government organisation, Health Equity Initiatives and Monash University Malaysia.
The STAR-MH has been field-tested in Italy with partners at the University of Milano-Bicocca, with positive feedback from reception centre workers administering the tool to forced migrants residing in reception centres in northern Italy.
The eSTAR-MH is being used by a growing number of agencies in Australia.
We are conducting one of the first studies globally to measure the health impacts of immigration detention.
The research team published a paper highlighting the impact of immigration detention on asylum seekers and refugees detained indefinitely on Nauru as part of Australia’s offshore processing policy for those seeking protection by boat. Within a few weeks of publication, it attracted considerable attention with an Alt metric score of 55.
As an extension of the Nauru study, recruitment for a new and innovative longitudinal research project commenced in December 2021, examining the physical and mental health of migrants with an experience of immigration detention. This project, in partnership with Monash University, is led by Professor Suresh Sundram alongside the research team - Dr Debbie Hocking, Professor Susan Rees (University of NSW) and PhD candidate Bafreen Sherif. The study will follow up participants at multiple time points for 12 months.
This longitudinal study has enrolled 59 participants with an experience of off-shore and/or on-shore detention (including hotel detention), with 51 baseline assessment interviews completed to date. The 87 interviews include 25 Time 2 and 11 Time 3 interviews, resulting in a retention rate of 84%.
The study has received a Collier grant, and the research team are collaborating with other sites to progress recruitment. Collaboration with interstate sites has also commenced, as an expansion of the recruitment strategy.
https://www.simieducation.org/en/calendar/migranti-epellegrini-come-tutti-i-nostri-padri-1-cr-29-15-teologia-dellamobilita-umana-nel-xxi-secolo/#
Preliminary data has been promising, indicating the STAR-MH to be a sensitive screening tool for identifying mental health issues in their population of refugees and asylum seekers.
Eighty-one newly resettled (within 12 months) adolescent (12-17 years) refugees were recruited through English language schools in Melbourne. Adolescent participants were screened and assessed for mental disorders and psychological symptoms. Separate to the adolescents, their caregivers were also screened for mental disorders and administered self-report measures regarding the adolescent’s and the care-giver’s own mental and emotional health symptoms.
Our findings are novel for this time of resettlement and provide insights as to how mental illnesses may emerge in this vulnerable group.
We have completed a paper for publication entitled Age and environmental factors predict psychological symptoms in adolescent refugees during the initial post-resettlement phase, which has been submitted for review.
We continue to support our international partners in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Ethiopia and New York, to orient our support to the most pressing needs of their local communities. Our partnerships are directed to supporting the health of women and children and our specific goals are to continue:
• To increase immunisation rates for women and children to lower the unacceptably high rates of maternal and infant mortality
• To improve detection and treatment of cervical cancer
• To improve access to treatment for infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis, focusing on the higher vulnerability of women and children
• To lower rates of child malnutrition, diarrhoea, and infection.
DURING THE 2021-22 FINANCIAL YEAR, CABRINI OUTREACH CONTINUED TO PROVIDE FUNDING SUPPORT TO THE FOLLOWING SERVICE PARTNERS:
Cabrini Ministries is a faith-based community care organisation providing comprehensive, integrated healthcare, childcare, education, and social services to the most poor and vulnerable living in the Lubombo Lowveld area of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in Southern Africa.
Partner since: 2002
Funding in 2021-22: $240,000
Total funding during the life of the partnership: $2,300,582
St Mary’s is a 100-bed Catholic hospital in Dubbo, which is owned by the Vicariate of Soddo and operated by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Cabrini Sisters). It provides medical, surgical, paediatric and maternity care to the local community of 100,000 people.
Partner since: 2012
Funding in 2021-22: $500,000
Total funding during the life of the partnership: $3,801,159
Cabrini Immigrant Services are a leading organisation in New York City, helping the newest Americans realise their dreams. Their goal and vision are to provide essential services to the immigrant community, and advocate for policy changes that will help the immigrant population.
Partner since: 2015
Funding in 2021-22: $50,000
Total funding during the life of the partnership: $750,000
Cabrini Outreach supports Cabrini Ministries Eswatini (CME) – a Catholic faith-based and community based notfor-profit organisation operating from St Philip’s Mission in the Lubombo lowveld region of Eswatini – the delivery of ’Enabling Quality of Health Care and Creating a Better Future.’
Aiming to improve quality of life for the vulnerable populations of the remote rural communities of the four Tinkundlas (constituencies) of Siphofaneni, Sithobela ‒ part of Lubuli and Nkilongo Tinkundlas. These targeted Tinkundlas of the South Lowveld of the country carry a burden of diseases that is compounded by the prominent level of poverty and food insecurity.
Cabrini Ministries delivered much needed services, through the clinic and community services, through promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health reaching clients with various ailments and disabilities especially women and children. Nine Cabrini staff were trained in speech and sign language.
10,362 SERVICE VISITS, PROVIDING VULNERABLE CLIENTS ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTH SERVICES
1386 WOMEN ACCESSED REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION AND CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING
42 CHILDREN ACCESSED SERVICES
8 CLIENTS WHO ARE DEAF ACCESSED SIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION FOR THE FIRST TIME
2368 CLIENTS ENROLLED IN THE ANTIRETROVIRAL DRUG REGIMEN, WITH A RETENTION RATE OF 99%
716 CLIENTS REACHED THROUGH COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERVICES
204 CLIENTS, REQUIRING SPECIALISED INTERVENTIONS, REFERRED TO HOSPITALS FOR ONGOING CARE
Major challenges in Eswatini were the continued lockdowns due to COVID-19 restrictions. Community outreach services were significantly impacted with staff becoming unwell, reducing the capacity to respond. There were significant increases in the cost of medical supplies, along with significant increases in caseloads as more clients accessed services.
To compound the effects of COVID-19, the country also saw a period of civil unrest, affecting access to services as roads were blocked and schools closed. The organisation also recorded the highest number of gender-based violence, including a high pregnancy rate that has never been recorded before. Fortynine clients accessed social services and referrals were made to mitigate the negative effects of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
TB and HIV continue to pose a serious challenge, with many young people, especially adolescent girls and young women, being vulnerable to new HIV infections, due to sexual violence. The organisation responds with effective community education and testing services, treatment and care, guided by the national guidelines for the management of HIV and TB.
HIV services reached the 95-95-95 UNAIDS goal. This year, 10,362 clients who visited the facility (and outreach) were screened for HIV, TB, and COVID-19 along with being provided counselling services.
The organisation has successfully maintained the HIV transmission rate between mother and child of 0% for more than a year. Screening is provided for HIV, Bilharzia/Malaria, hypertension, and diabetes, to name a few, that may result in complications of birth resulting in mortalities and morbidities of the mother or/and the child.
All exposed infants are vigorously followed up at birth and at nine months and thereafter at 18 months. HIV negative mothers are encouraged to take prophylaxis against HIV, as most women have no knowledge of the spousal HIV status.
In 2021-22, 2612 women were offered cervical cancer education. As a result, 225 women between the ages of 15-49 years were screened for cervical cancer and further tested for HPV, with two clients being diagnosed with HPV. Nine clients were succesfully treated for cervical cancer and four clients are undergoing treatment procedures.
Cabrini Ministries is working collaboratively with the University of Milan, Italy, to determine the efficacy of dry urine as a methodology to screen for cervical cancer.
Cabrini Outreach continue to support St Mary’s Catholic Primary Hospital in Dubbo, Ethiopia, to progress their goal of improving maternal and child health outcomes.
St Mary’s is a 100-bed Catholic hospital providing medical, surgical, paediatric and maternity services to the local community of around 100,000 people. Cabrini Outreach continues to contribute funds to the hospital’s maternal and child health program, which has fortunately witnessed the continuation of pregnant mothers attending for assisted births, their antenatal education program boosting engagement, malnutrition being addressed; and clients receiving surgical care when needed.
During the fiscal year, at St Mary’s Primary Hospital care for 6847 patients in the admissions and outpatient departments, which includes pre and postnatal care, administering immunisations, treatment of hypertension and treatment of diabetes. This included 126 women, of childbearing ages, who were screened for cervical cancer and 708 children under the age of five who were admitted and treated for conditions including malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea, acute febrile and malnutrition.
6847 PATIENTS CARED FOR AT ST MARY’S PRIMARY HOSPITAL
552 WOMEN ATTENDED THEIR FIRST ANTENATAL CLINIC
481 WOMEN RECEIVED ANTI-TETANUS TOXOID VACCINATION
47 BABIES BORN THROUGH CAESAREAN SECTION
146 NEWLY BORN BABIES RECEIVED BDG AND FIRST POLIO VACCINE
38 BABIES ADMITTED TO THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
In the St Mary’s catchment, family and societal practices, coupled with a lack of health knowledge, often contribute to delayed access to obstetric health services, especially in emergency health.
All women presenting for antenatal and maternity care continued to receive postnatal care. The postnatal care sessions give an opportunity to refer women and their babies to their local health centre for immunisation.
One of the major challenges, for St Mary’s is the high number of teen pregnancies. The impact of COVID-19 has been felt directly by young female teenagers, having prolonged school closures, with teenage girls becoming pregnant. The majority gave birth to infants who had a birth weight of less than 2500g.
St Mary’s continues to provide care and treatment to children, most of whom are under five years of age, with the most common presentations related to upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea and severe malnutrition. Children also presented for screening for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
With the civil war unrelenting around Ethiopia, the year has persisted to be a difficult and tumultuous period for the staff and patients of St Mary’s; however, the hospital continues to provide complete, comprehensive quality care to maternal child health patients. The hospital was able to open their much-anticipated neonatal department, introduce their expanded immunisation program, and broaden the cancer screening program to all women of childbearing age, improving women and child health status of their local community.
Cabrini Immigrant Services opened their doors in New York City in 1999, and since then has been a leading organisation helping the newest Americans realise their dreams. In the spirit of the Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Patroness of Immigrants, their goal is to provide vital advocacy for changes in policies that will help the immigrant population as they continue to closely watch and respond to the shifts in American government policies.
Cabrini Outreach’s partnership with CIS-NYC commenced in 2015, with the aim of helping them achieve their overall objective of improving the health, mental health and wellbeing of lowincome immigrant families in New York City.
Assistance with applications for the New York State Excluded Workers Fund (a fund that provided financial support to individuals who lost income during COVID-19 but are not eligible for federal assistance).
• 145 clients received more than $1.5 million in relief funds
• Psychoeducational support groups held:
- Two rounds of women’s groups – each consisted of 12 sessions with 46 participants
- Parenting groups – consisted of 11 sessions with 25 participants.
The legal services team provided comprehensive immigration legal consultations to:
• 562 families
• 245 new immigration legal cases assisting clients pursuing a legal remedy for their immigration status
During the year, 44% of clients were offered a consultation.
The case management team assessed and identified clients’ primary social, emotional and critical needs.
Case management was provided to 155 clients and there were 307 referrals for critical services (housing, healthcare, education, public benefits and employment).
Mental health support to individuals in crisis, were provided to 60 clients, across 131 counselling sessions.
• 206 community members educated about their rights regarding healthcare, housing, education and employment.
A relationship agreement continues between Cabrini Australia Limited, Cabrini Outreach Limited, Cabrini Health Limited and Cabrini Property Limited to enable Cabrini Outreach to continue to draw expertise, resources and support from other parts of the Cabrini group including the committees that support the Board in its governance function. The committees that support Cabrini Outreach Limited are:
Audit Risk Management Committee that assists the concurrent Cabrini Boards with setting financial performance indicators and monitoring financial performance, overseeing the internal audit and enterprise risk management programs, and preparing the annual audited financial reports.
Foundation Board assists the concurrent Cabrini Boards with the fundraising strategy and performance, overseeing the transparent management of donated funds and supporting donor engagement.
Patient Experience and Clinical Governance Committee assists the Cabrini Boards with engaging consumers and monitoring consumer experience, managing clinical risks, overseeing the clinical quality improvement program and clinical accreditation reporting requirements.
The Board is supported in its role by the Chief Executive and Group Directors with responsibility for group functions and the health, technology and outreach service arms. Similar to the Board, the Executive functions concurrently for Cabrini Australia Limited and the three subsidiaries. The Chief of Mental Health and Outreach Services is the Executive lead for Cabrini Outreach Limited, tasked with leading the strategy development and overseeing operational performance.
The Cabrini Group of companies has an internal audit program that systematically and objectively reviews core business functions against best practice, providing opportunities for continual improvement. The annual plan is set by the Audit Risk Management Committee. The operations of Cabrini Outreach Limited are considered when setting the audit scope. The committee reviews the internal audit reports and closely monitors that agreed actions are implemented by management.
Cabrini employs a comprehensive approach to risk management. Risks are identified and managed in each Cabrini Outreach program. This informs risk identification and assessment of both the inherent and treated risk at the Cabrini Outreach level, which in turn feeds into the organisation-wide risk matrix. The organisation-wide risk matrix is reviewed by the Board on a six-monthly basis.
We are committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of our employees, volunteers and the communities we serve through the implementation of a best practice governance framework and easy to use reporting processes so that concerns and opportunities for improvement can be raised.
We are also committed to working with our international partners to strengthen their safeguarding and inclusion practices.
We would particularly like to acknowledge and thank the Victorian Department of Health (DH) and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) for their ongoing support of our Asylum Seeker Health Services program for people seeking asylum in Melbourne and the regional areas of Shepparton and Mildura.
We would also like to acknowledge the support received from the following organisations (in no particular order):
• Cabrini Health, who provide financial support and a range of governance, administrative and corporate services support.
• Cabrini Foundation, for general fundraising support.
• Cabrini Brighton Mission Integration Committee, for their ongoing commitment and fundraising efforts that provides direct charitable support to clients both in Australia and overseas.
• St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, who provide access to free pathology and medical imaging for our clients without Medicare.
• Northwest Melbourne Primary Health Network, who provide funding through the CAREinMIND program in support of our psychology services.
• Brunswick Pharmacy, Chemist Depot Epping and Shepparton Centre Pharmacy, who supply our clients’ essential medicines and other health provisions as part of our health and pharmacy waiver programs.
• Whittlesea Community Connections who work in partnership with us to implement the Hume Whittlesea Pharmacy Waiver Program in Epping.
• The Australian College of Optometry and Specsavers Shepparton who provide free eye health checks and access to subsidised glasses.
• Igniting Change (a deliberately tiny charity, passionate about sparking big, positive change for people doing it tough in our communities), for providing one-off generous support to clients and families who urgently need it.
• Uniting Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre and Asylum Seeker Project, Baptcare Sanctuary, Salvation Army Asylum Seekers Support Service, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Life Without Barriers, AMES Settlement and the Australian Red Cross for their dedication and collaboration with our health service and the mutual clients we support.
• Primary Care Connect, Uniting Vic Tas and Catholic Care Mildura for their unwavering partnership, support and contributions in our Clinic Sihat and Project Sihat projects.
• Collier Charitable Fund, Barr Family Foundation and other anonymous donors, for support of our asylum seeker health research and waiver programs and operational costs.
We thank our pro bono staff, who gave considerable time during the year to support people in very vulnerable circumstances. We also thank all the volunteers who supported our fundraising efforts.
We offer our sincere gratitude to all those who made financial contributions to support our programs. Special thanks to our donors who generously provided gifts and to the staff who consistently support us via the Cabrini workplace giving program. These small acts made an enormous impact on the people we support.
WHERE OUR MONEY COMES FROM
WHERE OUR MONEY IS SPENT
Cabr ini Aust ralia Limited (cross-subsidy) (52%)
Government and philanthropic grants (24%)
Non-monetary donations (8%)
Medicare, IHMS and CAREinMIND billings (4%)
Donations and gifts (12%)
For every $1 we raise:
• 52 cents is from a Cabrini Australia Ltd cross-subsidy for our health and development programs around the world
• 24 cents is from government and philanthropic grants
• 8 cents is from essential pro bono services that would otherwise require us to raise income
• 4 cents is from billings from federally funded agencies such as Medicare
• 4 cents is from individual donors and event fundraising
Program expenditure (89%)
Accountability and administ ration (11%)
For every $1 we spend:
• 89 cents is used to directly support our health and development programs around the world
• 11 cents is spent on essential accountability and administration
• 0 cents is spent on fundraising support as this is provided pro bono
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS ‒ AID AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM EXPENDITURE
AUSTRALIAN PROGRAMS ‒ AID AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM EXPENDITURE
New Yor k (8%)
Eswatini (35%)
Ethiopia (75%)
Papua New Guinea (-18%)
Cabrini Outreach spends 23% of its expenditure on international programs with the majority going to St Mary’s Hospital in Ethiopia, followed by Eswatini and Immigrant Services in New York. The -18% Papua New Guinea relates to support that was accrued for in FY21 but which did not eventuate.
Asylum Seekers and Refugees (94%)
Other (6%)
Cabrini Outreach spends 66% of its expenditure on Australian programs with the majority going to people seeking asylum and refugees (includes nonmonetary expenditure which is the pro bono medical support to our asylum seeker health services program).
For the year ended 30 June 2022
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2022
The above Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
The above Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.
For the year ended 30 June 2022
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2022
Cabrini Outreach is a single reporting entity and prepares general purpose financial statements in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards – Simplified Disclosures and the Australian Charities and Not-for- profits Commission Act 2012. The financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost basis. Cabrini Outreach is limited by guarantee for the purpose of preparing the financial statements.
The financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2022 were approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Directors on 30 September 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic as declared by the World Health Organisation is continuing to impact the Company’s operations and financial performance subsequent to 30 June 2022.
Cabrini Australia Limited provides donation funding to Cabrini Outreach.
Cabrini Australia Limited (Cabrini Outreach’s parent) entered the Private Hospital Funding Agreement (COVID-19 comprehensive agreement) with the Department of Health and Human Services in the State of Victoria (or the State) in April 2020. The purpose of the agreement was for private hospital operators to make facilities and services (including equipment and staff) available to assist with the national COVID-19 response. The agreement has also provided assurance of financial viability to operators like Cabrini Australia Limited in a time where normal operations have been restricted.
The agreement was effective from 1 April 2020 and will continue until either Cabrini Australia Limited or the State provide notice or by mutual agreement. The agreement has a 12 month ’hibernation’ clause whereby the State allows operators to return to normal operations whilst allowing for a restart to provide COVID-19 pandemic support when necessary.
New accounting standards and interpretations adopted as at 30 June 2022
AASB 1060 General Purpose Financial Statements –Simplified Disclosures for For-Profit and Not- forProfit Tier 2 Entities
AASB 1060 replaces the Reduced Disclosure Requirements (RDR) framework with the Simplified Disclosures Standard (SDS). SDS aims to reduce the reporting burden of those preparing GPFS (Tier 2) reports by requiring disclosures based on those in the IASB’s IFRS for SMEs standard. This standard is effective 1 July 2021.
The key features of SDS are:
• A single standard (AASB 1060) with all disclosures required by entities preparing GPFS (Tier 2) reports (including public sector and NFP entities) standard with some modifications to account for differences in Australia’s recognition and measurement requirements (that follow full IFRS recognition and measurement), and Australian specific disclosure needs
• Some Australian specific disclosures including disclosures of fees for audit and review services, disclosure of imputation tax credits (which were disclosures were previously under AASB 1054 Australian Additional Disclosures) and a numerical tax reconciliation
• The AASB has issued ED 306 to propose that NFPs early adopting SDS do not need to provide comparative information in the notes to the financial statements when its latest GPFS (Tier 2) report does not disclose such similar information
There are no other new accounting standards and interpretations effective at 30 June 2022 that materially impact Cabrini Outreach.
There are no new accounting standards and interpretations that are not yet effective and have not been adopted early.
The significant accounting policies that have been used in the preparation of these financial statements are summarised below.
The financial statements have been prepared using the measurement bases specified by Australian Accounting Standards for each type of asset, liability, income, and expense. The measurement bases are more fully described in the accounting policies below.
The financial statements are presented in Australian Dollars, which is also the functional currency of the Company. Cabrini Outreach Limited is an entity to which ASIC Corporations Instruments 2016/191 applies and, accordingly, amounts in the financial statements have been rounded to the nearest dollar.
When required by Australian Accounting Standards, comparative figures have been adjusted to conform to changes in presentation for the current financial year.
A summary of revenue from major products and services is shown in Note 4. Revenue is recognised when control of the goods or services are transferred to the clients at an amount reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.
Donations
Donations received, including cash, goods for resale and other non-monetary donations, are recognised as revenue when the Company gains control, economic benefits are probable, and the amount of the donation can be measured reliably. Nonmonetary donations are recorded at fair value.
Government grants are recognised where there is reasonable assurance that the grant will be received and comply with all attached conditions. When the grant relates to an expense item, it is recognised as income on a systematic basis over the periods that the related costs, for which it is intended to compensate, are expensed. When the grant relates to an asset, it is recognised as income in equal amounts over the expected useful life of the related asset.
When the Company receives grants of non-monetary assets, the asset and the grant are recorded at nominal amounts and released to profit or loss over the expected useful life of the asset, based on the consumption of the benefits of the underlying asset.
Interest income
Interest income and expenses are reported on an accrual basis using the effective interest method.
Operating expenses are recognised in profit or loss upon utilisation of the service or at the date they are incurred.
The income of Cabrini Outreach is exempt from Australian income tax under Section 50-5 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and demand deposits, together with other short-term, highly liquid investments that are readily convertible into known amounts of cash and which are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value.
Cash related amounts which are held in term deposit for greater than 3 months are recognised as other financial assets.
Property, plant and equipment is stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment. Historical cost includes expenditure that is directly attributable to the acquisition of the items.
Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis to write off the net cost of each item of property, plant and equipment (excluding land) over their expected useful lives as follows:
Buildings: 10 – 50 years
Furniture and equipment: 3 – 16 years
The residual values, useful lives, and depreciation methods are reviewed, and adjusted if appropriate, at each reporting date. Leased assets are depreciated over the unexpired period of the lease or the estimated useful life of the assets, whichever is shorter. An item of property, plant and equipment is derecognised upon disposal or when there is no future economic benefit to the Company. Gains and losses between the carrying amount and the disposal proceeds are taken to profit or loss.
Only when it is probable that future economic benefits associated with the item will flow to the Company and the cost can be measured reliably are amounts transferred to property, plant and equipment and depreciated thereafter. Repairs and maintenance are charged to the Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income during the financial period in which they are incurred.
The capital fundraising reserve represents donations received for major capital works, and income earned from these investments. Retained earnings include all current and prior period retained profits.
Short-term employee benefits are benefits, other than termination benefits, that are expected to be settled wholly within 12 months after the end of the period in which the employees render the related service. Examples of such benefits include wages and salaries, non-monetary benefits and accumulating annual leave. Short-term employee benefits are measured at the undiscounted amounts expected to be paid when the liabilities are settled.
The liability for long service leave is recognised and measured at the present value of the estimated cash flows to be made in respect of all employees at the reporting date. In determining the present value of the liability, estimates of attrition rates and pay increases through promotion and inflation have been taken into account.
For the year ended 30 June 2022, the long service leave liability has been estimated by management and is supported by an independent valuation by an external actuary.
Long service leave liabilities are classified as current when Cabrini:
- expects to settle the liability in its normal operating cycle;
- the liability is due to be settled within twelve months after the reporting period; or
- it does not have an unconditional right to defer settlement of the liability for at least twelve months after the reporting period
Provisions are recognised when the Company has a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of a past event, it is probable that an outflow of economic resources will be required from the Company and amounts can be estimated reliably. Timing or amount of the outflow may still be uncertain.
Provisions are measured at the estimated expenditure required to settle the present obligation, based on the most reliable evidence available at the reporting date, including the risks and uncertainties associated with the present obligation. Where there are a number of similar obligations, the likelihood that an outflow will be required in settlement is determined by considering the class of obligations as a whole. Provisions are discounted to their present values, where the time value of money is material.
Any reimbursement that the Company can be virtually certain to collect from a third party with respect to the obligation is recognised as a separate asset. However, this asset may not exceed the amount of the related provision.
No liability is recognised if an outflow of economic resources as a result of present obligation is not probable. Such situations are disclosed as contingent liabilities, unless the outflow of resources is remote in which case no liability is recognised.
Revenues, expenses and assets are recognised net of the amount of GST, except where the amount of GST incurred is not recoverable from the Tax Office. In these circumstances the GST is recognised as part of the cost of acquisition of the asset or as part of an item of the expense. Receivables and payables in the Statement of Financial Position are shown inclusive of GST.
Cash flows are presented in the Statement of Cash Flows on a gross basis, except for the GST components of investing and financing activities, which are disclosed as operating cash flows.
The following are significant management judgements in applying the accounting policies of the Company that have the most significant effect on the financial statements.
The directors evaluate estimates and judgments incorporated into the financial reports based on historical knowledge and best available current information. Estimates assume a reasonable expectation of future events and are based on current trends and economic data, obtained both externally and within the Company. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The key areas in which critical estimates are applied are as described below:
In assessing impairment, management estimates the recoverable amount of each asset or cash-generating unit based on expected future cash flows and uses an interest rate to discount them. Estimation uncertainty relates to assumptions about future operating results and the determination of a suitable discount rate.
Cabrini Outreach assesses, at each reporting date, whether there is an indication that an asset may be impaired. If any indication exists, or when annual impairment testing for an asset is required, the reporting entity estimates the asset’s recoverable amount. An asset’s recoverable amount is the higher of an asset’s or cash generating unit’s (CGUs) fair value less costs of disposal (FVLCD) and its value in use (VIU). The recoverable amount is determined for an individual asset, unless the asset does not generate cash inflows that are largely independent of those from other assets or groups of assets. When the carrying amount of an asset or CGU exceeds its recoverable amount, the asset is considered impaired and is written down to its recoverable amount.
When assessing VIU, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset. In determining FVLCTS, recent market transactions are taken into account. If no such transactions can be identified, an appropriate valuation model is used. These calculations are corroborated by valuation multiples, quoted share prices for publicly traded companies or other available fair value indicators.
Impairment losses of continuing operations are recognised in the Statement of Profit or Loss in expense categories consistent with the function of the impaired asset, except for
properties previously revalued with the revaluation taken to Other Comprehensive Income (OCI). For such properties, the impairment is recognised in OCI up to the amount of any previous revaluation.
The Company may perform an impairment test that incorporates COVID-19 risk if there are uncertainties created by the pandemic. The impairment models may adjust for risk via discount rate or the cash flows used, but not in both. This is in compliance with AASB 136.55.
The liability for long service leave is recognised and measured at the present value of the estimated cash flows to be made in respect of all employees at the reporting date. In determining the present value of the liability, estimates of attrition rates and pay increases through promotion and inflation have been taken into account.
For the year ended 30 June 2022, the long service leave balance has been estimated by management and is supported by an independent valuation by an external actuary.
Long service leave liabilities are classified as current when Cabrini Outreach:
- expects to settle the liability in its normal operating cycle;
- the liability is due to be settled within twelve months after the reporting period; or
- it does not have an unconditional right to defer settlement of the liability for at least twelve months after the reporting period
Cabrini Outreach has disclosed within the notes the split between current and non-current Long Service Leave liabilities on the basis of expected settlement timing, and accordance with AASB 119.
In accordance with AASB 16, Cabrini Outreach has made the following judgements.
In determining the lease term used to ascertain total future lease payments, Cabrini Outreach considers all facts and circumstances that create an economic benefit to exercise an extension option. Renewal options are only considered to be part of the lease term if the lease is reasonably certain to be extended. Cabrini Outreach has included renewal periods as part of the lease term for all leases as it is reasonably certain these will be extended. This assessment is reviewed if a significant event or change in circumstances occurs which affects this assessment and is also within the control of Cabrini Outreach.
Where Cabrini Outreach cannot readily determine the interest rate implicit in the lease, it uses its incremental borrowing rate (IBR) to calculate the present value of future lease payments.
The IBR is the interest rate that the lessee would have to pay to borrow over a similar term of each lease. Cabrini Outreach estimates the IBR using market interest rates and adjusts these rates to include the effect of the lessee’s own stand-alone credit rating.
No deferred revenue was recognised at 30 June 2022 (2021: $154,471).
For the purpose of the Statement of Cash Flows, cash includes cash on hand and in banks, net of outstanding overdrafts. This is reconciled to the Statement of Financial Position as follows:
Reconciliations of the written down values at the beginning and end of the current financial year are set out below:
The Company’s related parties include its key management personnel and related entities as described below. Unless otherwise stated, none of the transactions incorporate special terms and conditions and no guarantees were given or received.
Key management personnel are not employed by Cabrini Outreach, rather executive decisions are taken by executive team members of the company’s parent Cabrini Australia Limited.
For the year ended 30 June 2022, the long service leave balance has been determined by management and is supported by an independent valuation by an external actuary. Cabrini Outreach Limited has classified employee entitlements as current liabilities where it does not have an unconditional right to defer settlement of the liability for at least twelve months after the reporting period.
For the purposes of disclosure, the external actuary has calculated its best estimate of the expected timing of settlement, as follows:
Directors are not remunerated and act in a voluntary capacity. There were no loans to and from related parties at the current and previous reporting date.
The Company did not receive any COVID-19 related rent concessions during the year.
There were no capital commitments as at 30 June 2022 (2021: $nil).
The audit fee is charged at a group level to Cabrini Australia Limited.
There are no matters or circumstances that have arisen since 30 June 2022 that have significantly affected or may significantly affect either:
- the Company’s operations in future financial years;
- the results of those operations in future financial years; or
- the Company’s state of affairs in future years.
Cabrini Outreach
Ground Floor, 503 Sydney Road
Brunswick Victoria 3056
T: (03) 8388 7874
E: cabrinioutreach@cabrini.com.au
W: cabrinioutreach.com.au
