Western Sydney Services for People from CALD Backgrounds We are incredibly lucky to live in one of the most diverse regions in Australia, with over half of our Western Sydney community born overseas. The diversity of our region is something we celebrate every day, yet it is often these community members who struggle to access the right health care to live full, happy lives.
So, which services in our region are making a real difference to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities?
Source: WentWest Annual Review 22/23
STARTTS Building Community Resilience The NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) helps people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds develop a sense of community and belonging to improve their wellbeing. Their dedicated team run group sessions such as art classes, yoga, English lessons, health workshops,
cultural days and outings to create a safe space for people to build trust, share their feelings and create a support network within the community. From running youth ambassador programs, to LGBTQIA+ support groups, to their Keeping in Contact (KiC) group for seniors, STARTTS run programs that welcome people from all backgrounds.
“This group has brought us together when we were living alone. We do different activities but really it is about getting to meet each other. This group has made us come together, to talk about the good and the bad. We were alone before but we have a community now. We belong.” - KiC member
Healthy Western Sydney is delivered by WentWest, the Western Sydney Primary Health Network.
One Door Recovery and Reintegration One Door Mental Health provide recovery-focused programs to help people with complex mental health needs build meaningful, safe lives in the community. Over half of their team have lived experience of mental health themselves, so understand how to support people facing similar challenges.
In Western Sydney, One Door run the Bilingual Hospital to Home program to help people reintegrate back into community following time in hospital, the Commonwealth Psychosocial Support program for people with complex mental health and psychosocial needs, and Recovery College, which offers courses co-produced and co-facilitated by people with lived mental health experience.
“I’ve got great support from One Door Mental Health, especially the Bilingual Hospital to Home program. This program engaged me with different activities which enabled me to build my confidence and realise that I have many strengths that I can use in my recovery journey.” - One Door program participant
Other Services Available Dementia Care Navigator: supports people living with dementia, their families and carers, primarily from CALD communities. A specialist navigator acts as a key touchpoint, assisting with navigation through the health system for a person with a diagnosis of dementia or their families. Odyssey House NSW: offers CALD drug and alcohol services to individuals and their families. This includes individual counselling and group programs. Looking After Your Health - Diabetes NSW & ACT: aims to increase the awareness of risk factors for chronic conditions through a variety of education sessions and activities, delivered in languages other than English in Western Sydney.
How to access these services For a list of services available in Western Sydney visit WentWest’s Population Health webpage for more information.