victims-of-crime-report-access-for-caldpdf by Windermere

Report prepared by

Myriad Consultants Pty Ltd PO Box 439 Altona 3018 Victoria Telephone: (03) 9315 0902 Email: myriad@myriadconsultants.com.au

Contents Acknowledgments 1. 1.1 1.2 1.3 2. 2.1

2.2 3. 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 4. 5. 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 6. 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 7.

Executive Summary Introduction Project Objectives Overall learnings of project Principles and learnings Context Project Methodology Overview 2.1.1 Service Provision Audit Framework 2.1.2 Literature Review 2.1.3 Staff Consultations / Service Provision Audit 2.1.4 Community Stakeholder Consultations Limitations Literature Review Introduction Australian Research – Migrants & Refugees as Victims of Crime International Research – Access to Services Implications of research findings Southern Integrated CALD Network Consultation Staff Consultation / Service Provision Analysis Introduction Overview of Windermere VACP Program Challenges involved in dealing with CALD clientele Identification of strategies to improve CALD community access and participation in Windermere services Community Consultations Introduction Knowledge of Windermere’s Child and Family Services or other locally available programs for families or victims of crime. Key issues impacting on the local community in relation to crime, families and youth. Victims of crime experiences Accessing support Effective information provision Cultural awareness requirements Recommendations Appendix A: Community Consultation Details Appendix B: Community Consultation Questions Appendix C: Breakdown of overseas born populations

7 11 12 12 15 17 17 18 18 18 19 20 21 21 21 24 27 29 30 30 30 31 31 33 33 34 35 37 39 41 43 45 49 50 51

Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the support and commitment of a number of people and organisations. Windermere would like to particularly thank the Reichstein Foundation, Department of Human Services and Victorian Multicultural Commission for contributing funding for this very valuable research; in order to assist multicultural communities enhanced access to Child and Family services including Victims of Crime and Counselling Program. Firstly, we would like to extend our enormous gratitude to the community leaders/representatives who contributed to this research through arranging access to the community groups consulted. We were greatly encouraged by the positive responses of attendees who welcomed the opportunity to participate and have input into this project. Acknowledgement goes to: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau Chinese Community Worker Australian Turkish Association Ethnic Communities Council of South East (ECCOSE) Springvale Indochinese Mutual Assistance Association Chinese South Eastern Senior Citizens Club, Doveton Afghan Women’s Group, Endeavour Hills Vietnamese Community Group, SICMAA Turkish Community Network, Mentone South Sudanese Women’s Group, Doveton Welfare and Youth Buddhist Organization, Springvale Australian Karen Organization (AKO) Burma and Northeast India (ENO) Noble Park Catholic Association Pacific Island Women’s Group Citizen Advice Bureau /Springvale Lebanese Community Organisations Iraqi Organisations AMECA Victorian School of Languages

Secondly, we would like to acknowledge the Project Manager Serap Ozdemir, Windermere’s Manager of Business Development / Special Projects, whose determination and commitment to providing equitable services to CALD communities must be commended. Special mention should also go to Windermere’s Chief Executive Officer Cheryl De Zilwa for her leadership and vision in committing Windermere to a process of self-reflection and cultural change. Finally, this report would not have been complete without the contributions made by the range of Windermere managers consulted. Participating managers included: • Manager of Housing Support Services and Victims Assistance and Counselling Program • Manager of Family Support Services • Manager of Marketing

• • • •

Manager of Disability Services and Biala Early Intervention Services Manager of Family Day Care programs Manager of Counselling Services Manager of Corporate Services

Thank you also to the members of the Southern Integrated CALD Child and Family Network who provided valuable input throughout the conduct of the project. Some of the members of the Southern Integrated CALD Child & Family Network participated in this project, included: AMES Centrelink City of Greater Dandenong City of Casey Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues Connections Dep’t Education and Schools Department of Human Services Southern Region Department of Justice Dep’t of Victorian Communities Ethnic Communities Council of the South East Victorian Foundation for Torture and Trauma New Hope Foundation Good Shepherd Hanover Immigrant Women’s Domestic Violence Service Playgroup Victoria Salvation Army Springvale Citizens And Advice Bureau SECASA Salvation Army Southern Central Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) South Eastern Region MRC Southern Health Family Life Dandenong Community Health Centre Victoria Police Multicultural Unit Dandenong and Springvale Police Women’s Health in the South East Wellsprings for Women WHISE Peninsula Youth and Family Services

Executive Summary “Windermere improves wellbeing in children, families and communities by helping to realise their potential, building resilience and connecting people to the community”. (Windermere’s Mission Statement) With headquarters at Narre Warren in Melbourne’s south-east, Windermere assists thousands of children and families. The demand on their services is increasing at a rapid rate, given that it is one of the fastest growing urban corridors in Australia. Challenges are being further fuelled by the large number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities that make up the emerging population, many of these being fairly new arrivals to Australia. According to the ABS 2006, CALD communities are becoming the second largest growing CALD population in Australia. Windermere has had a long standing commitment to protecting and supporting children, particularly those who are abused, marginalised or disadvantaged in the community. More recently, they have sought to establish collaborative partnerships with other agencies in the region working with CALD communities, undertake research into the specific needs of CALD communities, and identify service gaps and responsiveness across the Southern Metropolitan Region as a basis for developing a framework that will inform culturally sensitive intervention and support within their range of services. Providing accessible, relevant, responsive and quality service calls for a review of existing approaches and programs and consultation directly with communities represented in the region, coupled with a desire to explore new and innovative strategies that build on progress to date. The research and consultation process that informs this report sought to do just that. This report documents the key findings that emerged from the audit process, which included both internal and external consultations. The report also sets out various recommendations informed directly from the findings of the research. Whilst there have been some efforts by a range of Windermere’s program areas to improve access to CALD communities, efforts towards programs and activities that seek to engage and serve Victoria’s diverse communities must be significantly enhanced and be revised and evaluated regularly. The community consultation process has ensured that stakeholder interest and expectations have now been established. It will be the extent to which this opportunity is taken up by Windermere and other Child and Family Service providers that will determine the real success of this research and consultation process. Project Methodology Overview The project methodology consisted of several strands of data collection and analysis: Preliminary desktop literature review of state, national and international research around victims of crime programs. Consultations with the Southern Integrated CALD Child and Family Network. Windermere staff consultations / service provision audit. Consultations with CALD community groups. 7

Key findings of the literature review highlight that the elements of best practice include: Acknowledgment of the different and valid cultural definitions of personal well-being and recovery from traumatic events. Support of the sophisticated and varied cultural pathways to "mental health", coping strategies, and ‘counselling’, and incorporation of these into appropriate victim services and referrals. Extensive cultural awareness training and competency testing to enable victim assistance staff to have the capacity to understand persons whose thinking, behaviour, and expressive modes are culturally different. Multiethnic and multilingual teamwork as a resource to implement and monitor effective victim services. Cross-cultural perspective to benefit from the principles and methods of other cultures. Staff Consultations / Service Provision Analysis The focus during this phase of the project was on organisational processes, interventions, examples of good practice and perceived obstacles. The consultations provided a rich source of indicative data and identified challenges and strengths of current practices and procedures. They also provided an opportunity to further explore emergent themes evident in the literature review. A total of 7 managers were interviewed as part of staff consultations. Additional meetings were also held with the CEO, Deputy CEO and the Manager Business Development / Special Projects. Summary of key findings - Staff Consultations / Service Provision Analysis Experiences of working with CALD communities • •

Low levels of CALD community engagement and participation. Low levels of awareness amongst staff of the percentage of CALD communities living within the region.

• •

Need for enhancing staff cross-cultural training to deal with emerging issues. CALD community misunderstanding of agency role limitations impacts on the ability to engage them effectively. Improved data accessible on CALD participation rates. Data to be available in CALD communities as victims of crime. High reliance on interpreters, which may not always be accessible due to cost, language availability or confidentiality issues.

• • •

Challenges dealing with CALD communities • • • •

Need for increased staff knowledge of cultural and religious issues diminishes staff capacity to work effectively with diverse clients and communities Having to deal with settlement issues affecting new and emerging communities but which are outside the scope of Windermere’s role. Language barriers and difficulty with concepts such as ‘counselling’. Lack of willingness by some CALD groups to use interpreters due to fears around confidentiality.

•

Concern around sudden demand for services by CALD communities impacting on already lengthy waiting lists.

Community Stakeholder Consultations External consultations were undertaken where possible with community organisations and advocacy and representative bodies. It is important to note that this research did not only constitute a study into the unmet victims of crime needs of the nine identified CALD groups. This study is an access and equity review, which aimed to elicit the range of barriers preventing access to child and family support services, and strategies that may be adopted to overcome these. The range of community consultation groups selected reflected a mix of the largest CALD communities represented within Windermere’s catchment region and new and emerging communities whose numbers within the region are rapidly growing. The nine groups included Chinese, Afghani, Turkish, Vietnamese, Burmese, Lebanese, Iraqi’s, Sudanese and Pacific Islanders (Samoan and Tongan). A total of 234 community members participated in the language specific consultations. This process was an important first step in beginning to build effective relationships between the agency, child and family services and CALD communities. How child and family service agencies now responds to this opportunity will make a significant impact not only on how the agencies are perceived by these communities, but also on their willingness to approach child and family service agencies as a community support in the future. Summary of Key Findings – Community Consultations Knowledge of Child and Family Services • • •

Limited knowledge of agencies or services provided. Difficulty understanding concepts such as ‘counselling’ and ‘support services’. Terminology such as ‘victim’ and ‘crime’ may have a different or more limited meaning for some CALD groups.

Key issues impacting on local CALD communities • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Issues with encouraging youth to remain in school. Mental health issues amongst communities. Drug taking amongst youth. Fear of safety due to growing number of house thefts. Gambling. Family neglect. Domestic violence. Disability. Violence against parents and grandparents. Isolation and lack of support for women. High prevalence of separation and divorce. High unemployment / low income levels. Lack of culturally appropriate services and facilities. Lack of access to interpreters, particularly for newer language groups.

•

Limited educational opportunities (especially English language learning).

Victims of Crime experiences • • • •

Strenuous denial of existence of crime in some groups. Unwillingness or inability to contact police due to language barriers and perceptions of racism. Negative experiences with police and the legal system when they’ve tried to access support. Lack of recognition that domestic violence is a crime by some groups.

Accessing Support • • • •

Need to explain and promote concept of child and family services particularly counselling. Concern about ‘losing face’ or community finding out about problems. Difficulty in accessing services due to their location. Language, cultural and religious barriers.

Effective information provision • • • • • • •

Face to face interaction and relationship building. Increased community consultation. Translated information including an explanation of services / programs. Use of CALD media, especially radio and newspapers. Outreach programs. Distribution of information via community agencies most frequented by CALD groups. Attendance and service promotion at community events.

Cultural Awareness Requirements • • • •

Removal of language barriers via bilingual workers, interpreters and translated information. Staff cross cultural training. Addressing the issue of stereotypes and prejudices. Child and Family Service providers and Victims Assistance providers to develop and implement CALD planning tools and action plans.

Introduction

Windermere provide services from 21 locations with major centres at Narre Warren, Cranbourne, Pakenham and Springvale. The area in which a total of 100 staff work, encompasses 10 municipalities and a population of around 1.2 million. The main areas of service delivery are the Cities of Greater Dandenong and Casey and the Shire of Cardinia. Windermere improves wellbeing in children, families and communities by helping to realise their potential, building resilience and connecting people to the community. Windermere is a leading community-based agency, which makes a significant difference to the life of every child, family, and individual with whom it works. The innovative services delivered to clients, staff and the community provide opportunities to learn, grow and achieve their life goals. In order to achieve the greatest outcomes for clients, Windermere’s strategic approach includes: • Accountability to our clients, stakeholders and community for making a difference • Strong collaborations and partnerships across and within sectors • Highly skilled, motivated and passionate staff • A dedicated team of volunteers, community and corporate supporters • An integrated intake, assessment and care management system • An internal practice based research capacity linked to and supported by leading universities/colleges • Multiple and expanding income sources to ensure viability and sustainability • The capacity to move with influence and embrace change • Applied business principles to ensure efficiency and effectiveness • Informed by Appreciative Inquiry (strengths based organisational development) Windermere has had a long standing commitment to protecting and supporting children, particularly those who are abused, marginalised or disadvantaged in the community. More recently, they have sought to establish collaborative partnerships with other agencies in the region who work with CALD communities, and to undertake research into the specific needs of CALD communities, to identify service gaps, and responsiveness across the Southern Metropolitan Region as a basis for developing a framework that will inform culturally sensitive intervention and support within their range of services. In 2007, Windermere undertook a CALD community engagement process in an effort to identify and address barriers preventing these communities from accessing the range of Windermere’s programs and services, especially those related to Victims of Crime. The project included a number of stages and was completed over a six month period. The stages involved consultations with internal and external reference groups, key management staff and CALD communities residing within Windermere’s catchment region. This report draws on the findings of the research and proposes a range of strategies to address key findings of the evidence based research process. Its purpose is to provide a public document that not only acknowledges the achievements of the project but also provides recommendations on engagement strategies that can be developed – so

that others may benefit from the invaluable lessons learned about engaging with CALD communities to deliver effective victims assistance and counselling services and programs. Windermere learnt much during the process of engagement with communities, community-based organisations, and other service providers. Many of the learnings of Windermere could apply to other child and family service agencies wishing to successfully engage with new and emerging communities. The importance of community engagement strategies based on ongoing dialogue cannot be overstated. This was frequently reinforced during the consultations. For communities in social transition, as many are new and emerging communities, ongoing dialogue helps provide an environment where trust can develop between the communities and service provision agencies.

1.1

Project objectives

The objectives of the project included that it should: • • • • • •

improve among migrant, new and emerging communities awareness and understanding of how child and family services operates and the victims assistance and counselling program as well as a range of other services available improve awareness and understanding between the communities and child and family service agencies so that they are able to respond to the cultural, ethnic and social arrangements of communities build relationships between the communities and child and family service agencies promote appropriate referrals between multicultural and ethno-specific services and the child and family services sector allow CALD communities to see they are not the only communities in Australia that have concerns about their children and families. ensure that state wide funded agencies implement culturally responsive policies and strategies to ensure that CALD communities access the State wide funded child and family services and Victims of Crime and Counselling Program.

•

determine and raise community awareness of the key issues and support needs of victims of crime from CALD communities.

•

develop a culturally appropriate model for CALD community capacity building in order to increase the access and participation of CALD communities requiring child and family services and Victims Assistance and Counselling Program’s.

•

collaboratively develop and document a culturally sensitive Victim Support Framework for the Southern Metropolitan Region that will inform the State Wide VACP CALD framework and agency service agreement specifications.

•

ensure the current state wide Victims Charter and Guide is modified to reflect a commitment to CALD victims of crime.

1.2

Overall learnings from the Project

A key learning of this research was the extent to which many CALD communities are unfamiliar with concepts related to counselling and support services and the range of terminology regularly associated with this field. This is something that communities raised time and again.

This learning is a key factor that: • •

contributes to relationships between child and family service providers and new and emerging communities being complex and challenging, and reinforces the need for effective access requiring an informed, engaged community that has access to information and works in partnership with service providers in designing and delivering services.

Some of the key learnings included that: Access to programs and services is more likely if communities have been engaged in twoway communication activities by an agency and have developed trust in that agency. Programs and services should be reflective of the needs and cultural sensitivities impacting communities and be accessible without the need for English language proficiency. Emphasis should be given to ensuring visible commitment to reciprocal learning so that communities are confident service providers understand the cultural, religious and language boundaries which impact individuals. For agencies seeking to extend their services to the range of CALD communities, there are certain values and standards that are considered fundamental in working with these communities. These include values and principles of: access and equity interdependence and empowerment participation and transparency accountability, and adequacy, relevance, effectiveness and efficiency. There is increasing evidence identifying the benefits of active and engaged communities that are recent arrivals to Australia. Harnessing the insights and perspectives of people can improve services. As well as contributing to improving the quality of life of their community, involvement in engagement activities can provide individuals with opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills, and give them pathways into accessing services. Equally importantly, when it comes to developing engagement strategies, service providers experiences show that the process of engagement should be valued as a process in itself. The project identified the essential elements of such processes being an appreciation of and commitment to a range of broad factors including– situational analysis, imperative for change, communication and engagement, organisational readiness and access: situational analysis: being aware of how the experiences of communities before and after their arrival in Australia may affect their abilities to engage. The settlement and acculturation process must be understood as central to communities’ ability to engage. Appreciating how the phases of adjustment might impact on the settlement experiences of members of new and emerging communities – particularly on family and children’s wellbeing – was critical to how the consultations were run. Issues impacting on communities’ capacity to engage included: pre-arrival experiences that might indicate levels of distrust of agencies

settlement experiences and access to housing, employment and education and social support, and degree of acculturation and change, and impact of these on families. Imperative for change: understanding that communities require a imperative that ‘triggers’ their need for information and access to services. It is critical that service provision agencies understand this. Questions organisations must ask include: Has the community recognised the issue as a problem? Does the community use the language of ‘problem’? What has caused the ‘problem’ and how does the community speak of the causes? Which groups and people have been involved in the recognition of the ‘problem’? What preliminary work has been undertaken to address the ‘problem’? An inappropriate diagnosis of the problem and the consequent framing of the language to describe it can result in an ineffective strategy for communication. There was a fair amount of anecdotal evidence suggesting that issues around crime and also the need for a range of child and family supports were impacting new communities, with high levels of need not being reflected in service access figures. Thus, the consultations helped identify the issues and directly informed the development of key recommendations. In identifying the issues (in this case, access to victims of crime and other child and family support services), the language or discourse being used by the community provided significant insight into the development of the key recommendations. Communication and engagement: communities and their agency partners learn best when they are mutually engaged around shared outcomes; communities are best placed to determine the approaches they think are most appropriate to addressing their needs. After identifying the imperative for change and the appropriate framing of the issue, the next step is developing an effective communication and engagement strategy. This involves: identifying and involving appropriate community leaders and stakeholders clarifying perceptions about engagement processes willingness to engage in dialogue developing a shared vision of expected outcomes of the engagement developing partnerships, and assessing internal and external constraints impacting on implementation – for example, the cultural issues impacting on communities’ willingness to speak about problems Organisational readiness – effective, properly targeted engagement models that are appropriate to each community will be best able to improve willingness and ability of communities to access services. Promoting effective access requires genuine collaboration between service providers and a range of other community sector organisations. When these different organisations work in partnership, there is more scope for improving access, and delivering more effective services. Organisational readiness must also be seen as an integral part of the capacity building process. The mutual transfer of cultural change information and knowledge within service provision agencies can further create opportunities to show leadership in the promotion of effective programs.

Access: Effective access to services may be reflected in people’s increased understanding of service provision agencies. It may involve active contribution to program and service development models. Becoming more confident in accessing services implies a process of learning, through which people and communities acquire the knowledge, skills, and confidence to seek support. The consultation process clearly demonstrated that agencies are able to assist and influence this learning process in a variety of ways, for instance: by ensuring there is two-way information flow between the agency and communities, and by informing communities, which makes them better equipped to access services.

1.3

Principles and learnings

This section summarises many of the overall principles and learnings Windermere identified from the project that it recommends child and family services consider when planning engagement strategies. Engagement principles •

The process of successfully engaging communities is an outcome in its own right.

•

Communities are best placed to determine the approaches they think are most appropriate to addressing their needs.

•

True engagement creates the potential for effective programs or strategies – community responsiveness comes from community involvement and respect of communities by the agency.

•

Models for information provision need to be multi-dimensional and responsive to the specific needs and communications tools of different communities.

Engagement strategies •

Community engagement strategies should be based on an ‘assets’ approach – one that recognises the strengths of communities, including the knowledge and wisdom of members of new and emerging communities, and the benefits that the communities can provide to the agencies concerned. A ‘partnership model’ can be an effective basis for community engagement strategies A tiered approach to engagement may be effective and should be considered when developing engagement strategies.

Partnerships •

A fundamental premise underlying any strategy must be that new and emerging communities are essential partners for the development of effective community education strategies.

•

Partnering with an agency that has a strong record of achievement with communities is a critical success factor for organisations that do not have such relationships themselves. These gatekeeper agencies and individuals are the people and the organisations that have the trust of communities. In this project, given the challenging nature of the subject matter around counselling and support services, trust was an all pervasive issue.

Information accessibility •

Assumptions cannot be made that community engagement and education strategies can be based primarily or even partly in some instances on written material. Many emerging communities have oral traditions. Even where there are agreed written languages, literacy may be an issue and/or concepts around counselling and victims support services, for example, may not be able to be meaningfully translated. Alternative approaches to information provision should be made available.

Context

In late 2006, Windermere Child and Family Services held a multicultural forum to identify any access issues around child and family services for culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s southern region. Feedback from participants at this forum suggested that a major gap in the child and family services system is that the number of CALD clients accessing these services appears to be disproportionately low compared to the high numbers of CALD communities residing in the region. Participants emphasised the need for the development of a culturally appropriate child and family services framework, cultural planning tools and CALD action plans to be developed in order for agencies to systematically address access to services by CALD communities. In summary, key outcomes emerging from the forum included the need to: â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

enhance service provision to culturally and linguistically diverse communities within the southern region, and develop culturally responsive services through effective partnerships in child and family services.

Under the leadership and co-ordination of Windermere, forum participants have united to establish the Southern Integrated CALD Child and Family Network with membership consisting of over 50 agencies across the region. This network is now working collaboratively to assist in the development of culturally responsive systems and protocols with agencies, community representatives and CALD consumers. In its initial stages the network is prioritising key fundamental areas of concern in child and family services so that a proactive approach to addressing these needs is undertaken. A key fundamental area of concern identified by Windermere management and the Network has been the perceived under representation of CALD background communities in child and family services and victims of crime services. However, despite high levels of CALD population and representation in this area, these communities are not adequately accessing child and family services and victims of crime support programs. This gap in the service sector has been expressed in the consultations with the ethnic communities, child and family services and has become a concern to the wider service sector. This report documents a comprehensive research and consultation process undertaken to identify the range of barriers preventing access to victims of crime and other child and family support programs and also seeks to identify opportunities to enhance access and participation.

2.1

Project Methodology Overview

The project methodology consisted of several strands of data collection and analysis: Preliminary desktop literature review of state, national and international research around victims of crime programs. Consultations with the Southern Integrated CALD Child and Family Network.

Windermere staff consultations / service provision audit. Consultations with CALD community groups and community leaders. 2.1.1 Service Provision Audit Framework The Charter of Public Service in a Culturally Diverse Society provided the analysis structure to analyse the data provided by Windermere staff. The Charter provided an overarching framework of core principles underpinning responsive service planning and delivery. The seven Charter principles encompass building diversity considerations into strategic planning, policy development, budgeting and reporting processes and represent a joined-up approach to service delivery. The seven principles are broadly applicable to women, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, Indigenous Australians and people with disabilities. The principles are: Access Equity Communication Responsiveness Effectiveness Efficiency Accountability 2.1.2 Literature Review A limited review was undertaken of relevant victims of crime programs and research. The primary focus was identifying good practice in Australia, with some reading of international reports for comparative purposes. Importantly, the review process highlighted that there are very few programs that have specifically addressed issues relevant to victims of crime from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. However, literature relevant to other areas of service delivery has identified a range of factors deemed fundamental to effective service delivery or conversely, identified barriers preventing equitable access to services. These indicators / benchmarks were used to develop the community consultation framework. Key findings of the literature review highlight that the elements of best practice include: Acknowledgment of the different and valid cultural definitions of personal well-being and recovery from traumatic events. Support of the sophisticated and varied cultural pathways to "mental health", coping strategies, and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;counsellingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, and incorporation of these into appropriate victim services and referrals. Extensive cultural awareness training and competency testing to enable victim assistance staff to have the capacity to understand persons whose thinking, behaviour, and expressive modes are culturally different. Multiethnic and multilingual teamwork as a resource to implement and monitor effective victim services. Cross-cultural perspective to benefit from the principles and methods of other cultures. 2.1.3 Staff Consultations / Service Provision Analysis The focus during this phase of the project was on organisational processes, interventions, examples of good practice and perceived obstacles. The consultations provided a rich source of

indicative data and identified challenges and strengths of current practices and procedures. They also provided an opportunity to further explore emergent themes evident in the literature review. The consultations with staff were conducted both face to face and via telephone. Following input from the Internal Reference Group, it was decided that consultations would be undertaken with the following staff who managed each of the key program / service areas of Windermere: • • • • • • •

Manager of Housing Support Services and Victims Assistance and Counselling Program Manager of Family Support Services Manager of Marketing Manager of Disability Services and Biala Early Intervention Services Manager of Family Day Care programs Manager of Counselling Services Manager of Corporate Services.

Additional meetings were also held with the CEO, Deputy CEO and the Manager Business Development / Special Projects. 2.1.4 Community Stakeholder Consultations Diversity research and consultation methodologies are often based on action research frameworks. As such, this research was informed by action research principles. Action research design cannot be fully detailed in advance and then rigorously and inflexibly implemented. Rather, the research design is emergent, meaning it develops progressively, influenced by the events that take place during the project and by the progressive analyses that are made. Multi-agent models allow for a great flexibility in method design, because they can easily be modified in their methods and codes following the adaptive process of participatory research. Therefore, each stage of the research informed and refined the next. In undertaking the research project, the Project Team did not want to repeat many of the methodological errors that have informed past approaches to undertaking consultations with the five target groups identified. Therefore ensuring inclusive and empowering research and consultation practice became an important goal for the Project Team. It is important to note that from the very outset, contact was made with front line agencies and representative bodies and individuals in relation to the design and implementation of the consultation strategies. As part of the initial discussions with various agency representatives, it became apparent that due to time and resource limitations, the most effective method of conducting consultations with representatives of the target groups would be through the range of organisations and individual advocates that promoted their issues and interests. External consultations were therefore undertaken where possible with community organisations and advocacy and representative bodies. It is important to note that this research did not constitute a study into the unmet victims of crime needs of the five identified CALD groups. This study is an access and equity review, which aimed to elicit the range of barriers preventing access to support services, and strategies that may be adopted to overcome these. 19

2.2

Limitations

The key shortcomings of focus groups specifically, and qualitative research in general, is the inability to generalise findings to a whole population due to both the small sample size and the methods of selection. The CALD focus groups used in this study display these shortcomings; the sampling technique used was a judgement and not a random sample and it was also modest in size as two hundred and thirty four people took part in the community consultations. The use of networks to recruit focus groups meant that participants could not be assumed to be representative of their wider communities. The consultants did attempt to recruit a broad sample of participants but were not always successful. Consulting effectively with people from non-English speaking backgrounds realistically requires the provision of interpreters and the distribution of translated materials. The provision of translated information was not possible at this stage of the project but a commitment was made to have this made available to the groups consulted. Notwithstanding the limitations of the methodology, the adopted approach was judged to be the best way of beginning the process of capturing the on-the-ground knowledge of Windermere staff and members of the nine CALD target groups so as to achieve an understanding of the factors that may impact on these groupsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; access to services.

3. 3.1

Literature Review Introduction

In November 2006, the Victorian Charter Act 2006 became law in Victoria. The Victims' Charter sets out principles on how the criminal justice system and victim support agencies respond to victims of crime. The introduction of the Charter, with its emphasis on the importance of victims being given clear, timely and consistent information about their rights and entitlements and, if appropriate, be referred to victims and legal support services, provides an important opportunity to consider its application to culturally and linguistically diverse communities who are primary or secondary victims of crime. Historically a great deal of public, government and media attention has focused on criminal offences by specific immigrant and/or ethnic groups1. Far less attention, however, has been placed on the victimization experiences of immigrants and the members of specific ethnic minority groups, particularly in relation to their access to Victim Support Services. This section of the report provides a brief overview of the current national and international research in relation to victims of crime from immigrant and refugee communities. The search specifically sought to identify issues related to access to victim support services, the range of barriers that impede access and strategies adopted by victim support agencies to enhance accessibility. The key findings from the search informed the subsequent development of the consultation framework for the conduct of the community consultations.

3.2

Australian Research â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Migrants and Refugees as Victims of Crime

Immigrants are in a vulnerable position where they can easily become the victims of crime: poverty, inadequate housing, lower levels of education, discrimination and lack of legitimate economic opportunity, risk of deportation for temporary residents, language barriers, and misperceptions of Australian law can all have an impact. Some immigrants will also be placed in a position of not reporting crimes or not assisting in investigations of crime because they are afraid to contact their local police; they worry, for example, that they would not be believed, or would themselves be arrested. They are also easy targets of criminal offences motivated by hate, prejudice or bias2.

Generally, data on ethnicity and crime and statistics are usually produced by agencies such as the police, court administration, and corrective services. However, these surveys do not offer reliable and accurate date on ethnicity and crime for a range of reasons, including peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fear of disclosing personal data. Police Statistics in Australia: The Crime and Safety Surveys in Australia and Crime Victimisation Surveys overseas consistently show that there are more crimes in the community than the police statistics reveal and that a majority of victims, particularly those from minority ethnic groups, do not report incidents of victimisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to the police or other government agencies. Various reasons have been given for not reporting, e.g. too trivial, police could not/would not do anything about it, fear of reprisals from the offender, etc. Estimates from these surveys indicate that less than 40 per cent of crimes that occur in a community are reported to the police.

A review of recent Australian literature suggests very little specific attention has been directed towards the experiences of migrant and refugee communities as victims of crime. This trend however has recently shifted with several significant bodies of work, including several victimisation surveys. The Australian component of the International Crime Victimisation Survey (ICVS) included some additional questions and a sampling of people with Vietnamese or Middle Eastern backgrounds. The purpose of the sample was to enable a robust analysis of crime victimisation and perceptions of safety amongst two groups of Australians who have migrated in large numbers since the 1970s. Importantly, victims of assault/threat in the ICVS were asked the following question to determine whether the incident was perceived to be racially motivated. Do you feel you were assaulted or threatened because of your skin colour, ethnicity, race or religion? Qualitative interviews with migrants have found that racially-based threats and attacks can have a negative impact on victims and their communities, resulting in an increase in fear, a growing sense of alienation, a distrust of authority and an eventual reluctance to engage with police3 Forty-two per cent of incidents of assault against the Middle Eastern/Vietnamese sample were perceived to be racially-motivated, including 53 per cent of threats and 38 per cent of attacks. Ten per cent of incidents against the main sample were considered by victims to be racially-motivated (12 per cent of attacks and eight per cent of threats). Those in the main sample who perceived these incidents to be racially-motivated were disproportionately born in Asia or Africa (14%), elsewhere overseas (30%), and non-English-speaking (20%). The rate at which these incidents were reported to police was similar for the two sample groups. Migrants reported 38 per cent of racially-motivated incidents compared with 42 per cent of the main sample (a non-significant difference). The reporting rate for other types of assaults was 38 per cent for both groups. Importantly for this report, only small proportions of the Middle Eastern/Vietnamese migrant group (10%) used the services of a specialised agency following an assault or threat. Victimisation surveys are important tools for understanding the experiences of crime in migrant communities4. The selected migrant group reported significantly higher rates of racially-motivated 2 Immigrant Crime in Europe and Australia: Rational or Racialised Responses? JOCK COLLINS Professor of Economics, University of Technology, Sydney National Europe Centre Paper No. 80 Paper presented to conference entitled The Challenges of Immigration and Integration in the European Union and Australia, 18-20 February 2003, University of Sydney. 3 Ethnicity and crime: an Australian research study - Satyanshu Mukherjee Canberra : Australian Institute of Criminology, 1999 - A report prepared for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs 4

HREOC, Isma Listen: National Consultations on eliminating prejudice against Arab and Muslim Australians, 2004.

assaults and threats and are more likely to fear a racially-motivated incident in the future. Migrant victims of racially-motivated incidents tended to feel the situation was very serious, but many are unsure whether to label it a crime. Ongoing dialogue between migrant groups, police and local communities may help to reduce the vulnerability of certain groups to this form of victimisation and improve feelings of safety. The key findings of the survey clearly indicate the need for victim support agencies to better understand how racism may impact on migrant and refugee access to support services and their willingness to report crimes of this nature. Several other Australian research documents have indicated that crimes against migrants may go unreported and that migrants experience greater fear of crime, particularly of hate crime, than the Australian-born population5. A recent report6 which documents the result of a survey conducted with 337 small businesses in two ethnically-concentrated communities in NSW highlighted significant barriers for some communities in reporting crime, and in seeking access to victim of crime services. Interviews were conducted in Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese and English. Only one in five recent incidents of crime was reported to police with large reporting variations depending on the type of crime. Although low proficiency in English was not associated with actual victimisation, it was associated with a lower likelihood of reporting shoplifting and burglary. Fear of reprisal also reduced the likelihood of reporting crimes where the offender could potentially identify the victim. Poor proficiency in English has been associated with higher criminal victimisation7 primarily because of communication barriers. Research also suggests that language and cultural barriers can foster environments in which crime can be committed with little fear of it being reported to police8. Lack of trust in authorities and the police, inability to communicate with others in English, and lack of knowledge about how laws and social norms in the broader Australian community operate, may encourage criminal activity by inhibiting reporting and communication outside the immediate community. 3.2.1 Australian Research â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Access to Victim Support Services Australian research in relation to victims of crime who are from non English speaking backgrounds is scarce. The research that does it exist tends to specifically detail access to services for victims of family violence and sexual assault. Overall, the research indicates the following barriers to access to appropriate victim support services to women and children subjected to violence9: lack extended family and community support, a particular concern for women from small and emerging communities; 5 Experiences of crime in two selected migrant communities - Holly Johnson August 2005 6 See Collins, ibid 7 Crime against businesses in two ethnically diverse communities - Natalie Taylor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Australian Institute of

Criminology October 2006 8 Chin, Ko-lin, Jeffrey Fagan, and Robert Kelly 1992 "Patterns of Chinese gang extortion," Justice Quarterly 9 (4) December. 401-422.

Torres S.; Vogel R.E. Source: Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, Volume 24, Number 1, 2001, pp. 40-55(16) 9

lack of awareness of the range of support services available difficulties in accessing legal and victim support services owing to language and cultural differences; lack of understanding of the various legal options available inappropriate use of terminology, including concepts such as ‘victims’ which in some instances cannot even be translated. fear that reporting violence will compromise their future residency in Australia or their entitlement to programs and services, a particular concern for women on temporary and spouse visas; fear that their confidentiality will be breached by service providers. Overall, the literature that does exist in Australia indicates that crime victims consistently face barriers as they attempt to access victim services and the criminal justice system. Barriers include: language, culture, fear of deportation and permanent separation from family members, and unfamiliarity with the criminal justice system and victim support services.

3.3

International Research – Access to Services

International research in relation to the experience of victims of crime from culturally diverse backgrounds appears to be more prevalent. Results of a 1998 national survey of criminal justice officials, conducted by the American National Institute for Justice10, suggest that underreporting of crime by immigrant victims prevents adequate use of law enforcement resources and follow up victim support services. According to the survey, family violence was the least reported crime by non English speaking victims. Sexual assault and gang violence were also grossly underreported. In the same report, limited English proficiency was named the most significant barrier to accessing law enforcement, the courts, and victim support services. The report also highlighted that Immigrant populations, especially victims of crime, tend to trust and lean-on the support of service providers who are perceived as more sympathetic towards immigrant victims. Thus, the report suggest that gaining the trust of immigrant communities is an important step for the successful implementation of any strategy designed to improve access to victim services. The following were the priority needs identified by the focus group participants in relation to improved access: need for information brochures and flyers on what constitute crimes (in many immigrant cultures, when crime occurs within the family, it is not reported because many of them don’t even know what is defined as a crime) in a broad variety of immigrant languages; test the translations, as often words such as ‘victims’ may not literally translate distribute these brochures through appropriate service providers, such as settlement support agencies a need for public service announcements in the media (TV & newspaper) utilizing existing services, such as minority language newspapers, radio and TV shows which are readily trusted by immigrants; 10

National Institute of Justice Report – Immigrant Populations as Victims: Towards a Multicultural Criminal Justice System 1998

Overall, there is a serious need for more interpreters and translators (in all languages). Increasing the pool of interpreters should be a major goal that needs to be addressed immediately. Another major issue identified by the report was the lack of data available on the various characteristics of immigrant populations. It was identified that no systematic data collection mechanism for collecting data on immigrant populations or immigrant crime victims exists. This, it was suggested needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency. A significant US report that sought to identify the needs of diverse victims of crime is the Denver Victim Services 2000 Needs Assessment which was designed to generate information on current victim support services in the Denver region, which included: Client satisfaction with services. Unmet needs and gaps in service as perceived by service providers. Unmet needs and gaps in service as perceived by clients and unserved and underserved victims of crime. Underserved populations in Denver include American Indians, African-Americans, Asians, Latinos, new immigrants, non-English-speaking individuals, the disabled, the elderly, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered victims. The focus groups tried to elicit information about the types of crime that most affect underserved populations and how comfortable and knowledgeable they were about available victim support services and the criminal justice system overall. Furthermore, the focus groups tried to find out what the underserved populations thought would make positive changes occur. Focus group questions were formulated to specifically find out certain information, including: the reasons why these groups do not access services, what would need to change for them to access services, and what were the gaps in services and possible avenues of outreach to these communities. The main themes arising from the focus groups were: that victims did not trust that victim services would meet their needs even when the services had been designed for their demographics; that victims would not usually access services outside their community even when they had knowledge of those services; and that victims wanted service providers to bring services to them and ask them what they needed rather than just tell them what is available. Respectful, valuing the diversity of victims, offering services in the victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s language and in a culturally competent manner, and acknowledging the unique barriers to accessing services experienced by many ethnic and culturally diverse communities was identified as critical to the delivery of appropriate victim support services. Additional issues included: applying flexible criteria for access to services, serving people where they are,

offering an array of services and allowing victims to choose what they need, and not requiring that forms be filled out each time services are accessed, particularly when people were not able to write in English, or were illiterate. 3.3.1 International Research â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Best Practice A Canadian study of Victim Support Services also offers important insights for Australian audiences concerned about access to victim support agencies for diverse communities. Although focused on issues for Indigenous communities, the key findings are pertinent to the current project. Between January 2001 and August 2002, extensive consultation was undertaken with Canadian victim service providers, community-based service providers and government officials. The project had a number of inter-related tasks and objectives. In addition to developing a comprehensive inventory of services currently available to Indigenous victims of crime, the project also identified best practices, challenges, and gaps in delivery of victim services in the territories. The findings of the consultations highlight that effective programming and â&#x20AC;&#x153;best practicesâ&#x20AC;? in the provision of victim support services include: the establishment of a community development approach to service delivery which focuses on community involvement and inclusion, relationship building, community ownership, agency cooperation, consensual decision making and universal awareness about community social problems; the combining of various services, such as emergency shelter, counselling and court preparation; the provision, through auxiliary RCMP constables, of immediate assistance to victimized individuals; the provision of multi-faceted, accessible practical services to victimized women; the development of short- and long-term recovery programs for victimized individuals; the employment of community-based victim services paraprofessionals from the communities. Recently, the Denver Victim Services Agency also identified the elements of best practice in working with diverse communities. The agency highlighted how demographic changes within the US population have increased the range of issues confronting victim service providers daily in their agencies. The complexities, the agency argues, associated with cultural diversity affect all aspects of victim services, requiring victim service providers to strive to deliver culturally competent services to an ever-increasing broad range of clients. The Agency goes on to stress the need for cultural competence in victim services. Key elements of the best practice model that the Agency promotes includes: the commitment to cultural competency should be made at the highest levels within an agency. Boards of directors, executive directors, and management staff play a key role in setting the tone for a culturally competent organization. This involves assessing needs, strategic planning, and continual evaluation of how an agency is meeting its cultural competency goals. Agency self-assessments of cultural and linguistic competence should be ongoing, and measures of access, satisfaction, quality, and outcomes should be integrated into other organizational internal audits and performance improvement programs.

Victim/client and community surveys and other methods of obtaining input are important components of organizational quality improvement activities, although they should not constitute the only method of evaluation. When used, such surveys should be culturally and linguistically appropriate. Specific issues for refugee groups should be identified and integrated â&#x20AC;&#x201C; included issues related to trauma and appropriate trauma counselling. A written strategic plan should be developed, implemented, and promoted that outlines a comprehensive management strategy to address culturally and linguistically appropriate services, including goals, policies, procedures, and designated staff responsible for implementation. o The purpose of strategic planning is to help the organization define and structure activities, policy development, and goal setting relevant to culturally and linguistically appropriate services. o It also allows the agency to identify, monitor, and evaluate system features that may warrant implementing new policies or programs consistent with the overall mission. o A sound strategic plan for cultural competency is integrally tied to the organization's mission, operating principles, and service focus. The strategic plan can serve as an important tool in identifying and prioritizing victim/client service need priorities. The strategic plan should be developed with the participation of victims/clients, community, and staff who can convey the needs and concerns of all communities and all parts of the organization affected by the strategy.

3.4

Implications of Research findings

Whilst there is limited research in Australia that directly related to the utilisation of victims of crime services by culturally and linguistically diverse communities, international research provides some important key findings upon which the development of culturally relevant access strategies can be based. It is important that organisations such as Victims Assistance and Counselling programs are cognisant of the literatureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reference to the significance of culture and ethnicity and its influence on how individuals cope with experiences of crime and their access to support services. Clearly, Clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cultural backgrounds may affect their help-seeking behaviours and so the ways in which services are planned and implemented need to be culturally sensitive to be culturally effective. Cultural competence requires victim service providers to recognize the strengths that exist in all cultures. Cultural competence also requires victim service providers to struggle with ethical dilemmas arising from value conflicts or the particular needs of diverse clients. Importantly, cultural competence is not static and requires frequent relearning and unlearning about diversity. Overall, victim service providers need to take every opportunity to expand their cultural knowledge and expertise by expanding their understanding of the following areas: the impact of culture on behaviour, attitudes, and values; the help-seeking behaviours of diverse client groups;

the role of language, speech patterns, and communication styles of various client groups in the communities served and how experiences of victimisation are expressed; the specific experiences of refugee groups. The literature also identifies that the involvement of communities in the design and implementation of victim support agency programs is essential. Victim Service Agencies should develop participatory, collaborative partnerships with communities and utilize a variety of formal and informal mechanisms to facilitate community and client involvement. Services that are designed and improved with attention to community needs and desires are more likely to be used by victims/clients, thus leading to more acceptable, responsive, efficient, and effective care. Clearly, the findings of the community consultations conducted, as part of this research project should directly inform the future service directions of VACP services, justice agencies and other child and family services as it embarks on a journey of providing services that are responsive and appropriate for all.

Southern Integrated CALD Network Consultation

In February 2007, the project consultants attended the Southern Integrated CALD Child and Family Network meeting to meet with its members and identify service delivery issues impacting on the provision of Victims of Crime support for CALD communities. Over 30 representatives from a range of agencies in the southern region participated in discussions, providing feedback on their experiences in working with CALD communities. Issues identified are detailed below. a.

Terminology

Participants commented that the use of terms such as ‘victim’ or ‘crime’ to convey particular concepts as they are viewed more generally in Australia may not be perceived in the same manner by certain CALD communities. Indeed, this became evident in community consultations where communities referred to their definition of terms, which had either different or more specific meanings. For example, the term ‘crime’ in Turkish refers to ‘murder’. Therefore a victim of crime program may not seem relevant to someone from this community unless a specific type of crime was the issue. b.

Accessibility of information

There was widespread agreement that minimal information was available on support services such as VCAP programs, and what little information there was, was not accessible in the relevant community languages. Where translated material had been made available, the legal jargon made it too difficult for many community members to understand. Other barriers to access were aimed at police with many community service workers concerned about the lack of documentation and access to incident reports compiled by police. These difficulties further impacted on crimes compensation access. c.

Interpreters

The provision of interpreters was considered as essential for accessing many new communities such as the Sudanese where written literature has been identified to be mostly ineffective. However, many participants agreed that the costs of accessing interpreters is highly restrictive and can also impact on confidentiality concerns held by some of the smaller community groups. Participants also highlighted that even where bilingual worker positions had been established to overcome some of the cost barriers associated with using interpreters, their experiences indicated that these workers were very difficult to access. In many instances where community workers had tried to contact them via their agency / service provider, the receptionist did not even know who the bilingual workers were. d.

Programs

Finally, there was almost unanimous agreement amongst participants that current models of counselling were inadequate in addressing requirements of many CALD communities, especially newer communities who did not have any previous exposure to these concepts. Further, cross cultural training would be needed as a starting point for VCAP providers to begin engaging effectively with CALD communities and encouraging improved access. 29

5. 5.1

Staff Consultations / Service Provision Analysis Introduction

As discussed in section 2 of this report, the Charter of Public Service in a Culturally Diverse Society provided the structure around which Windermere staff were consulted. The Charter provides an overarching framework of core principles underpinning responsive service planning and delivery. Broadly, the consultation structure sought to address key Charter areas such as communication, service delivery, staff issues and needs assessments. Key findings from this component of the project are discussed under the following categories and encompass feedback on the areas documented above: • • • •

Overview of Windermere’s programs Experiences of dealing with CALD clientele Challenges involved in dealing with CALD clientele Identification of strategies to improve CALD community access and participation in Windermere’s services.

A total of seven interviews were conducted with Windermere’s management team including: • • • • • • •

Meetings were also held with the CEO, Deputy CEO and Manager Business Development / Special Projects.

5.2 Overview of Windermere’s Victims Assistance and Counselling Program (VACP) Victims Assistance and Counselling Program This program is available to any individual who has been a victim of a crime against the person irrespective of age, ethnicity or gender and is not limited to when the incident occurred. However five sessions of counselling are available to those where the incident happened in the last two years and is provided mainly by psychologists. Case managers provide information, support, advocacy, court support, referrals to other community resources including solicitors and are available to meet victims in their homes or at various locations across the southern region. They are a highly vulnerable group most likely to be involved in physical assaults.

The Victims Assistance and Counselling Program staff also worked with a number of CALD clientele, many of which had been referred by Victoria Police. The VACP program manager, however, was concerned that no statistics were available in relation to CALD victims of crime, preventing any sound analysis to take place on whether levels of demand were being met. Some marketing has been undertaken to promote the VCAP program amongst CALD groups, however Windermere has not seen any apparent increases in CALD victims of crime attempting to access the program. These low levels of access are likely to be reflective of the issues identified in both local and international literature on CALD community perceptions of crime and victims support programs.

5.3

Challenges involved in dealing with CALD clientele

When asked to reflect on the range of challenges Windermere staff and program areas confronted in dealing with CALD communities, all departmental managers confidently identified a range of challenges they had either confronted or identified. It is important to note that staffs were proactive in their willingness to address the range of challenges identified. The range of managers interviewed were positive about improvement in servicing clients from CALD backgrounds and about embracing strategies that were ‘manageable and doable’. Most managers emphasized the importance for CALD strategies to be incorporated into Windermere’s business planning processes and were confident in the commitment of senior levels of the organisation. In fact, a number commented that there was an increasing and visible organisational cultural shift towards ensuring CALD community needs would be met. This was evident in the number of challenges faced by CALD communities which Windermere staffs were aware of. Throughout the interview process, staff spoke openly of these issues and how they were seeking to actively address these. The Victims Assistance and Counselling Program team were confronting a different range of challenges in supporting their CALD clientele, most of which resulted from language barriers and lack of CALD community familiarity with the concept of counselling. This issue also emerged in the community consultation process with many communities asking for the term ‘counselling’ to be explained. VACP program staff also experienced difficulties accessing psychologists who spoke the languages of clientele and faced the dilemma of finding interpreters that would not present issues around privacy and confidentiality, especially for recently arrived groups who are generally small enough communities for everyone to know one another. “Counselling is not a familiar process for a lot of the communities. It is an alien concept which presents a major hurdle.”

5.4

Identification of strategies to improve CALD community access and participation in Windermere’s services.

All managers were able to competently identify strategies that could improve CALD community access and participation in Windermere’s services, indeed many were already working on addressing these. The range of strategies contributed by staff will be used to inform Windermere’s CALD strategic plan 2007.

A summary of key strategies identified included: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Identifying key CALD community gatekeepers to become advocates of the service. Developing translated materials about Windermere’s range of programs and services. Updating Windermere’s website so that information is accessible in a range of languages. Tapping into the more established CALD communities in the region to support fundraising events. Consulting with CALD communities to identify how to best market services to their communities. Running Windermere promotional stands at CALD community festivals and events. Ensuring all staff undertake cross cultural training which includes protocols on dealing with CALD clientele both face to face and on the phone and also how to access and work with interpreters. Developing an induction video for all new staff, which focuses on engaging with CALD clientele. Reviewing recruitment practices to improve CALD representation amongst staff. Providing ongoing updates to staff on CALD communities entering the region, together with useful information about these communities. Providing additional funding to be allocated to certain programs so that they can be extended to include participation from CALD communities. The employment of counselling staff, with appropriate professional qualifications, that is representative of the range of communities in the area. Developing and delivering awareness raising programs for CALD parents whose children are accessing Windermere services. Employing a CALD worker to oversee the implementation of a CALD strategy, collate and distribute information to staff, be a liaison point which links into the community etc. Providing translated information on how to effectively access Windermere through an interpreter.

Community Consultations

6. 6.1

Introduction

The Windermere Internal Reference group established to guide the project, identified nine key CALD community groups for participation in the community consultations. The range of groups selected reflected a mix of the largest CALD communities represented within Windermere’s catchment region and new and emerging communities whose numbers within the region are rapidly growing. The nine CALD community groups included: • • • • • • • • •

Chinese Afghani Turkish Vietnamese South Sudanese Burmese Lebanese Iraqi Pacific Islanders (Samoan and Tongan)

A total of 234 community members, aged from their 20’s to 70’s, participated in the language specific consultations which aimed to: a)

brief CALD community members on the range of child and family services programs and services available at Windermere and in the Southern region, including the Victims Assistance and Counselling Program. Seek feedback from communities on barriers preventing access to the range of available child and family programs and services.

All groups requested that child and family services representatives at their ongoing community meetings provide further information sessions. For Windermere this process was an important first step in beginning to build relationships between the Southern Integrated CALD Child and Family Services Network and CALD communities. Windermere management have recently developed and adopted the CALD Action Plan in line with Windermere’s 2007-2010 Strategic Plan directions and will continue to build effective relationship building exercise is sustained in the long term. A detailed breakdown of groups consulted is included in Appendix A. This section of the report documents consultation findings within the following key areas: •

Knowledge of Windermere Child and Family Services or other locally available programs for families or Victims of Crime. 33

• • • • •

Key issues impacting on local community in relation to crime, families and youth Victims of crime experiences Accessing Support Effective information provision Cultural competence and awareness requirements

A full list of consultation questions is included in Appendix B. Note: A significant challenge confronted in undertaking the community consultations was the general lack of awareness of communities consulted around terms such as ‘counselling’, ‘victims’ and ‘crime’. Consistent with local and international literature in the field, there are a number of cultural factors which significantly impact community awareness, willingness and ability to access services such as those provided by Windermere. These issues have been explored in the literature review section of the report. In light of this fact, it is important that the reader acknowledge that the lack of awareness about Windermere Child and Family Services is not a reflection on Windermere as an agency but the broader cultural challenges explored in the literature review.

6.2

Knowledge of Windermere Child and Family Services or other locally available programs for families or victims of crime.

The urgent need for greater information provision and outreach programs targeting the range of CALD communities living within Melbourne’s southern region became clearly evident in the community consultation process undertaken as part of this project. In the Turkish community consultation, community members had lacked knowledge and understanding of the various programs offered in Child and Family Services. The one participant that had accessed an agency, was referred by a community health worker to help him access support for a disabled child. When asked to comment on any other locally available programs that they would use to access support for their families or if they were victims of crime, only two participants in the South Sudanese group were able to respond, naming the Salvation Army as another service they would access. The community consultation process clearly revealed that many CALD communities living within the Southern region, were not only completely unfamiliar with any programs or agencies that could assist them with counselling or support services, but were also unaware of concepts such as counselling and what this meant. “In my country if you have a problem in the family you get help from other family members. We don’t go outside the family because in our culture it is wrong for others to know what is happening in our homes.” Interestingly, even terminology such as ‘victims of crime’ caused confusion amongst some groups when efforts were made to translate this concept. For example, within the Turkish community, crime translates as murder and issues such as family violence are culturally acceptable and not considered to be related to crime.

Finally, when concepts such as counselling and support services were explained to participants, a number of groups indicated that they would access these services if they knew they were available and had the means to contact them, especially if programs were offered in their community language.

6.3

Key issues impacting on local community in relation to crime, families and youth

Again, when asked to comment on key issues impacting on their communities locally, some groups were forthcoming whilst others were reluctant to speak on any subject, which they may have believed, would reflect negatively on their community. A breakdown of responses by groups consulted is detailed below. It is important to note that although some CALD community groups may be viewed as being unaffected as victims of crime or may have no youth and family issues, this may be more a reflection of cultural practice which prevents this information being shared outside the given community, rather than an absence of any such issues. Afghan community – this community group were reluctant to respond to this question and commented that the only issues impacting their local community related to youth and their schooling. There were a considerable number of youth struggling to survive in the school system and this was causing much concern for families that were worried they might leave school or become involved in undesirable activities. Chinese community – this community group was more forthcoming in relation to key issues impacting their community locally. There was strong agreement amongst the group that a key concern resulted from drug taking youth in the area that regularly broke into homes to steal items that could be exchanged or sold for drugs. “One young man came to my door trying to sell me a second hand lawnmower. I looked at it and saw it was my lawnmower that had been stolen from my home when thieves broke in the day before.” A number of participants in the group had also had their car windows broken and commented that this was a regular occurrence when people parked their cars on the street rather than in driveways. Most had security doors installed due to the growing number if thefts in the area. “If your security door is not locked they will try to break in. If someone is home they will pretend they have the wrong house. Even when people come to the door to talk about a service, the community does not feel safe and are suspicious thinking that these people want to rob them.” Turkish Community – this group were also forthcoming in relation to key community issues and seemed to be experiencing many more crime and family related incidents than any of the other groups. The range of issues raised included: • gambling • family neglect • unemployment • family violence • disability

• • • • •

violence against parents and elderly family members drug and alcohol abuse amongst youth stress, isolation and lack of support for women high prevalence of divorce lack of support services for elderly

The consultation participants believed that many of these issues occurred as a direct result of high unemployment and low-income levels within their community. This, together with the lack of connections and ‘missing home’ were referred to as the causes that resulted in men becoming violent and taking their stress and frustration out on their spouses. Because many women had been brought to Australia as brides, they were socially and physically isolated and would not have any knowledge of support available to them. As an ageing community there was also great concern about the lack of culturally appropriate retirement facilities in the area. The only Turkish community retirement home is located in Broadmeadows, which is considered to far for the community living in the Southern region. They were also struggling to access interpreters for situations such as medical appointments and often relied on taking grandchildren along to act as interpreters in these situations. South Sudanese community – of all the community groups included in the consultation process, the South Sudanese were the most recent community to settle in Australia and the key issues identified by this group are reflective of their situation. Whilst they dismissed any experiences as victims of crime and did not respond to questions in relation to youth and family issues, they were eager to seek further information in relation to issues such as learning English and accessing financial support to pay bills. “Many times we don’t have enough money to pay bills. Who can help us? Sometimes I will call the company and ask if I can pay a little bit now and more later. If you do not live in public housing no one else will help you.” “I want to learn English to help me get a job but I have no where to leave the children so I can go to classes. We are not allowed to take the children with us.” Vietnamese Community – this community group were the most reluctant to respond to requests for feedback in relation to issues affecting their community. In fact, they were unable to offer any feedback. A follow up interview conducted with the Centre’s community worker was more insightful. “People in the Vietnamese community know each other and they don’t want to lose face by saying anything because others might think this problem is happening in their family.” Burmese Community- This community is relatively new in Australia and there is an increase in the number of refugee families that are settling in the Southern region. They stated that they are in contact with humanitarian services such as AMES. This group highlighted the importance that agencies need to be aware that the Burmese community come from different regions and have highlighted that there are important political, religious and background differences among the groups of people establishing themselves in Australia.

The majority of communities contacted were not aware of the services available for families and children. They were keen to express the problems affecting the majority of this new wave of migrant residing in Australia. this group had limited knowledge of the welfare sector and only one of the twenty participants stated that they heard of some child and family services however didn’t know what these agencies offered and acknowledged that they didn’t understand the welfare system in Australia and how it operates. The main concerns for this community were immigration problems, housing and family reunion as these issues were brought to the attention during all consultation processes. Lebanese Community- the community participants felt that their community lacked considerable understanding of mainstream agencies however would mainly seek the support of their own community organisations and community leaders. Participants stressed the importance of child and family agencies to promote their specialised services and establish contacts with their communities in order to provide information on their service. Iraqi Community: Children and family services and victim of crime related concepts were difficult for them to understand and felt that there needed to be more education about the welfare, legal and justice system. This community had many issues relating to public housing, employment opportunities and youth problems. When discussing victims of crime, the Iraqi community commented that they were aware of some families that had been to court due to domestic violence. They commented about their frustration to help those families and how the legal system stopped them from utilising their community and religious leaders to further understand their culture. One participant said, “These people could not even be helped through our imam”. They also indicated that domestic violence is an undisclosed issue for many women because they are not aware of services available and fear reprisal. Alternatively, when asked about seeking support from services in their local area, they stated “it

is hard for us to approach anybody, because we are not familiar with the system and it is difficult because we are Muslim and everybody typecast us”. Pacific Islanders (Samoan and Tongans): This group were not aware of the notion of counseling and support, particularly those service relating to domestic violence and did not quite understand the concepts used in child and family services. One of the participants stated that: “We are having some issues with the youth in our

community, are these services available for them too?” 6.4

Victims of crime experiences

Cultural sensitivities also impacted on the willingness of participants to share information on any community experiences in relation to crime. Whilst the Vietnamese community group strenuously denied the presence of any crime in their community and insisted that they had never come across victims of crime in their community, some of the other groups were more forthcoming. Feedback in relation to crime experiences included: 37

Afghan community – participants stated that whilst they had been exposed to many experiences of crime in Afghanistan, this was not an issue they encountered in Australia. A couple of participants referred to youth within the community becoming involved in criminal activity but insisted this was dealt with and resolved within the community. Chinese Community – a couple of participants in the group referred to experiences of crime that they had either directly been impacted by or members of their family had been impacted by. One individual spoke of having his home burgled a couple of years earlier but never reported this to the police because he did not have the English language skills to contact them. “This happens a lot in our community. If there is crime we cannot go to the police because we don’t know how to contact them if we don’t speak English. Also our people have very little faith in the police from past experiences.” Turkish community – this group appeared to have had the most experiences as victims of crime and spoke openly of the ongoing impacts of these incidents on their families. One participant spoke of losing an adult child in a shooting incident and was adamant that the system worked against the victim. She had not been offered any support or counselling to help deal with her grief. “The person that killed my son is out of jail and free. My son will never be free. We have not been offered any support and my life is over. My husband’s health is getting worse and worse since it happened.” Another participant, a taxi driver, had been stabbed by a customer and has been unable to work since then. He was offered only two counselling sessions with a Turkish speaking counsellor and offered no other support or compensation. South Sudanese community – this group were unable to offer any feedback and were adamant that they were not aware of any crime related activities, which had impacted on their community. Vietnamese Community – although this group were reluctant to discuss any victims of crime experiences with some insisting that this was not an issue in their community, a small group of the female participants referred to family violence. There was no direct mention made that family violence was impacting their community, however, they urged the presenters to provide information on where women could get support and have access to a Vietnamese speaking person. Burmese : This group appeared to lack understanding of victims of crime services and were unable to provide responses on crime in their communities. “Our community is affected by many issues, people do not know where to go and are embarrassed and scared of losing their Australian residency” This community stated that “many people get help from humanitarian organisations like New Hope and AMES (learning English) but we also have many people who are experiencing mental health problems, depression and traumas and this has a flow on effect in many families”. Lebanese: When this community was asked about services for families and children, they were apprehensive about open discussions regarding the impact on their community in relation to crime and/or victims of crime. Participants said “We are dealing with our own problems within our family

and then possibly within our community”. It was remarked during the consultation that many individuals rely on their religious leader for support in order to find solutions. When asked to comment on victim of crime support and information, they only referred to the police role. Other individuals within this group stated “ it is not easy to approach a service, the media report only negative stuff about our community”. Iraqi: Some Iraqi participants in the group were generally informed about the welfare structure and not necessarily the justice system particularly courts but stated “ Muslim families would not approach services even if they had a need, except possibly in extreme crisis” however requested support and counseling in their our own language” Some of them stated that there is high unemployment and lack of Australian recognition for overseas qualifications. Some of these individuals reported how they had to take any job available and many of them have become taxi drivers and had encountered a number of criminal activities that go unreported for fear of reprisal. Pacific Islanders (Samoan and Tongans): In response to the questions posed to this community, the participants were not aware of existing services for families and children. Subsequently, they responded with much enthusiasm so as to learn all about the services. Constant emphasis of their culture and tradition was pointed out as well as the role of the chiefs. Participants acknowledged the partnership with the local police to work towards preventing youth crime, but nothing was mentioned of extended support to other services. They said “ we need to support our young people, they can get in trouble easily”. Interestingly, people discussed police intervention but were not aware of legal terminology such as “intervention order” protection for victims of domestic violence and the justice system.

6.5

Accessing Support

When prompted to discuss access to support services and any barriers that may hinder access, responses tended to be similar across each of the nine CALD groups consulted. All groups encountered difficulties in fully understanding the concept of counselling, a fact that may be a significant contributing factor to lack of access to the range of community support services available locally. “We never had these types of services in our country so we do not understand how they work or what they are for.” However, once explained, those that understood the concept were eager for opportunities to access the range of counselling programs but also highlighting that they could only do so if there were language supports put in place. “When my daughter divorced I felt very bad and needed someone to talk to because divorce is not acceptable in my community. I didn’t know there was anywhere I could go. I had no idea these programs existed.” Many of the men participating in the consultations referred to the high level of support given to women and children in divorce situations, whereas nothing was ever offered to support them. None of the men had ever heard of men’s support referral services.

“Only the women get help. What about support for men? Many men in our community suffer from divorce but there is no one to help them.” “My child is very depressed because I am separated from her mother. I want to get her some help but don’t know where to go because I am not working and have no money.” Although lack of awareness and financial difficulties dissuaded some CALD community members from accessing support or counselling services, there were also some groups who did not see the value in these programs. “Counselling is an issue because in the Turkish community many don’t see the value of this. They wait until things get bad enough and go straight to crisis support.” Other cultural factors impacting on willingness to access services included concerns about people ‘outside’ the family finding out about problems, perception of racism towards some communities, lack of trust of police or other government authorities, fear that situations could be made worse by external interference and culturally inappropriate support systems. The following quotes provide a sample of common responses. “Everything is kept in the family and doesn’t go outside because we don’t want others in our community finding out about personal problems. Aunts and uncles are used to try and resolve issues.” “How can we trust the government people? My friends son told the police his father hit him. He was put in foster care and he ran away and lived on the streets. All this because my friend was trying to control his son. The police are racist against us.” “We don’t know about services or how they work. If we complain about violence in the home it could be worse for the family.” “I have heard stories of women dobbing their husband in to police because they were hitting them. The women were taken to refuges that were not suitable for our religion. They couldn’t even stay there long so they went back and things were worse.” Further concerns in relation to accessing support, related to difficulties experienced by CALD communities in reaching agencies if they were not located at short distances. Newer communities such as the South Sudanese were still struggling to understand the public transport system, many indicating they were not at all confident to use any form of public transport. This community also experienced problems understanding addresses and keeping to appointment times. Agencies need to recognise that culturally, times are used to indicate an ‘approximate’ rather than a specific. “It is very difficult to go to places for help if they are far away. Many people in our community do not know how to access public transport and cannot understand addresses.” Problems with using transport to access services were not unique to the South Sudanese group with a number of others also experiencing difficulties and a lack of confidence in the public transport system. Common access barriers amongst all groups included confidentiality and availability of language specific support. The Vietnamese groups also asked if they could only

access counselling services by phone so that the risk of others finding out about their problems would be minimized. “If we could just ring someone and talk on the phone in Vietnamese I think more people would want to use the services. They would not be scared about anyone else seeing them go for help.” All groups were keen to overcome barriers preventing their youth from developing much needed skills and social connections. They recognized the need for mentoring and support programs for youth, and believed their children were being disadvantaged by not having access because they were not aware such programs were available. The Burmese community member stated: “We never get any help from the government in our

country do we have to pay for this service?” 6.6

Effective Information Provision

All community groups consulted were eager to contribute ideas on how best to access their communities with information on services and programs that are available to them. Although each group made reference to the use of language specific radio programs and newspapers, all groups emphasized the importance of face-to-face contact. The opportunity to meet with agency representatives directly, together with the ability to have questions and queries answered immediately, were considered integral in encouraging community trust in accessing any agency. In fact, most participants stated that community hesitancy in using services would continue until trustful relationship had been developed. The section below details the information needs and sources used by each community group consulted. Afghan Community: • • • •

The most effective way to reach the community is via the provision of face to face information using an interpreter. The most popular community newspaper is called ‘Elma’ and is distributed via the local Afghani shops in Thomas Street, Endeavour Hills. The most popular radio program is the Afghani program on 3ZZZ radio. For translated information, common languages include Dhari, Farsi and Pashto.

Information provision on child welfare and child care were the most popular areas of interest amongst this group. Chinese Community: •

The Chinese community relied heavily on language specific newspaper as a key source of information and listed the following as most popular within the local community: o Pacific Weekly o Chinese Weekly o Melbourne Daily (Chinese) o Xing Dao

• •

o The Epoch Times (this is most popular with the community as it is produced locally and available free) The most popular radio program is called ‘Huaxias’ located at 1341am. Translated information in Mandarin was useful.

This community group were interested in all the types of services Windermere offer but were concerned that unless they became available in their own language or accessed with the aid of an interpreter, then community take up would be limited due to low English language proficiency levels. “We don’t know where to go about anything unless we are explained it in our language.” Turkish Community: • • • •

Face to face information sessions using an interpreter were the most popular approach suggested for information provision. Translated information was important to supplement face to face sessions. This group were especially interested in outreach activities and requested that agencies consider co-locating services at premises where communities regularly meet. The most popular community newspapers included ‘Dunya’ and ‘Vatan’ both available free of charge.

This group highlighted the need for their community to know more about early intervention programs, such as those offered by Windermere, as an area of urgent need. Many believed it was important for outreach programs to be established so that practitioners became available in environments where community members felt more comfortable, thereby increasing confidence and willingness to access counselling and support services. “People in our community will not walk into an unfamiliar environment because we don’t know how it works.” This group also referred to existing attempts by government to increase CALD community access to services, stating that when this is badly done, it can further alienate communities from seeking access. “Some of us have tried to access services listed in the CALD Guide to Victorian Government Services. We have called some of the phone numbers listed but either the number is wrong or we can’t understand what the person is saying. There are no language options provided.” South Sudanese: • • • •

Face to face information provision using an interpreter was a popular response. Newspapers and radio programs were not popular and rarely used by this group as a source of information. A range of dialects are spoken and many experience literacy issues so these forms of media are ineffective. Distributing information via the agencies most used by this community was also offered as an effective approach. These agencies include the Migrant Resource Centre, CentreLink in Dandenong, AMES and Maternal Health Centres. For written information, the most common languages included Sudanese and Arabic.

Vietnamese Community: • • •

Face to face information sessions for community groups and English language classes that meet as the Springvale Indochinese Mutual Assistance Association (SICMAA) were a popular suggestion. This group also encouraged Windermere to attend large community gatherings to provide information. Stalls at community festivals were considered effective approaches. Eg. Moon Festival Radio programs such as 2VNR and the SBS Vietnamese program have an extensive Vietnamese community audience.

Iraqi Community: • • • •

Open days to Iraqi communities, exchange and learn about services. Ideas and ways to work together with the child and family services sector. Increased community forums and information sessions on child and family services. More social workers of their own cultural backgrounds.

Burmese Community: • • • • •

Face to face consultation and presentation of services by agencies. More ethnic radio programs about services and use of their new papers. Increased child and family services and victims of crime services information in their own language. Use of interpreters in welfare support situations. Community education about religious beliefs to avoid stereotyping some communities.

Pacific Islanders: • Presentation of services in own community language • Meetings with community leaders. • Services to share and exchanging information as well as consult around their community concerns for real solutions.

6.7

Cultural Awareness Requirements

As part of the consultation process, participants were encouraged to provide feedback on cultural factors they believed were important for service providers such as Windermere to know about their communities. Although each CALD group consulted is unique and is impacted by a range of different issues, as has been identified above, cultural awareness requirement for service providers were similar for all groups. These included: • • •

Language is the most significant barrier preventing CALD communities from accessing services such as those provided by Windermere. If agencies are sincerely committed to increasing CALD community participation in their services, they need to promote the concepts of counselling and support programs to CALD communities who are likely to come from a background where these concepts do not exist. Children are considered very important and are the focus for families. 43

• • • •

Family violence is difficult to address because it is highly unlikely that women will seek help outside the extended family. Separation from family causes much depression and anxiety and increases the risk of violence within the home. Many women in the CALD communities consulted have either very little or no English language proficiency, which contributes significantly to their isolation and ability to access services. Service providers need to be conscious of the fact that a number of CALD community groups have come from countries where government authorities never helped communities and their only experiences with authority were negative or traumatic. Although agencies such as Windermere are not government bodies, they are perceived to be associated with government by some groups. “In my culture you never go to get help from government. This makes more trouble for you.”

•

These communities have had many experiences of being sent from one provider to another until they give up and are more likely to be quickly dissuaded if they don’t get immediate support.

“Many times we have been put through a bureaucratic nightmare. Do they do this on purpose to stop us seeking help?” • •

Trust is a major issue and needs to be developed through the formation of partnerships that will address fears and misconceptions. For example, creating outreach programs to be run in CALD community centres. Service providers need to have counselling and support programs that reflect the needs on new and emerging communities. They need support to deal with issues such as – o Accessing education o Accessing childcare o Accessing interpreters (a number of the South Sudanese women commented that they had to provide and pay for their own interpreter at medical health centre appointments).

• •

The use of bilingual workers as first point of contact and the first appointment is important in generating trust and confidence in the service. When promoting programs, emphasis needs to be given to the fact that confidentiality is maintained at all times and no one else in their community will find out they are seeking support. “We have a counsellor that comes to our community centre. When people come to see her they ask for the blinds to be pulled down and to talk quietly so no one knows they are in there.”

Recommendations

In 2007, Myriad Consultants were contracted by Windermere Child and Family Services to undertake a CALD community engagement process in an effort to identify and explore barriers preventing these communities from accessing the range of Child and Family programs and services in the Southern region including; Victims of Crime and Counselling program. A key outcome of this project was the emergence of a number of key factors that clearly need attention by a broader group of stakeholders so as to improve CALD community knowledge of, and access to, the range of Victims of Crime programs and services. Project findings indicated that, although CALD communities are significantly affected as victims of crime, they are highly unlikely to access support. The following recommendations serve to provide future direction for the Department of Justice and other key stakeholders involved in supporting CALD communities around child and family services and victims of crime issues. Recommendation 1 That the Department of Justice work in partnership with Police and the Courts to: •

•

• • • •

Translate information about victims of crime support services, and how to access these, in a range of community languages. Focus testing should be undertaken to ensure translations are effective and easy to follow. Ensure that services are appropriate and accessible to the range of communities that they aim to serve, and demonstrate they are actively working to respond to the needs of CALD communities. For example, building a CALD community focus into funding requirements. Provide cross cultural training for staff at all levels. A cross cultural training program specifically for victims of crime support practitioners should also be developed. Create a campaign which encourages CALD communities to report crimes and ensure that the reporting process is accessible to those with limited or no English language skills. Evaluate the success of any initiative to promote accessing victims of crime support services. Ensure policies are in place in relation to the utilisation of interpreters. It is important for agencies to address language barriers faced by CALD communities as failing to do so can adversely affect victims, defendants, and the justice system as a whole. Roadblocks in communication can lead to victims failing to report crimes; cases taking longer to process; defendants remaining in jail longer; and criminals remaining at large because witnesses cannot communicate with police.

Recommendation 2: That Victims of Crime support agencies take specified steps toward making their services more accessible to CALD communities who have little or no English language skills. These efforts should be visible in agencies’ strategic planning and practices and may include: • • • • • •

a method for identifying primary language and cultural needs; language assistance services; quality assurance measures; cross cultural training of agency personnel; record keeping and monitoring; and implementation updates in annual reports.

Recommendation 3: That the range of stakeholder agencies involved in working with Victims of Crime enhance the use of bilingual workers. Bilingual staff can serve in positions that require public contact, providing direct services in languages other than English. Bilingual staff not only cost less than interpreters, they can also help build trust by communicating with clients directly in their primary language. Moreover, interpreters are neither ideal nor efficient in situations that require intensive interpersonal work, such as drug programs or family-centred juvenile justice programs. Recommendation 4: That the Department of Justice consider a project specifically focusing on victims of race hate crimes. Specific work should be undertaken with particularly vulnerable groups such as the Islamic Women’s Welfare Society around research and the identification of culturally and religiously responsive strategies to improve awareness around issues such as reporting of crimes, and access to support services, including the Victims of Crime Tribunal. Recommendation 5: That the Department of Justice document good practice examples in relation to accessibility of programs and services for victims of crime from CALD backgrounds. This may also include the development of a set of recommendations for agencies seeking to implement good practice measures. Recommendation 6: A holistic approach to capacity building. That the Department of Justice lead the development of a partnership with key stakeholder groups, including Police, Courts, victims of crime services, migrant organisations etc, which will focus on the development and implementation of activities that provide information and training to their members on CALD crime victims' rights and needs. A representative task force could be established to develop or improve the capacity of members of professional and membership organizations to respond effectively and empathically to the needs of CALD crime victims. The partnership arrangements would seek to ensure that all crime victims, including those from CALD and new and emerging populations, receive comprehensive, quality services and are afforded basic, fundamental rights.

Engagement should include organisations that represent the following constituencies: •

•

Faith Communities. There is evidence that many CALD communities, particularly some new and emerging communities, when in crisis, are much more likely to seek the aid of a clergy/religious member than any other mental health resource. DOJ should establish a relationship with the various religious institutions and research further the critical role faith communities can play in providing much needed entry points for the dissemination of information Police. Policing agencies are generally the first responders to a crime scene and are thus the first contact a victim may have after a crime. Law enforcement officers, therefore, have a great need for information on how to respond helpfully and compassionately to victims and can benefit substantially from the expertise and services of other professionals. To more effectively serve victims, there is a need for more collaborative practices that capitalize on partnerships between law enforcement and groups such as the Migrant resource centres, ethno specific organisations, medical community, housing agencies, and prosecutors. Prosecutors. As the rights of victims expand and they obtain greater opportunities in the criminal justice system, the role of the prosecutor has grown from protecting state interests to include advocating for individual victims. Opportunity should be embraced for improving the prosecutor's capacity for meeting victim needs through partnerships with agencies and organizations that can serve as their allies. Judges/Magistrates. A judge's actions during trial and sentencing not only affect a victim's feeling of satisfaction with the criminal justice system, but may also impact his or her ability to cope with the emotional, physical, and financial consequences of the crime. Ensuring certain courtroom accommodations for victims, guaranteeing opportunities for victim impact statements, etc are some of the ways judges can protect victims' interests while remaining impartial arbiters of the criminal justice process. It is recommended that CALD issues be specifically integrated, particularly within the current sexual assault reforms Victims of Crime Compensation. In relation to VOCAT, it is recommended that a specific information campaign is needed to inform people of their right to seek compensation within the Tribunal.

The partnership should inform the development and dissemination of products or materials, such as DVDs, interactive CD-ROM software, etc that provide members of CALD communities with a better understanding of crime victimization issues and improve their awareness of victims of crime support services. Recommendation 7: That the Department of Justice host a symposium on emerging issues around CALD victims of crime, and promising practices identified by relevant stakeholders. Recommendation 8: That the Department of Justice undertake a project which explores and appropriately addresses specific issues for women as victims of family violence and sexual assault crimes.

Recommendation 9: That the Department of Justice undertake further research, perhaps in partnership with a University, to document: a. Data / statistics on CALD victims of crime b. Factors impacting on the range of CALD communities which increase their vulnerability as victims of crime c. Factors which inhibit CALD victims of crime from accessing support services d. Strategies that can assist to remove barriers impacting access e. Examples of international best practice in CALD victim access to support services Recommendation 10: That Government funded Child and Family service agencies develop and implement CALD action plans and tools, in line with their agency strategic plans. Government departments both Federal and State should make it mandatory in service agreement contracts, as a requirement for child and family services funded agencies to adopt CALD frameworks and CALD planning tools.

Appendix A: Community Consultation Details Chinese Community Friday 16 March 2007 Chinese South Eastern Senior Citizens Club Doveton Public Hall Afghan Women’s Group Tuesday 27 March 2007 Endeavour Hills Neighbourhood House Coordinated by the Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau Vietnamese Community Thursday 29 March 2007 Springvale Indochinese Mutual Assistance Association Turkish Community Tuesday 4 April 2007 Australian Turkish Association, Mentone South Sudanese Women’s Group Wednesday 18 April 2007 Doveton Community Hall Coordinated by the Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau Burmese Community Monday 27th August 2007 Windermere Child and Family –Springvale Lebanese Community Wednesday 29th August 2007 Noble Park Local Library Iraqi Community Friday 31st August 2007 Windermere Child and Family –Springvale Pacific Islander Community Monday 3rd September 2007 Windermere Child and Family –Springvale

Appendix B: Community Consultation Questions 1.

Have you ever heard about child and family services programs including Windermere?

Do you know about any locally available child and family service programs that: a. help victims of crime b. help children and families?

What do you think are the main issues impacting on your local community in relation to: a. Victims of crime b. Family issues c. Issues to do with children and youth

Are you aware of where you can go for help to deal with any of these issues?

Have you ever accessed any victims of crime support programs?

What do you think would stop people from your community accessing victims of crime support programs?

What is the best way to get information out to your community about the range of services available?

What are some things we can do to improve community access to the range of programs available?

What do you think is important for service providers such as Windermere to know about your community?

Do you have any other suggestions that can help improve access to services?

Appendix C: Breakdown of overseas born populations ABS Data 2006 Census: For each listed local government area: Victoria Country of Birth by Sex Males

Females

Persons

Australia Bosnia and Herzegovina Canada China (excl. SARs and Taiwan Province)(b) Croatia Egypt Fiji Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Germany Greece Hong Kong (SAR of China)(b) India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Italy Japan Korea, Republic of (South) Lebanon Malaysia Malta Netherlands New Zealand Papua New Guinea Philippines Poland Singapore South Africa South Eastern Europe, nfd(c) Sri Lanka Thailand Turkey United Kingdom(d) United States of America Viet Nam Born elsewhere(e) Country of birth not stated

1,681,216 4,395 2,869 25,555 9,231 5,805 3,626 9,317 13,515 26,621 8,460 30,074 5,846 4,500 5,967 41,874 1,924 2,829 7,687 13,915 10,608 11,665 31,971 1,030 10,148 8,097 4,763 9,421 5,590 15,933 2,544 7,769 101,753 6,537 27,650 95,069 164,643

1,753,254 4,510 3,342 31,005 8,958 5,776 4,282 9,001 14,608 27,703 8,967 22,780 6,758 4,115 5,539 40,975 3,856 3,487 7,262 16,561 10,239 11,169 32,024 1,328 17,189 9,972 5,713 9,927 5,628 15,552 4,514 7,515 103,085 6,800 31,227 97,279 160,106

3,434,470 8,905 6,211 56,560 18,189 11,581 7,908 18,318 28,123 54,324 17,427 52,854 12,604 8,615 11,506 82,849 5,780 6,316 14,949 30,476 20,847 22,834 63,995 2,358 27,337 18,069 10,476 19,348 11,218 31,485 7,058 15,284 204,838 13,337 58,877 192,348 324,749

Total

2,420,417

2,512,006

4,932,423

My Summary of Basic Community Profile Data â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in Percentages - Dandenong, Frankston, Kingston, Mornington Peninsula

Total persons

Males

Victoria Females

Persons

Males

Dandenong Females

Persons

Males

Frankston Females

Persons

Males

Kingston Females

Persons

Males

Mornington Peninsula Females

Persons

2,420,417

2,512,006

4,932,423

28,214

27,876

56,090

24,950

26,867

51,817

65,578

69,048

134,626

66,398

70,083

136,481

Age groups: 0-4 years

6.47%

5.94%

6.20%

6.29%

6.16%

6.23%

5.79%

4.96%

5.36%

6.38%

5.78%

6.07%

6.09%

5.36%

5.71%

5-14 years

13.67%

12.48%

13.07%

13.18%

12.07%

12.63%

12.91%

11.60%

12.23%

12.49%

10.94%

11.70%

14.00%

12.32%

13.14%

15-19 years

7.09%

6.51%

6.80%

7.50%

6.69%

7.10%

7.33%

6.70%

7.00%

6.41%

5.72%

6.06%

7.57%

6.15%

6.84%

20-24 years

7.07%

6.67%

6.87%

7.75%

7.35%

7.55%

6.85%

6.59%

6.71%

6.31%

5.69%

5.99%

5.05%

4.34%

4.68%

25-34 years

13.79%

13.70%

13.74%

14.71%

13.68%

14.20%

12.36%

11.36%

11.84%

13.79%

13.37%

13.58%

9.39%

9.48%

9.43%

35-44 years

14.89%

15.17%

15.03%

13.95%

13.37%

13.66%

13.46%

13.60%

13.54%

15.72%

15.73%

13.11%

13.97%

13.55%

45-54 years

13.77%

13.78%

13.81%

13.75%

13.78%

13.94%

14.18%

14.06%

13.91%

13.68%

13.79%

13.53%

13.69%

13.61%

55-64 years

10.89%

10.78%

10.84%

10.36%

10.65%

10.50%

12.36%

12.48%

12.42%

11.16%

11.40%

11.28%

12.72%

13.64%

13.19%

65-74 years

6.86%

7.14%

7.01%

8.04%

7.52%

7.86%

8.28%

8.07%

7.28%

7.92%

7.61%

9.87%

10.20%

10.04%

75-84 years

4.38%

5.55%

4.98%

4.39%

6.32%

5.35%

5.33%

6.88%

6.14%

5.13%

6.84%

6.01%

7.00%

7.75%

7.39%

85 years and over

1.12%

2.26%

1.70%

1.03%

1.91%

1.47%

1.81%

3.39%

2.63%

1.43%

2.93%

2.20%

1.66%

3.12%

2.41%

0.42%

Indigenous persons: Aboriginal

0.55%

0.57%

0.62%

0.60%

0.59%

0.53%

0.56%

0.19%

0.16%

0.18%

0.44%

0.41%

Torres Strait Is

0.05%

0.04%

0.11%

0.08%

0.10%

0.04%

0.03%

0.02%

0.03%

Both

0.02%

0.01%

0.03%

0.01%

0.02%

0.01%

Total

0.61%

0.69%

0.71%

0.70%

0.67%

0.59%

0.63%

0.23%

0.19%

0.21%

0.49%

0.45%

0.47%

Birthplace: Australia

69.46%

69.80%

69.63%

41.82%

42.54%

42.18%

70.59%

70.41%

70.50%

65.15%

65.13%

65.14%

74.77%

74.69%

74.73%

Elsewhere(c)

23.74%

23.83%

23.79%

48.22%

49.13%

48.67%

22.31%

22.90%

22.61%

28.10%

28.45%

28.28%

17.16%

17.13%

17.14%

English only

74.20%

74.54%

74.37%

43.59%

44.73%

44.16%

86.11%

85.90%

86.00%

71.96%

72.44%

72.21%

89.10%

88.98%

89.04%

Other language(d)

20.24%

20.60%

20.42%

48.31%

48.82%

48.56%

8.18%

8.62%

8.41%

22.85%

22.76%

22.80%

4.41%

4.50%

4.46%

85.87%

86.76%

86.32%

75.10%

77.46%

76.27%

84.75%

84.73%

84.74%

85.87%

86.41%

86.15%

86.42%

86.33%

86.38%

Language spoken at home:

Australian citizen

My Summary of Basic Community Profile Data â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in Percentages - Bayside, Cardinia, Casey

Bayside

Victoria

Cardinia

Casey

Males

Females

Persons

Males

Females

Persons

Males

Females

Persons

Males

Females

Persons

2,420,417

2,512,006

4,932,423

41,638

46,297

87,935

28,360

28,755

57,115

106,754

108,205

214,959

6.47% 13.67% 7.09% 7.07% 13.79% 14.89% 13.77% 10.89% 6.86% 4.38% 1.12%

5.94% 12.48% 6.51% 6.67% 13.70% 15.17% 13.78% 10.78% 7.14% 5.55% 2.26%

6.20% 13.07% 6.80% 6.87% 13.74% 15.03% 13.78% 10.84% 7.01% 4.98% 1.70%

6.57% 14.20% 6.96% 5.32% 8.95% 15.05% 15.66% 12.45% 6.89% 5.85% 2.10%

6.1% 12.0% 6.1% 4.4% 9.0% 15.9% 15.4% 11.8% 7.1% 7.9% 4.2%

6.34% 13.03% 6.52% 4.83% 8.98% 15.50% 15.53% 12.13% 7.00% 6.94% 3.20%

7.60% 17.81% 7.83% 5.81% 11.58% 16.02% 13.85% 10.28% 5.48% 3.02% 0.73%

7.41% 16.49% 7.15% 5.56% 12.63% 16.88% 13.42% 10.10% 5.22% 3.67% 1.46%

7.50% 17.15% 7.49% 5.69% 12.11% 16.45% 13.64% 10.19% 5.35% 3.35% 1.10%

8.04% 17.32% 7.88% 6.80% 14.14% 16.20% 13.79% 8.67% 4.37% 2.30% 0.51%

7.6% 16.1% 7.2% 6.6% 15.0% 17.0% 13.5% 8.4% 4.6% 3.0% 1.0%

7.80% 16.69% 7.55% 6.70% 14.58% 16.61% 13.65% 8.53% 4.49% 2.63% 0.76%

0.55% 0.05% 0.02% 0.61%

0.55% 0.04% 0.02% 0.61%

0.13% 0.01%

0.1% 0.0%

0.14%

0.2%

0.14% 0.02% 0.01% 0.16%

0.38% 0.03% 0.00% 0.41%

0.38% 0.04% 0.00% 0.41%

0.38% 0.03% 0.00% 0.41%

0.45% 0.07% 0.01% 0.53%

0.5% 0.1% 0.0% 0.6%

0.47% 0.06% 0.01% 0.54%

Birthplace: Australia Elsewhere(c)

69.46% 23.74%

69.80% 23.83%

69.63% 23.79%

71.63% 22.61%

71.7% 22.2%

71.66% 22.38%

80.02% 14.08%

79.93% 14.36%

79.97% 14.22%

63.32% 30.25%

63.7% 30.4%

63.49% 30.33%

Language spoken at home: English only Other language(d)

74.20% 20.24%

74.54% 20.60%

74.37% 20.42%

83.45% 11.94%

83.2% 12.2%

83.29% 12.06%

91.05% 4.57%

90.99% 4.76%

91.02% 4.67%

71.49% 23.48%

71.6% 24.0%

71.55% 23.73%

Australian citizen

85.87%

86.76%

86.32%

86.89%

87.1%

87.00%

88.88%

89.05%

88.96%

84.85%

85.2%

85.01%

Total persons Age groups: 0-4 years 5-14 years 15-19 years 20-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years 65-74 years 75-84 years 85 years and over Indigenous persons: Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Both Total