Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities

ADEC Newsletter

Winter 1997

A Bi-annual Publication of 
Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities (ADEC)
13 Munro Street, 
Coburg 3058 Vic
Australia.
Telephone (03) 9383 5566
Fax (03) 9383 5185 
E-mail: info@adec.org.au

IN THIS EDITION


From the desk of the Executive Director
Individual Advocacy Programs at ADEC
New ADEC Refugee Disability Advocacy Program
Disability Service Standards
Internet Home Page
ADEC Breakfast
Training Update
Language Services Review - ADEC Position
Language Specific Carers Support
Consumer Empowerment
New Resources for People from NESB with a Psychiatric Disability

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From the desk of the Executive Director

I hope that you find this latest edition of the ADEC newsletter informative. Since settling into our new premises, ADEC has been busy establishing a program of activities to guide us over the next three years.

Amongst these activities has been the development of the ADEC Business Plan. The Business Plan will set out the-broad organisational aims and individual program responsibilities for the coming year. The Business Plan has been developed with a great deal of input from service providers, staff, ADEC Committee of Management and other key stakeholders. A final public summary of the Business Plan will soon be produced for general distribution to ADEC members and other key stakeholders.

Specific program initiatives are also being completed at the moment that will guide our direction into the coming year. These initiatives include:

  1. The redevelopment of the ADEC training unit with the development of a new training calendar, new training curriculum, and accreditation of this training via the Office of Training and Further Education.
  2. Work for the Disability Branch to develop a community education manual to assist disability service providers in the conduct of community education and marketing activities targeting people of non English speaking background.
  3. The launch of the HACC Cultural Planning Tool and the promotion of ADEC as a trainer/resource to assist services in implementing this tool.
  4. The conduct of a dedicated consumer participation and empowerment project to encourage improved and increased consumer participation in ADEC program and service direction.
  5. The development of community language resources for psychiatric services including the redevelopment of the "What is Mental Illness?" brochure into 16 languages, the development of community language cassettes into 12 languages on what is mental illness and the development of a resource directory on multilingual material about psychiatric issues.
  6. The development of a specific individual advocacy program for refugees who have a disabling condition resulting from an experience of torture or trauma.
  7. The finalisation of the ADEC internet home page which can temporarily be viewed at http://ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au:80/atmhn/adec/
Finally, ADEC has redeveloped our training/group meeting room, we have purchased a mini bus with wheel chair access and have redeveloped our library (which will soon have our entire holding on a computerised catalogue with possible access via the internet).

All of these initiatives will increase the quality and range of programs to be offered by ADEC. If you have any queries about any of these initiatives, please ring me on 9383 5566.

Regards,
Gabriel Maligeorges (Executive Director)

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Individual Advocacy Program at ADEC

ADEC Individual Advocacy Program has a mandate to work with people of a non English speaking background with disabilities and/or their carers. This unique Program has been operating since 1992 and currently employs two full time Individual Advocates. The Individual Advocates work with all language/ethnic groups and all disabilities. The primary aims of this program are to protect and promote the rights of its target group. The individual advocacy function is not one of case management, interpreting or translating. ADEC's individual advocacy role involves only short term intervention and aims to resolve the issue/s presented by each individual consumer.

The framework for the Individual Advocacy Program is guided by social justice principles which recognise that all people should have equality of opportunity, access to services, resources and active participation in informed decision making.

How does ADEC's Individual Advocacy Program operate?

INFORMATION, LINKING AND REFERRAL
ADEC's Individual Advocates are often called upon to assist and provide individuals with information about services and their rights to access these services. A substantial proportion of time is spent undertaking information related activities.

In addition or alternatively, Individual Advocates may be asked to assist and ensure that consumers are linked /referred to the services they require. For example, linking and referring to the Equal Opportunity Commission, the Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Department of Human Services Disability Services Unit, non Government Disability Organisations, Local Councils and Community Health Centres.

ADVOCACY
A greater part of the Individual Advocates role is to address complaints presented to them with effective advocacy. The nature of these issues may include access to language interpreters, respite services, culturally sensitive case management, priority consideration for public housing, aids and equipment and financial assistance.

Identifying Systemic Advocacy Issues
Although, the Individual Advocates provide advocacy on behalf of individuals on a short term basis, they may also be required to call upon ADEC's Policy Programs that operate on a longer term systemic level. Individual Advocates meet regularly to consult with Policy Coordinators about trends emerging from their individual work with consumers.

Individual Advocacy Methods
The primary method engaged by the Individual Advocates is to apply appropriately measured constructive, active and articulate pressure on services in order to achieve the best possible outcome for the consumer. This requires that the Individual Advocates be as focused, direct and diplomatic as possible while acknowledging that services' position might have legitimacy.

If the issue is not resolvable at a 'grass roots' level, the Individual Advocate may seek to progress to another level, advocating with a more formal approach. Essentially the Individual Advocates role is to remain loyal and accountable to the needs of the consumer.

How to make referrals to ADEC Individual Advocacy Program?

If you know of a person with a disability who has issues related to language and/or cultural diversity and requires advocacy, please contact ADEC's Individual Advocate on intake duty.

ADEC's Individual Advocacy Program accept requests for individual advocacy intervention that come directly from people with disabilities and/or their carers and will also accept requests from service providers.

The Individual Advocates at ADEC will also perform a secondary consultation role with service providers. Secondary consultations include any form of communication where the Individual Advocate is imparting their specialised knowledge regarding the nature of the issues and particularly the consumer's cultural context. The secondary consultation role can also involve the Individual Advocate resourcing the service provider to better understand and work with their consumers.

ADEC Individual Advocates can be contacted by: Tel: (03) 9383 5566 Fax: (03) 9383 5185 or you can write to ADEC, 13 Munro Street, Coburg 3058.

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New ADEC Refugee Disability Advocacy Program

ADEC has been concerned for some time that a number of refugees are entering Australia under the Special Humanitarian Program and have or develop some form of disabling condition. These conditions have arisen due to:
  1. the experiences of torture or trauma bringing on psychiatric disorders;
  2. being shot, having stepped on land mines or having shells explode nearby causing deafness and/or other disabilities.
Refugees in these circumstances often require a great deal of support and advocacy in order to obtain services which might assist them particularly in a new and unfamiliar country.

ADEC has recently been successful in obtaining a grant from the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to provide individual advocacy to support people who have a disabling condition resulting from an experience of torture or trauma.

This program will begin operation in October.

For any queries about this program, please ring Gabriel Maligeorges on 9383 5566 or you can write to ADEC, 13 Munro Street, Coburg 3058.

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Disability Service Standards

CONSUMER CONSULTATION
ADEC facilitated a consumer forum on the 6th of May as part of the annual agency self-assessment procedure. The aim of this forum was to assess how effectively the existing ADEC policies and programs address the Commonwealth Disability Service Standards. The forum also sought to identify what ADEC needs to do to address any gaps in services or to improve our services.

ADEC invited consumers from eleven language groups to participate in the forum.

The Workshop agenda was developed to specifically address the following Disability Service Standards:
Language specific workshops were facilitated by ADEC staff using interpreters.

The workshop participants were provided with language specific information detailing the Disability Service Standards and relevant ADEC policies.

OUTCOME
Fifty-five consumers attended the consultation forum representing nine different language groups. The majority of the participating consumers were carers of people with a disability. Five of the forum participants were people with a disability.

In summary, the consultation was well received by the participating consumers. The general feedback indicated a high level of consumer satisfaction with ADEC programs and policies.

Consumers from the smaller language groups requested broader information strategies about ADEC that would develop their knowledge about access to services. The forum participants also highlighted the need for multi-lingual information that is delivered using culturally appropriate methods. This includes broader promotional material as well as internal documentation.

Consumers emphasised the need to respect the privacy and uphold confidentiality, and expressed their appreciation and confidence in ADEC's commitment in the practice of these principles.

Consumers expressed their appreciation for the opportunities that ADEC facilitates for consumer participation, decision making and choice, at the individual, service and organisational level.

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INTERNET HOME PAGE

ADEC recently received funding from the Commonwealth and State Disability Services Program to develop an internet home page.

The internet site is currently under construction and can be viewed (temporarily) at internet address: http://ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au:80/atmhn/adec/

Technologies such as the internet are useful for linking and resourcing parts of the service system but the internet does not replace the need for more comprehensive information strategies particularly for people with English language difficulties.

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ADEC Breakfast

On Tuesday the 25th of March, ADEC organised and facilitated a marketing event, the ADEC Breakfast.

Over seventy Disability Service Managers from around Victoria attended the breakfast. The breakfast was held at the Carlton Crest Hotel, Queens Road, Melbourne.

The aim of the breakfast was:
A range of speakers highlighted the importance of services addressing cross cultural issues, the State Government's obligation to multicultural service delivery and the need for disability service providers to address the needs of non English speaking people with disabilities.

Speakers during the course of the event included:

  1. Mr Eddie Sciberras, ADEC President, who welcomed all guests.
  2. Gabriel Maligeorges, ADEC Executive Director, who discussed the importance of multicultural training and consultancies to mainstream disability agencies.
  3. Mr Hass Dalal, Director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation, who talked about the role of the Foundation, particularly in promoting cross cultural training.
  4. Mr Murray Thompson, Member for Sandringham, representing Mr Philip Honeywood, the Minister for Tertiary Education and Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs. Mr Thompson spoke about the State Government review of services to ethnic communities and the State Government's pledge to ethnic communities.
  5. Mr Robert Doyle, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health, who discussed the development and role of the Ministerial Multicultural Human Services Council.
  6. Dr Denis Napthine, Minister for Community Services, who spoke about the challenges in the delivery of community services to people of non English speaking background.
  7. Final acknowledgments and summation from Mr George Bisas, Chairperson of ADEC.
The breakfast was a great success with senior managers from all major disability services in Victoria present. Also present were Mr David Green, the Public Advocate, Ms Di Sisely, the CEO of the Victorian Equal Opportunities Commission and Ms Silvana Scibilia, President of the Intellectual Disability Review Panel (IDRP).

Since the breakfast, over one hundred workers from nearly fifty organisations have participated in ADEC training events. The event was well publicised and received unprecedented ethnic media coverage, being acknowledged on eighty language programs on SBS radio.

If you have any queries about the ADEC breakfast, please call Gabriel Maligeorges on 9383-5566.

ADEC would like to acknowledge the financial support provided for this event by the Australian Multicultural Foundation.

From left to right: Mr Murray Thompson-Member for Sandringham, The Hon. Denis Napthine-Minister for Community Services, Mr George Bisas-Chairperson of ADEC, Mr Mike Zafiropoulos-Director SBS Radio Victoria, and Mr Edward Sciberras-ADEC President at the ADEC Breakfast.

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Training Update

NEW TRAINER
A new cross cultural trainer, Josie Prioletti, has joined the ADEC team and in conjunction with ADEC staff, has made some positive changes to the functions of the Training Unit.

TRAINING UNIT
Predominantly, training previously provided by ADEC focussed on cross cultural communication where training participants acquired skills in the use of interpreters, preparation of documents for translation and general awareness of cultural issues.

The Training Unit has recently developed an advanced training package for managers and supervisors entitled "Planning for Culturally Relevant Services".

The advanced package focuses on teaching participants skills in the following areas:
The new training packages (introductory/ advanced) are offered on the training calendar each month and have both generated significant interest.

TRAINING CALENDAR
Due to the increased demand for cross cultural training, a new training calendar has been disseminated which now includes additional training dates. Currently, ADEC is offering both training courses monthly and nominated dates for 1997 are as follows:
  1. Introduction to Cross Cultural Accessibility and Communication
    A9704: Wednesday 29 Oct. 1997
    A9705: Wednesday 26 Nov. 1997

  2. Advanced Planning for Culturally Relevant Services for People with Disabilities
    A9705: Wednesday, 15 Oct. 1997
All training course will be held in the training room at ADEC House and commencement time is 9.30am. Course content details are available on request.

HACC TRAINING
Once again, ADEC has provided some of the training on the HACC calendar for the Northern Region.

Training offered this year included:
All courses generated significant interest and the response was excellent.

The Training Unit is keen to offer the same courses next year. It will be interesting to see if the interest generated for advocacy training changes considering that 15 advocacy services in Victoria have recently been defunded.

The Training Unit continues to have membership and input into the HACC Northern Training Steering Committee and has registered its interest in providing similar training in the Western Region.

NEW TRAINING ROOM
The new training room has finally come to fruition! Wednesday 16th July was the first time the newly partitioned training room was used for a calendar training event. It was terrific to have abundant space for workshops and role plays.

A fee for service policy for the use of the training room has been developed so that other community agencies will have the opportunity to use this terrific facility.

SERVICE SPECIFIC TRAINING
The Training Unit has also expended its services to provide training consultancy of which there appears to be significant demand. Agencies have requested specifically tailored training packages designed to:
Service specific training has been requested by the following services:

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ADEC'S Mini Bus for Hire

ADEC has an 11 seat capacity wheelchair accessible mini bus that is available for day or overnight hire. The mini bus is available for community groups and other service providers.

Cost: $30.00 (no bond required)

Contact Ellen on 9383 5566

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Language Services Review - ADEC Position

Overall, ADEC is satisfied that overarching public policy, as this relates to Access and Equity, Ethnic Affairs and Language Services, is sufficiently detailed and well documented to direct priority setting for language service use by the Department and its direct service operations. Unfortunately, in the disability service system, the translation of public policy rhetoric into public policy implementation and reality, does not appear to have occurred with the same level of intensity and commitment.

We have become concerned upon reading the report on the Languages Services Review at the apparent under-utilisation of language services, by the Disability Branch, when compared to other sections of the Department. We recognise that it may be difficult to assess actual and possible demand for services, but there are sufficient indicators to suggest that the lack of use of language services by sections of the Disability Branch is an issue that requires immediate attention.

These indicators include:
  1. Of the estimated 14.2% of people with disabilities in Victoria, the majority (67.7%) have an intellectual or learning disability. Of these, 43.8% are estimated to be born (or parents born) in English speaking countries and 47% are estimated to be born (or parents born) in non English speaking countries. In the case of psychiatric and physical disability, acquired brain injury and visual impairment, these are more likely to be reported for service recipients born outside Australia. This suggests a large potential client base of people of non English speaking background who could be eligible and may use disability services.

  2. Figures in the Language Services Review report which indicate that:

    1. The Disability Branch has only allocated $101,383 to interpreter and translator use, which compares unfavourably with other Branches.

    2. The Disability Branch's use of interpreters is significantly lower than other divisions of the Department.

    3. The Disability Branch's use of translation services is significantly lower than other Branch's of the Department.

    4. The Reports conclusions that "the apparent under-utilisation of the Disability Services credit line is confirmed by examination of the corresponding expenditure which indicates that in the VITS credit line, at June 30th 1996, the total amount spent and committed (by the Disability Branch) was significantly under the allocation".

    5. Disability Branch's use of translation service assignments appears to have significantly dropped over the course of the last three years.

  3. Other: Training on use of interpreters is of low priority for direct care staff entering the disability service force sector.

  4. ADEC's client data consistently indicates:

    1. A lack of knowledge amongst disability service providers about how to use or access interpreter and translator services.

    2. Problems in disability service provider and client relationships caused by poor communication and lack of interpreter utilisation.

  5. Most non Government Disability services must rely on use of the VITS community obligations funding in order to access interpreters, and cannot access Departmental credit lines, despite the fact that these are under-utilised.
All of these indicators suggest that the Disability Branch lacks clear policy and procedures in regard to the use of interpreters and translators. It indicates a lack of:

The report further highlights that access to credit lines is a problem for many of the NGO's. Inability to access the Branch's credit line also serves to add to the lack of clarity about the overall and potential demand for interpreting and translating services in the field, as many NGO disability services have their demand met by the Premier's Department and not the primary responsible agency, the Disability Branch.

ADEC is constantly asked to provide information and support to disability services about how to use interpreters. The requests for this come in such

numbers that it is clear that disability services, and new workers in the field, require training and induction on use of interpreters to be provided on a regular basis, even if workers don't recognise this as a training need.

ADEC has been concerned to ensure that language services are maintained to at least the level that they currently operate. We are concerned that TIS (Translating Interpreting Service), in particular, is asking many Human Services and Health funded agencies to pay for interpreting assignments, where these were previously provided free of charge. We are concerned that the value of these services (estimated by the report at around $240,000) will not be met by the State Department of Human Services and Health. In effect, the total available resources have decreased by this amount to the sector. We feel that the Department should make these funds available in order to at least bring the total pool of resources up to the previous level.

ADEC believes that the best possible option is to fund language services according to an allocation per funded service, as long as guarantees are available to ensure that smaller organisations are able to be allocated an appropriate budget for this task. ADEC's view is that this will ensure greater control of actual interpreter need and more efficient use of a limited pool of funds.

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Language Specific Carers Support

The ADEC Social Support Program, operates carers support groups that are language and culturally specific. The aims of the groups are to provide carers with:
In February, a Coordinator was appointed on a 19 hour per week permanent basis. The program is now a stand alone independent program within ADEC.

The program is staffed by the Coordinator and facilitators who facilitate each group meeting. The facilitator speaks the appropriate language of the group and is also culturally sensitive.

The groups activities are determined by each group within available ADEC and group resources. There is no waiting list to participate in the group and there is also no fee to attend the groups. The groups meet at various locations in the Melbourne metropolitan area.

Currently, there are five groups, they are as follows:
ARABIC
ITALIAN
SPANISH
TURKISH
VIETNAMESE

The Arabic and Spanish groups have not yet established regular meetings dates (but probably will by the time you receive this newsletter).

The regular meeting dates for the groups are: Italian: 3rd Thursday of every month from 10.30 till I pm.

Turkish: 3rd Tuesday of every month from 11.30 am till 2 pm.
Vietnamese: 4th Tuesday of every month from 10.30 am till 1 pm.
Arabic: first meeting in August 1997.
Spanish: first meeting in October 1997.

To register or enquiries about any of the groups or to receive our new social support program brochure in English or any of the group languages contact us on 9383 5566.

To refer to any of the groups, please contact Semra Tirli on 9383 5566 and make a referral. ADEC is also looking to expand the Social Support Program and Semra is looking forward to hearing from you to discuss the needs for other specific carers groups or other support needs of carers. ADEC requires your input to make the program even better.

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Consumer Empowerment

Education and Training Project

ADEC will implement a community education project to target people with a disability and/or their carers, who are from a non English speaking back ground. The aim of the Project is to develop a Consumer Reference Group that will participate in decision making processes.

Another aim of the project will be to employ consumer participants to produce the ADEC Consumer newsletter

This will be a bi-annual publication that is produced in eight community languages.

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New Resources for People from NESB with a Psychiatric Disability

NESB ACCESS INITIATIVE FUNDING
In 1996, the Mental Health Branch of the Department of Human Services funded a number of organisations to improve services to people from non English speaking background. The initiatives undertaken as a result of that funding to ADEC, the Eastern Region Mental Health Association and the North East Alliance for the Mentally Ill are listed

Audio tapes with Information on Mental Health Problems
ADEC were funded under the NESB Access Initiative fund to produce information on mental health problems, treatments and the rights of consumers. This was done by producing audio tapes for consumers and carers from NESB in a strategy which will attempt to fill the information void experienced by people whose first language is not English.

The topics covered in the tapes includes information on Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Depression (including Post Natal Depression), Anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There currently is mention of treatments for such conditions which includes medication, counselling and disability support. Finally, there is a section which briefly outlines the rights of people in the mental health system under the Mental Health Act.

The audio tapes have been produced in the following languages: Arabic, Cambodian, Cantonese, Croatian, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Mandarin, Polish, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. They are available for purchase from ADEC at the cost of $5 per language or $60 for a set of 12. Postage and handling charges are additional.

The Eastern Region Mental Health Association (ERMHA) used their NESB Access Initiatives funding to undertake a project which aimed to assist the Dandenong Area Mental Health Service to develop appropriate responsiveness to the needs of people with mental illness from NESB living in the South East sector of Melbourne. With information obtained from data collection, a literature search and via consultations with key stakeholders, a number of principles for service design were developed. These have been incorporated into ERMHA's Ethnic Action Plan for 1997. The outcomes of the project have been documented in a report entitled "NESB Access Initiative Project - Final Report" and this report is available from the Eastern Region Mental Health Association.

The North East Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NEAMI) undertook a project to develop effective resources in languages other than English in order to encourage NESB consumers and their caregivers to access NEAMI programs. NEAMI, with the professional assistance of SBS, developed a series of 11/2 minute announcements promoting psychiatric disability support services.

Announcements on the NEAMI supported housing, outreach and day programs were recorded in Arabic, Croatian, Greek, Italian and Macedonian. The announcements began during Easter and have been read in cycles throughout April, June, July and August. There has been a positive response to the announcements from the communities. The funding not utilised for this initiative has gone towards funding the use of the Telephone Interpreter Service when listeners contact NEAMI.

This project and its outcomes will be documented in a report that will be completed in late October.

Directory of Mental Health Information in Community Languages
ADEC have recently produced a Directory of Mental Health Information in Community Languages. This initiative began with the Cross Regional Multicultural Education Working Group organising a workshop to identify the major mental health information needs of people from NESB.

The Directory lists information available in different languages on various topics in mental health. These include Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa, Post Natal Depression, Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Stress. The Directory indicates the languages that the information is available in, where the information can be obtained from and whether there is a fee. The Directory is available from ADEC at $15 per copy plus postage and handling.

What is Mental Illness? pamphlets
ADEC have recently updated the What Is Mental Illness pamphlets. They briefly outline some of the major mental health problems and service options. They are available in 17 languages including Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Croatian, English, Filipino, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Macedonian, Maltese, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. These are also available from ADEC.

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EMPLOYMENT

Italian Speaking Group Facilitator

ADEC is seeking to employ an Italian speaking group facilitator for the Italian Carers Support Group. The position is for 3 hours per week and is based at ADEC House. The facilitator must have: Excellent Italian - written and verbal; Group work experience preferred; Sensitivity to carers issues.

The position is ideal for carers or professionals currently working in the disability field and conditions of employment are flexible. Closing date for applications is 31 st October, 1997.

More information can be obtained by contacting Semra Tirli, Social Support Program Coordinator, on 03 9383 5566.


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