Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria

HACC Cultural Diversity HAS Pathways Project

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:30:45 +0000

Putting the Active Service Model into practice

An eccv project focused around pathways development between HACC Assessment Services and ethnic & multicultural community aged care

Building capacity in the Victorian HACC Program to respond to the needs of clients from CALD backgrounds
Supporting CALD clients to live as independently and autonomously as possible

Objectives

Establish sustainable, localised metropolitan partnerships between HACC Assessment Services (HAS) and ethnic and multicultural community HACC Agencies
Explore and identify successful strategies for partnership working between HAS and EMCAC (ethnic and multicultural community-based aged care) agencies with Access & Support roles
Explore and identify successful strategies for partnership working between HAS and EMCAC agencies without Access & Support roles
Develop draft guidelines for streamlining pathways between EMCAC organisations and Victorian HAS

Click here for a project brief (401kb)

The project will run in 2011/2012. It is supported by the Department of Health Active Service Model seeding grants program

For further information contact Kate Ling, HACC Project Officer 03 9349 4122 or kling@eccv.org.au

interSECTOR INTERchange HACC forums

Wed, 11 May 2011 04:47:12 +0000

Building better partnerships in HACC — local government and ethnic aged care sector

Jointly presented by eccv and the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV)

A series of HACC forums on partnerships and networking opportunities for the ethnic aged care and local government sectors.

interSECTOR INTERchange forum 1 hosted by eccv 3, May 2011

Download the workshop transcript (355 KB)
Download the Dr Harriet Radermacher's presentation on the findings of the Practising Positive Partnershps in the Ethnic and Multicultural Aged Care Sector Produced by Healthy Ageing Research Unit (HARU) at Monash University (2010) for eccv (398 KB)
Download the Macedonian Welfare Association & Brimbank City Council presentation (142 KB)
Download the Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre & Darebin City Council presentation (52 KB)
Download a slideshow of pictures from the forum
Download the forum flyer

interSECTOR INTERchange forum 2 hosted by the MAV 23 June 2011

Click here for the flyer

Information on future interSECTOR INTERchange forums to follow

For more information contact the eccv HACC Project Officer

Harmony Day, Cultural Diversity Week 2010

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:09:20 +0000

A photography project with Carlton Primary School — "What makes me special".

To celebrate 2010 Cultural Diversity week, ECCV and Carlton Primary School ran a photography project with some of the older children at the School. 20 children were given a disposable camera to take pictures around the theme "What makes me special". It was a way to explore the diversity and uniqueness of each child, many of who come from the Horn of Africa.

"The photos reflect the wealth of creativity and diversity in the class" said Kate Ling, ECCV Project Officer.


1st Prize — Jamira Hunter	2nd Prize — Samira Abdi	3d Prize — Suleiman Yusuf

A presentation was held in school assembly on 18 June. Jerry Galea showed some of his amazing photos and talked about life as an international travel photographer for the Lonely Planet. Jerry, a member of the judging panel, presented the prizes for best photo.

Ross Barnett, ECCV Director, presented the school with a framed collage that included photos from all the children that had taken part. This now hangs in pride of place in the newly refurbished school reception.

ECCV would like to than Jerry Galea, Artplay and the Victorian Multicultural Commission for supporting the project.

Practising Positive Partnerships

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:44:31 +0000

An eccv evidence-based research project — demystifying the future of inter-organisational partnerships within the ethnic and multicultural aged care sector

Practising Positive Partnershps in the Ethnic and Multicultural Aged Care Sector — Networking, Coordinating, Cooperating, Collaborating? Produced by Healthy Ageing Research Unit (HARU) at Monash University (2010) for eccv

Dr Harriet Radermacher, Research Fellow of HARU, Monash University presented an overview and some initial findings of the research at the 10th Global IFA (International Federation of Ageing) Conference in Melbourne on 4 May 2010. Download PowerPoint presentation (126.9 KB)

Click here to download a slideshow of the research launch 26 August, 2010 (1.07 MB)

Related eccv research

It's not an 'Either/Or' — Delivery of community aged care services to ethnic groups: mainstream versus ethno–specific services. Produced by Healthy Ageing Research Unit (HARU) at Monash University (2008) for eccv Download report (705 KB).

Radermacher, H., Feldman, S., & Browning, C. (2009). Mainstream versus ethno-specific community aged care services: It’s not an ‘either or’. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 28 (2), 58–63 Download journal article (140 KB).

For further information contact Dr Irene Bouzo on ph 9349 4122 or email ibouzo@eccv.org.au

Supported Access Pilot Project

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:09:12 +0000

Update

In May 2011 the Hon. David Davis, Minister for Ageing announced:

The SAP model has informed the development of the proposed Access & Support role to support the implementation of HACC Diversity Planning & Practice.
That the departmental review of SAP concluded that the model is viable and sustainable and recommended that it be extended to service a broader range of diverse communities.

Download the Victorian Department of Health Evaluation of the Supported Access Pilot Project

Download the ECCV SAPP Project Review August 2010

Overview

The Supported Access Pilot Project (SAPP) is funded through the Victorian Home and Community Care (HACC) Program to support access for people from CALD backgrounds into and through HACC services.

Of the 8 pilots agencies, 7 are ethno-specific and 1 is multicultural. Each employs a bilingual Supported Access Worker. eccv and the Municipal Association of Victoria support the pilot through sector development.

Download an overview of supported access and contact details for each SAPP organisation.

Aims of SAPP

To assist HACC eligible people, carers and families from CALD backgrounds to understand, access and negotiate the HACC service system.
To provide specialist cultural knowledge, information and advice to generic agencies to assist in the development of culturally appropriate services.
To inform the development of a model that provides:
- an overarching framework for Supported Access within the service system
- clarification of the Supported Access Role in service coordination, client practices and processes, and other areas identified through the pilot projects.

Background

A significant number of people from CALD backgrounds do use HACC services. However, some people can require extra support, especially those that are not proficient in English
Understanding the impact a client’s cultural background has on service needs is critical for effective service delivery
Ethno-specific and multicultural agencies are in a strong position to assist generic agencies to respond to the special needs of their specific groups and individuals

Download a background document about how the Project developed, especially in relation to the HACC Assessment Framework

Click here for 2006 Census data of people aged 50+ from ethnic backgrounds in Victoria plus other resources on the MAV website

Information sheets for supported access pilots

eccv policy documents and presentations related to SAPP

ECCV/MAV presentation at the National HACC Conference, Brisbane 2011 Slideshow presentation video
Partnerships in Ethnic Aged Care, presented at the Municipal Associations Victoria HACC Officers CALD forum July 2010.
eccv SAPP Information booklet 2008
Community Profiles booklet
Global Developments in Aged Care Service Access with particular reference to ethnic or migrant communities

Elder Abuse Prevention in Ethnic Communities

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:29:59 +0000

eccv is working jointly with the Office of Senior Victorians of the Department of Plannning and Community Development (DPCD) on elder abuse prevention in ethnic communities during 2009 and 2010.

Culturally Responsive Elder Abuse Prevention Forums

download (125 KB) the eccv report on the Elder Abuse Prevention forums held between April and June 2010 (July 2010)

eccv in partnership with Australian Greek Welfare, Australian Polish Community Services and Senior Rights Victoria, presented a series of elder abuse prevention workshops around Victoria in April and June 2010. Aged care workers, managers and policy makers gained knowledge about how to identify elder abuse in CALD communities and what strategies for dealing with suspected elder abuse situations. click here for a flyer with dates and venues

Background

As part of the Victorian Government’s Elder Abuse Prevention Program, eccv was funded to run a series of forums, in conjunction with ethnic and multicultural organisations as well as Seniors Rights Victoria, to increase awareness of elder abuse among multicultural communities. The forums incorporate presentations and translated information, including information on Seniors Rights Victoria – a free and confidential helpline to help older people address issues of elder abuse.

See above for details of community education sessions that were conducted in April and June 2010.

The Seniors Rights Victoria (1300 368 821) helpline is open from 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday. However, if you or someone you know is in immediate danger contact Victoria Police on 000.

For more information on the eccv community awareness forums contact Dr Irene Bouzo on (03) 9349 4122 or email ibouzo@eccv.org.au.

Click here to access eccv elder abuse resources

Australia Africa Women’s Leadership Project

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:29:45 +0000

In keeping with ECCV’s commitment to foster greater participation and leadership skills among Victoria’s new and emerging communities, two public forums were held during FY2008-09 to promote the themes of gender equality and democracy highlighted by the centenary celebrations of women’s suffrage in Victoria.

The first of the two forums – which formed the second stage of the Australia Africa Women’s Leadership Project – was held at the North Melbourne Community Centre and featured Tanzanian-born Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury and Finance, Ms Fiona Richardson, as the guest speaker. The second forum took place at the head office of the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District, attracting a healthy representation of the growing number of African families making their home in the Shepparton region.

Both events showcased an educational booklet produced by ECCV which recounted the long journey to obtain Victorian women the right to vote and was translated into the African languages of Dinka, Somali, Arabic and Swahili. Then attendees were given the opportunity to discuss their own experiences and ask their own questions about the democratic process and how to participate more meaningfully in decision-making processes.

The initiative was one of the projects funded by the Victorian Government’s ‘Centenary of Women’s Suffrage Grants 2008’ through the Office of Women’s Policy (OWP).

Australia-Africa Women’s Leadership Project

As part of the celebrations to mark the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage and with funding provided through the Office of Women’s Policy, the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) has produced a special anniversary booklet about the long journey to obtain for Victorian women the right to vote.

The booklets – which form part of our Australia-Africa Women’s Leadership Project – are designed as an educational resource for women from Victoria’s Horn of Africa, Sudanese, and Democratic Republic of Congo communities and has already been translated into four African languages: Arabic, Dinka, Somali and Swahili. Please find below the links to the booklets in the languages produced:

Voter Participation and information Project

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:26:06 +0000

During 2008 the ECCV formed a partnership with the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) to develop initiatives to improve understanding of CALD communities around voting participation. With the support from the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) an outreach program to communicate and increase the electoral and voting knowledge of the Chinese and Vietnamese communities was developed through the coordination of two community forums and the development of a 10 page multilingual resource booklet.

ECCV History Project

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:23:28 +0000

In 2008, ECCV was funded by the Victorian Multicultural Commission under a Community Strengthening grant to produce a history of the organisation. We believe that the history of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria, Australia’s oldest federation of migrant, ethnic and refugee associations is worthy of recording and will provide very interesting reading for those with an interest in Australian society.

The impetus for this project follows a growing interest in recording the Council’s colourful past for future posterity and sharing the story of its place in Victoria’s evolving multicultural society with a wide audience.

Extensive research for the book has already been undertaken into the Council’s 35 year history, including personal interviews and anecdotes from many of the key players involved in the day-to-day operations and the broader community and political sphere of the time. All of this will be published and launched at a gala dinner in the latter half of 2009.

Click here for more information about the project and the launch of the ECCV History book 'Many Hopes One Dream'.

MMS Project- Bilingual fitness instructors

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:30:32 +0000

This project ended in late 2010 but for three years the Multicultural Multiactive Seniors' (MMS) Project supported bilingual people to train as Fitness Instructors. The program aimed to improve ethnic seniors' access to exercise through this funding and also the provision of exercise classes to ethnic seniors groups- click here for more details.

Participants trained in either Certificate III or IV in Fitness Instruction. After qualification many of them worked as a group exercise instructors or personal trainers. All MMS trainees gained experience working with ethnic seniors in the community.

Interested in training as a fitness instructor?

Our 2010 funding has closed. Visit Council for the Ageing (COTA) for details of their funding opportunities. Visit YMCA Training to find out more about the courses.

The Active Ageing Network

A useful network for seniors, fitness professionals, community workers.

The MMS Project is managed by eccv in partnership with the YMCA and with funding from the Office of Senior Victorians in the Department of Planning and Community Development.

Click here to download an overview of the training of fitness instructors 2007-2009 in the MMS project

The Australia Africa Democracy Project

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:08:18 +0000

The Australia Africa Democracy Project is a partnership between ECCV, African Think Tank and the Institute of Social Research, Swinburne University to build a greater understanding and appreciation of Australian democracy among recently arrived immigrants from the Horn of Africa and Sudan. The program is funded by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Living in Harmony Programme.

The project aims to provide guidance in understanding the basic structure and systems of Australian society. At a very practical it will also ensure that members of this community who have full citizenship are aware of their voting obligations at election time.

The forums, with interpreters in the main Horn of African languages will teach the basic principles of:

Australia’s democratic history and traditions