CALD carers

Caring in a culturally diverse community

Carers NSW recognises that carers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are some of the most ‘hidden’ in NSW.

Australia is a culturally and linguistically diverse country made up of people from different cultures, with different values and strengths. Carers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds experience similar impacts of caring with “mainstream” carers including isolation, stress, burnout and the need for support. Cultural and language issues serve as additional challenges in their already difficult role.

Carers from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds may experience:

• isolation, even within a tight-knit community
• stigmatisation of people with a disability or an illness
• language and communication barriers
• caring as a duty not as a choice
• lack of information
• strong emotions such as anger, fear and guilt
• fear of the lack of confidentiality in small communities

ADHC Factsheets

NSW Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) has a number of factsheets in different community languages.

Centrelink We Speak Your Language

Centrelink provides translated information and interpretations in different community languages.

NSW Fair Trading Funerals Brochures

The NSW Office of Fair Trading has produced its latest brochure on organising a funeral in four languages other than English – Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National)

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection provides the TIS national interpreting service for people who do not speak English and for the English speakers who need to communicate with them.

Working in partnership

Carers NSW welcomes partnerships with government bodies and non-government organisations in supporting carers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. There are a number of things we can do to assist service provision to people from culturally diverse backgrounds:

• Information days/sessions are often used as bridges to connect people from different cultural backgrounds to services. We are keen to take part in these and are happy to assist in the organisation process.
• Community awareness and education can be achieved by talking to individuals and groups in the community about carer issues, their rights and the resources available to them. Allowing people to talk about their issues and raise their concerns enables us to identify specific needs in different communities as well as clarifying misunderstandings and myths about the Australian system.
• Training and information given to service providers and workers about cultural and carer issues improves general access to services for people from culturally diverse backgrounds. Members of Carers NSW are happy to visit community organisations and to attend staff meetings to talk about what we do and how we can work together.
• We also offer advocacy. We advocate on behalf of carers as well as service providers to improve services and assistance for carers. We recognise the importance of working closely with other community organisations in order to assist carers. We are here to link services together as well as connecting them to carers.

For more information, please contact us.