BUSHkids Annual Report 21 | 22

Working with CALD families and communities Earlier in the year our Caloundra team noticed an increase in referrals from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) families. Alongside this increase inCALD referrals, therewas also an increase in the diversity of cultures represented, including a significant number of Punjabi/Hindi, Russian, Nepalese, and Chinese families.

During conversations with these families, it was evident that some Early Childhood providers were not supportive of their needs, providing limited communication with parents who spoke English as a second language – and, in some cases, even declining children for enrolment because they weren’t prepared to accommodate the families’ language and cultural differences. In addition, it was clear that CALD families had significant cultural factors which needed to be considered in relation to support for children with disabilities and developmental delay, something that wasn’t always well understood by community and mainstream support organisations. Responding to the increasing number of identified CALD families, the Caloundra team held a series of meetings with stakeholders including community organisation CÜRA (a branch of Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast which specialises in providing culturally appropriate support) and the Multicultural Support Worker at the local Baringa Community Centre. These meetings explored ways in which the Caloundra team could better support CALD families, understand what help they may require and what barriers they experience when accessing supports.

From these very productive conversations the team implemented processes specifically to support CALD families. This includes particular conversation points for keyworkers in advocating for families, for families to have the use of interpreters if required and for the whole process to be as easy as possible for the families involved to navigate. The team has also put in place a process to facilitate ‘soft referrals’ to the Migrant Women Social Group . The Migrant Welcome Centre and keyworkers are now able to help families access the weekly playgroup held at the local Baringa Community Centre . In addition, families are now provided NDIS documentation in relevant languages where possible as well as other government and community agency-translated materials. The team is currently exploring the most effective way of increasing the capacity of Early Childhood providers to support children and families who have English as a second language and developmental delay or disability.

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The site of the Ration Shed is now a museum showing the story of the community’s history. BUSHkids staff working in the region and participating in the Bari Djum Children’s Health Day undertook a guided tour of the museum to provide insight into the experiences of First Nations families and the impact of inter- generational trauma and how to best provide culturally appropriate supports within this community.