About
We're strengthening the state-funded mental health, alcohol and other drugs service response for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
Our goal is to make sure our health services are:
- accessible, inclusive and safe
- responsive to the unique and diverse needs of individuals, families and communities.
We engaged Nous Group to identify opportunities to help us improve mental health, alcohol and other drug services for people from CALD backgrounds.
The final report was published in August 2023.
Why it's important
People from CALD backgrounds have lower rates of mental health, alcohol and other drug service use compared to people born in English-speaking countries including Australia.
This is linked to health deterioration and increased emergency and involuntary admissions. CALD communities also experience multiple barriers to accessing mental health care such as:
- stigma about mental illness
- language and cultural barriers
- limited knowledge of mental health, alcohol and other drug services.
Next steps
The report identified the following main actions we can take to improve CALD care.
- Make sure multicultural mental health coordinators are available and at all Hospital and Health Services with support tailored to each HHS
- Strengthen transcultural mental health service’s role in delivering a networked approach
- Expand representation of people from different CALD backgrounds in the lived and living experience workforce
- Strengthen and implement mental health, alcohol and other drugs specific capability frameworks to embed culturally responsive care
- Strengthen mental health, alcohol and other drugs models of care to be more culturally safe
- Establish state-wide data collection standards and reporting and guide the workforce in implementing them
Our Better Care Together: a plan for Queensland’s state-funded mental health, alcohol and other drug services to 2027 is delivering improved service responses to people from CALD backgrounds including people who have experienced torture and trauma.
This includes investment to strengthen statewide capability development and additional specialist multicultural workforce across mental health, alcohol and other drug services.
We're also working with key internal and external stakeholders, including CALD consumers, to progress the actions specific to mental health, alcohol and other drugs service responses for CALD communities.