Presented by the Settlement Council of Australia, this one-hour workshop focuses on the role that health and wellbeing play in the successful settlement of refugees and humanitarian entrants, and explores the range of factors that can influence the health and wellbeing of new arrivals during the first few years of settlement.
The workshop will begin with two brief snapshots of newly arrived communities, to outline some of the challenges and issues faced by these groups, and the services that support them to settle in Australia.
The first presentation will highlight the example of Afghani men arriving recently from Christmas Island and settling in the Dandenong area of South East Melbourne. This presentation will be given by Bill Collopy, the Manager of Client Services at South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre, Victoria.
The second presentation will focus on the experiences of African communities settling in Adelaide, and highlight successful projects that helped to forge links between these communities and health related services. This presentation will be given by Dr Joseph Masika, Chairperson of the African Communities Council of SA and Manager, Multicultural Health, Advocacy, Training and Mental Health for South Australian Multicultural Settlement Services.
Following these two snapshots, there will be a panel discussion, with opportunity for questions and discussion. The workshop and the panel discussion will be chaired by Mary Asic Kobe, who is a Psychologist and Director of Clinical & Refugee Health Services for A.C.C.E.S. Services Inc in Logan, Queensland. The panel will include Bill Collopy, Joseph Masika and Sonia Vignjevic, Manager of Settlement & Family Services for Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre, Victoria.
Topics of discussion
- How do we measure successful settlement?
- How do issues such as housing and social isolation impact on health and well being for refugees and humanitarian entrants?
- How do the health needs of refugees and other newly arrived communities differ to those of the broader community?