Multicultural Health
& Support Service

Are you from a refugee or migrant background and want to lead changes to improve the health of your community? We want to develop long term partnerships with people from the community like you to help guide our actions and our work. The Multicultural Community Action Network (M-CAN) is also a space for you to meet people from your community as well as people from other communities to share ideas and learn from one another. There are three meetings held each year, which also include guest speakers who will present about useful topics to help develop your skills to advocate for your community needs. For example, one topic included information about how to contact the media to promote issues that are important to your community. To join the network, please just click on the button below and fill out the form. Membership is free. For more information about the network, please contact Mabor Chadhuol

Join the Multicultural Community Action Network

Book Community Information Session

Are you a young person (15-25 years old) from a refugee or migrant background, and passionate about sexual health issues?

We work with young and passionate people like you to reach out to other young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to improve the health.

We provide training and support to take action around the issues of blood-borne viruses, sexually transmissible infections and healthy relationships.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Be a voice for change
• Support young people’s right to participate
• Help us develop and share resources for other young people
• Be part of the Multicultural Community Action Network
• Lead the conversation on youth sexual health issues
• Take action on different and interesting community development health projects

This is a volunteer position.

Please contact CEH if you are interested. 

Our sessions aim to increase awareness about prevention, transmission and treatment of BBVs/STIs.
We deliver information in a culturally responsive way to address taboos, myths, stigma and discrimination about BBVs/STIs.

We also provide information about other relevant support services in the sessions.

We work with:

• Community groups
• Young People
• Schools
• People in custodial settings
• Faith leaders

If you have any questions, please contact CEH

Register for a community education session

We provide training and presentations to support your work with people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, asylum seekers and mobile populations. We work directly with communities in partnership to address the highly complex and culturally sensitive issues involving human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), viral hepatitis and STIs. We collaborate with agencies from multiple sectors to consider and practice culturally competency in the sexual health and support services they provide to multicultural communities. If you have any further questions, please contact CEH. Training which is specifically tailored to needs may incur a cost and we will be happy to provide you a quote.

Send a request

We run three forums a year to discuss emerging blood borne virus and sexual health issues and how they may effect people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

Learn more

Do you need to refer a client for support on blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections? We provide support to individuals and families to improve their journey through testing, diagnosis, treatment and support. To do this we:

• Make referrals and provide support to make and keep appointments for screening and treatment
• Support people to access and use existing services, particularly generalist services
• Provide support to individuals and families in managing BBV/STI in their relationships
• Connect people to services and support

All information provided are kept confidential and clients may request to speak with a male or female worker. Length of involvement with clients is expected to be no longer than 3 months. If you have any further questions, please contact CEH, Ph: (03) 9418 9917

Nearly two-thirds of people who live with chronic hepatitis B in Australia come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds or from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Nearly half of the people who have hepatitis B do not know they have it. Without treatment, up to 25 per cent will die from liver failure or liver cancer. What you will learn:

• Understand the basic facts about Hepatitis B testing, transmission and treatment
• Explore strategies that meet the needs of affected communities
• Learn about resources, supports and websites that assist health workers and the affected communities to seek help.

This introductory half-day workshop is for health and support workers who wish to learn the basics about hepatitis B and effective strategies for working with affected communities. The training module has been developed in partnership with St Vincent’s Melbourne and the Multicultural Health and Support Service at the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health. 

If you have any further questions please contact CEH.