improving the quality of mental health interpreting in victoria

Part One: Introduction and Background
Introduction
“Unmet language need is one of the key drivers of social exclusion…
and inequity in access to services.”
(Aspinall, 2005)
Victoria is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse societies in the world. The
Victorian State Government “recognises that the diverse cultural backgrounds, languages
and abilities of Victorians provide some of the State’s greatest strengths.” To ensure that all
members of the community are treated with fairness and respect, and can participate in
the State’s social institutions the Government has enunciated a number of clear principles,
including having in place systems and procedures that will enable all Victorians access to
Government services and programs free from undue impediment, and ensuring Government
strategies and policies are responsive to all Victorians (Valuing Cultural Diversity, VOMA,
2002).
Mental health services are among the most complex state services to deliver. The
continuing reality of stigma, the pressure of continued increasing demand on area mental
health services, and the general social disadvantage and vulnerability of people with mental
illness who require these services represent major challenges (Minas et al, 1996; Andary et
al, 2003). For people who do not speak fluent English, and who come from a wide variety
of cultural backgrounds, seeking and receiving mental health care is frequently a
bewildering experience. There is still very little accessible information in languages other
than English about mental health and illness, about how to gain access to services when
they are needed, and about what to expect of such services.
In the clinical setting the key instrument for assessment and treatment is communication.
In the absence of excellent communication between clinician, client and family, high quality
clinical work is impossible. Where there are limits in the quality of communication
assessment of the nature and severity of the mental health problem, and assessment of
risk, will be superficial, frequently incomplete and sometimes dangerously wrong. Where
the client has a limited understanding of the explanations given by clinicians and of
treatment recommendations, the quality of engagement of the client in the therapeutic
process will be constrained. Provision of services that are dependent on excellent
communication, such as psychotherapeutic methods, rehabilitation, etc., will be essentially
impossible and the therapeutic options are limited to prescription of psychotropic
medicines.
For many people requiring the assistance of Victoria’s mental health services
communication with clinicians is possible only with the assistance of professional
interpreters.
Whilst the Victorian mental health system has taken a leading role in responding to
cultural and linguistic diversity in the provision of services, there are continuing difficulties
experienced by people from culturally and linguistic diverse backgrounds (CALD) in
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