North Yarra Community Health

PartnershipsRefugee Support Worker &the Yarra Settlement ForumActive ServiceModelNORTH YARRA COMMUNITY HEALTH 2010 - 2011 COMMUNITY REPORTThe Refugee and Asylum Seeker Project has been located within North Yarra CommunityHealth since 2001, funded through Yarra City Council grants since July 2002. A refugeesupport worker provides community development, health promotion and direct servicework, as well as co-convening the Yarra Settlement Forum (YSF) with the City of Yarra. Thisincludes leading working groups and co-leading Refugee Week activities.The Yarra Settlement Forum is a long standing and important Local SettlementPlanning Committee. It consists of key local stakeholders, including mainstream &settlement services, as well as relevant community members. There is a recognition thatorganisations are unable to work in isolation and that consultation with other organisationsis required. Members share common values and the collaboration between organisationsand support provided between individual workers within YSF is very valuable.The main event for the YSF is our Refugee Week celebration. This year’s Refugee Weekactivity was a walk through performance and experience called Refugee Realities. Yearnine and ten students within the City of Yarra were invited to attend. Refugee Realitieswas brought together through a collaboration with schools in the City of Yarra, ManyMoons, City of Yarra, Yarra Settlement Forum members, Spectrum, Amnesty International,the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Yarra Men’s Shed, and St Kilda Inclusion Projectparticipants.The event was attended by 200 school students and 25 adults. One student commentedthat “It was the best thing I have ever done at school”. The teachers believe that theirstudents developed an understanding of and empathy for the plight of refugees and weredisappointed that not all students could attend!An evening event for adults was also included to providean opportunity for members of the community to gainawareness about the refugee experience. Most thoughtthat is was a very worthwhile experience, with one attendeecommenting that, “I think every Australian would benefitfrom the experience of Refugee Realities. The event providedan opportunity to be ‘more appreciative of my rathercomfortable, secure existence.” Three cross cultural traineeswere also employed at the event, and all who participatedthought the training and event were useful and enjoyable.At NYCH we believe that assisting clients to return to theactivities they enjoy is the most important role of healthcare. The Active Service Model approach is being adoptedacross Victoria to assist older people and people withdisabilities to reach their goals and maintain their healthand independence. The active service model approachfits very well with the work that we have been doing onHealth Coaching and self management models for chronicillnesses.NYCH has been working in partnership with the Cities ofMelbourne and Yarra (and other services in these areas).In the City of Melbourne, this has included working closelywith staff to prepare policies and procedures and provideprofessional development for their staff and contractors.This work is continuing. In the City of Yarra, a series offive forums was held for City of Yarra staff and staff atcommunity health and other local services to discuss waysof working to implement the active service model approachin Yarra. Work will continue on assessment process andcommunication systems.16Local school students make their way through the Refugee Realities experience