Category: Highlights

During this time, we have been able to successfully continue with our partnership work with cohealth. In late May, we facilitated two online Reflective Consultation Sessions with mental health teams from cohealth’s Western Psychosocial Support Services and Youth Residential Rehabilitation Services. Workers from both services were asked to reflect on their capacity to address diversity and enhance their own cultural responsiveness. The sessions generated enthusiastic discussion around opportunities to in-bed inclusive and culturally sensitive practices within their services. The teams will use this rich information to develop a service-specific cultural responsiveness plan to address the main issues that were identified. This will include both short term and longer-term goals and actions and will take into consideration their unique needs, capacity and other factors. 

We look forward to working with these services to implement some of their ideas and to support their work in this important area of mental health service delivery. 

We are hoping to plan more Reflective Consultation Sessions with other cohealth mental health teams in the coming months. 

Information about human rights and ways to deal with racism can be found at Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission. Resources are available in many community languages.

In partnership with the communities we serve, we remain committed to inclusion and diversity. In the way we work with practitioners, teams, organisations and communities. And by advocating for a more socially just and equitable mental health service system.   

Cultural Portfolio Holders came together on Thursday 15th November to network, reflect and celebrate their achievements over the last 12 months.

The evening was held at the Melbourne Museum and opened with a spirited musical performance by Indigenous singer/songwriter Benny Walker. Benny’s performance was followed by an address by Cultural Portfolio Holder Network member, Michael Pauly, who reflected on his experiences as a Cultural Portfolio Holder, and the impact that holding this portfolio has had on his practice. 

This year’s Oration speech was given by award winning journalist and documentary film maker, Santilla Chingaipe. Through stories, Santilla reflected on her role as a journalist, and how she came to the realisation of the lack of racial literacy in the media. Santilla also spoke of the devastating impact on communities when there is no space or opportunity to have informed conversations about race. The speech was following by lots of pertinent questions and conversation from the audience. 

The energy and comradery in the room on the night was overwhelmingly positive. We would like to thank all those who attended, and we look forward to hosting thought-provoking events such as this to support the mental health workforce across Victoria.  

Cultural portfolio holders (CPHs) are individuals working in mental health and related organisations who undertake a role to drive culturally responsive practice. People holding positions that lead cultural diversity initiatives, are invited to register with the Victoria Cultural Portfolio Holder Program, facilitated by Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH).