This is a collaboration between Pola Practice and North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) that is piloting the delivery of a culturally responsive training and supervision program with a select group of CAREinMIND clinicians. The intention is to understand how the program improves clinicians’ confidence and capability to deliver culturally responsive care.

NWMPHN has one of the most culturally diverse regions in Australia, and it is important that access to services, including mental health services, caters to the various needs of consumers. In a recent Mental Health Health Needs Assessment conducted by NWMPHN, some culturally diverse communities highlighted they can experience challenges accessing mental health care due to stigma, a perceived lack of competency or sensitivity of mainstream services to work with cultural needs, and/or a previous poor experience. This is also supported by literature, finding multicultural consumers experiencing mental ill health often encounter marginalisation and stigmatisation associated with poor mental health or a mental diagnosis and the access and utilisation of services.

These findings highlight the importance to understand what:

• an effective culturally responsive mental health assessment and referral process looks like to enable safe and responsive access for consumers; and

• the need to understand the best approach to enhancing the skills of mental health practitioners to work effectively and safely with consumers

North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network has partnered with Pola Practice (as experts in culturally responsive practice) to deliver 2 key activities:

1. Implementation of the Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool within their Culturally Responsive Intake Process; and

2. To co-design and deliver a culturally responsive training and supervision program.