Multicultural Mental Health Outcomes and Assessment Tools

The Transcultural Mental Health Centre, via funding from NSW Health, Mental Health and Drug & Alcohol Office worked in partnership with InforMH to review and enhance the Mental Health Outcomes and Assessment Tools [MH-OAT] and processes to become more culturally informed and appropriate for consumers and carers from culturally and linguistically diverse [CALD] communities in NSW.

• almost one half of Australia's CALD overseas-born population live in NSW
• one in five people in NSW speak a language other than English in their home
• culture influences ideas about health, mental illness and treatment
• mental health assessment requires an understanding of these concepts
• treatment plans must be meaningful to the client and family to be effective

Extensive consultations were conducted with mental health clinicians, professional health care interpreters, bi-lingual counsellors, and CALD carers throughout NSW. Input was canvassed from sources across the life span, from rural and metropolitan areas, and from the inpatient and community sectors. The Transcultural Referral Guide, Transcultural Assessment Checklist and Transcultural Assessment Module were developed in response to the consultations.

The Referral Guide aims to increase clinicians' awareness and utilisation of culturally or linguistically relevant services for CALD clients. The Checklist aims to increase clinician awareness of CALD issues and facilitate the collection of culturally relevant information during CALD client assessment, and the Module provides an optional form for documenting the information.

Further information about the NSW Mental Health Outcome and Assessment Tools can be found on the InforMH website for NSW Health staff: http://internal.health.nsw.gov.au/policy/cmh/mhoat/education.html

For further information or training on the Multicultural MH-OAT Project, contact the Project Coordinator, Roy Laube Roy_Laube@wsahs.nsw.gov.au

 ^{Last Updated: 28 Jul 2010}