Understanding and Responding to Children's Mental Health in Culturally Diverse Communities
Tracks
Tamborine Gallery - In-Person Only
| Monday, March 24, 2025 |
| 4:10 PM - 5:10 PM |
Overview
Amanda Kemperman & Julie Ngwabi, Emerging Minds
Presenter
Amanda Kemperman
Practice Development
Emerging Minds
Understanding and Responding to Children's Mental Health in Culturally Diverse Communities
Abstract
1. Understanding children's mental health in CALD communities, with emphasis on migration, cultural identities, and family practices (Julie)
The mental health of children in culturally diverse communities is shaped by four key domains. By understanding a family's migration and acculturation journey, practitioners can recognize how their cultural beliefs and traditions evolve as they adapt to a new country. Cultural identities highlight how families honour and cherish their heritage, fostering a sense of belonging and pride. Cultural family practices are the distinct ways families nurture relationships and uphold their values, which support their children's wellbeing and resilience and can be integrated into practitioner responses.
2. Exploring unconscious bias and its role in perpetuating discrimination, with strategies for personal and professional reflection (Amanda).
Unconscious bias significantly affects how families access and engage with services, influencing both structural and individual levels. Practitioners committed to culturally responsive practices may still make mistakes due to hidden biases, including verbal, nonverbal, or environmental slights.
Recognising and addressing mistakes and acknowledging when families withdraw and being accountable fosters transparency and trust. Effective cross-cultural communication can include working with interpreters to minimise misunderstandings and, cultural humility guides practitioners to learn from families, value differences, balance power dynamics, and continuously self-reflect and adapt with an open and curious mindset.
The mental health of children in culturally diverse communities is shaped by four key domains. By understanding a family's migration and acculturation journey, practitioners can recognize how their cultural beliefs and traditions evolve as they adapt to a new country. Cultural identities highlight how families honour and cherish their heritage, fostering a sense of belonging and pride. Cultural family practices are the distinct ways families nurture relationships and uphold their values, which support their children's wellbeing and resilience and can be integrated into practitioner responses.
2. Exploring unconscious bias and its role in perpetuating discrimination, with strategies for personal and professional reflection (Amanda).
Unconscious bias significantly affects how families access and engage with services, influencing both structural and individual levels. Practitioners committed to culturally responsive practices may still make mistakes due to hidden biases, including verbal, nonverbal, or environmental slights.
Recognising and addressing mistakes and acknowledging when families withdraw and being accountable fosters transparency and trust. Effective cross-cultural communication can include working with interpreters to minimise misunderstandings and, cultural humility guides practitioners to learn from families, value differences, balance power dynamics, and continuously self-reflect and adapt with an open and curious mindset.
Biography
Amanda Kemperman is a Social Worker with 20 years’ experience working in various areas such as family violence, homelessness, and community development. Currently, she works with the workforce development team translating practitioner and family knowledge and experience into programs and resources for practitioners. Amanda has a particular interest in advocating for children's voices and increasing their mental health and wellbeing. Her approach is informed by narrative therapy ideas, and she is always inspired by the ways in which people overcome and rise above the challenges in their lives. One of Amanda's joys is bringing people together and facilitating conversations that lead to collaborative change.
Julie Ngwabi
Senior Child Mental Health Advisor - Health
Emerging Minds
Understanding and Responding to Children's Mental Health in Culturally Diverse Communities
Abstract
1. Understanding children's mental health in CALD communities, with emphasis on migration, cultural identities, and family practices (Julie)
The mental health of children in culturally diverse communities is shaped by four key domains. By understanding a family's migration and acculturation journey, practitioners can recognize how their cultural beliefs and traditions evolve as they adapt to a new country. Cultural identities highlight how families honour and cherish their heritage, fostering a sense of belonging and pride. Cultural family practices are the distinct ways families nurture relationships and uphold their values, which support their children's wellbeing and resilience and can be integrated into practitioner responses.
2. Exploring unconscious bias and its role in perpetuating discrimination, with strategies for personal and professional reflection (Amanda).
Unconscious bias significantly affects how families access and engage with services, influencing both structural and individual levels. Practitioners committed to culturally responsive practices may still make mistakes due to hidden biases, including verbal, nonverbal, or environmental slights.
Recognising and addressing mistakes and acknowledging when families withdraw and being accountable fosters transparency and trust. Effective cross-cultural communication can include working with interpreters to minimise misunderstandings and, cultural humility guides practitioners to learn from families, value differences, balance power dynamics, and continuously self-reflect and adapt with an open and curious mindset.
The mental health of children in culturally diverse communities is shaped by four key domains. By understanding a family's migration and acculturation journey, practitioners can recognize how their cultural beliefs and traditions evolve as they adapt to a new country. Cultural identities highlight how families honour and cherish their heritage, fostering a sense of belonging and pride. Cultural family practices are the distinct ways families nurture relationships and uphold their values, which support their children's wellbeing and resilience and can be integrated into practitioner responses.
2. Exploring unconscious bias and its role in perpetuating discrimination, with strategies for personal and professional reflection (Amanda).
Unconscious bias significantly affects how families access and engage with services, influencing both structural and individual levels. Practitioners committed to culturally responsive practices may still make mistakes due to hidden biases, including verbal, nonverbal, or environmental slights.
Recognising and addressing mistakes and acknowledging when families withdraw and being accountable fosters transparency and trust. Effective cross-cultural communication can include working with interpreters to minimise misunderstandings and, cultural humility guides practitioners to learn from families, value differences, balance power dynamics, and continuously self-reflect and adapt with an open and curious mindset.
Biography
Julie Ngwabi is a Senior Child Mental Health Advisor within the Partnerships and Implementation Team at Emerging Minds. Her role involves engaging with Health organisations and peak bodies to collaborate and explore opportunities to support integrated practices that promote positive mental health outcomes for infants, children, and families. Her passion is family focused mental health care. She is a Person of the Global Majority and is of Southern African heritage. Julie is passionate about CALD child and family wellbeing and mental health.
