The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing funds organizations, under the Community Partners Program (CPP) to assist aged people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in accessing aged care services.

The core objective of the program is:

Promoting and facilitating increased and sustained access by culturally and linguistically diverse communities with significant aged care needs to aged care support services.

The Community Partners Program has a dual role in working both with CALD communities and Aged Care Service Providers.

Older people from CALD backgrounds basically experience specific barriers when accessing aged care services. These barriers may include language, access to information, culture and religion.

CPPs can offer the CALD community with significant aged care needs:

• Increase in capacity of the community to access a range of aged care services through identification and removal of barriers
• Increase equity of access to resources and information on aged care services

CPPs can offer Aged Care Service Providers:

• Links with local CALD communities with significant aged care needs
• Information on the identified needs of older persons from CALD communities
• Assistance on the development of strategies for culturally appropriate care
• Cultural briefings ensuring needs are appropriately addressed
• Links to CALD resources and networks

A detailed contact list of all NSW CPP Project Officers and their target CALD communities and areas can be found on the NSW TACS website: www.nswtacs.org.au or contact your local Arabic & Tamil CPP listed below:

Sree Vithya Harilingam - Tamil Community Partners Program

Ali Kamil Ali - Arabic Community Partners Program

SydWest Multicultural Services Inc - CALD All Care Services

AN INITIATIVE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND AGEING