Good News Story – Reducing cultural barriers to access support services
Accessing the right support services can be difficult if you don’t know what is out there. At times you could be eligible for more support services without realising. This was the case for Matthew* and his family who care for him. Matthew’s family consists of his older sister Daisy* and father, Adrian*. They reached out to Your Side for NDIS support but after their consultation, our Customer Care consultant Katherine saw that Daisy and Adrian also needed support in their caring roles.
Even though Daisy and Adrian provide full time care to Matthew, both did not resonate or identify with the term ‘carer’ or consider themselves carers due to their cultural background. Luckily, our Carer Gateway Consultant, Snow, who specialises in mental health and has a background in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) support was able to help and speak their preferred language. She guided them through what the term ‘carers’ meant and represented in an Australian social services setting and how supports like the Carer Gateway can assist them in their caring role. Daisy and Adrian were completely unaware such service existed. No doubt it will be of great help as they themselves acknowledged that the way they currently provide care was not sustainable and they were experiencing burnout – a common theme among carers.
At Your Side, we understand there are barriers to accessing services and our multicultural and diverse team strives to provide innovative and person centered solutions to our clients. Big thank you to the wonderful Katherine and Snow! We’re glad to hear Adrian has now applied for the Carer Gateway.
Are you a carer? Like Daisy and Adrian, we may not see ourselves that way. Take our QUIZ HERE, you could be eligible for support services such as, respite, counselling, peer support and financial assistance. Or you can call our team on 1800 422 737 between 8am – 5pm Monday – Friday or visit www.carergateway.gov.au
