Research One Stop Shop
A note from Margaret Bornhorst
This section of my website is designed as a research service. Research is incredibly important in the cross-cultural field when there are so many cultures and languages that service providers may encounter in the Australia of today. (According to the 2006 Census, Queensland, recorded 226 overseas birthplaces and 221 languages spoken-at-home.)
Many times over the years I would have liked to have been able to go to a single website that would provide links to reliable sources of information on particular cultures and languages, as well as on cross-cultural information that is service-specific.
So here are some sites I have found.
I will continue to add to these, and hereby invite subscribers to email to me sites that they would like to share with others. I’ve sought websites that are authoritative, unbiased, current, and easily navigated.
Would you like to contribute your research or useful sites? Please click here to share your information.
I hope you find these resources of value.
( Disclaimer: Margaret Bornhorst Cross-Cultural is not responsible for the content of the following sites.)
1. Global Indices
The following websites explore human global history
The Genographic Project Home Page
Atlas of the Human Journey (The Genographic Project, National Geographic.)
The following website gives the complete text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The following websites are global indices which compare large numbers of countries
Transparency International
World Index of Perceived Corruption (Transparency International), 180 countries in rank order of 'perceived corruption'.
Global Peace Index
2. World Country/Culture Sites
The following are websites devoted to the demographics and history of individual
countries
Country Profiles BBC NEWS.
CIA The World Fact Book.
The following are websites devoted to a description of the cultures (beliefs,
values, attitudes and behaviours) represented in individual countries
Cultural Profiles Project Canada.
Country Profiles Kwintessential Cross-Cultural Solutions, a global guide to culture, customs, and etiquette.
3. Refugees and Human Rights
The following website is identifies countries/cultures that have come to the attention of Amnesty International for human rights abuses.
Amnesty International
The following fact sheets from the Department of Immigration website address specific recently arrived refugee groups
Bhutanese Community Profile
Burmese Community Profile
Congolese Community Profile
Eritrean Community Profile
Ethiopian Community Profile
Liberian Community Profile
Sierra Leonean Community Profile
Sudanese Community Profile
Togolese Community Profile
Uzbek Community Profile
4. Cultural Competence
The following are websites which define/explore cultural competence
National Centre for Cultural Competence Georgetown University, Washington DC.
This is the most comprehensive website I have been able to find on cultural competence. Covers many service-specific areas. Is considered authoritative and is frequently quoted in academic literature.
5. Religions of the World
The following are websites that explore culture & religion
This series of Information Sheets from the Office of Multicultural Interests of the Government of Western Australia aim to raise awareness and understanding of religious and cultural practices.
6. World Languages Sites
The following are web addresses addressing different aspects of language
Ethnologue Languages of the World (SIL International, a Christian missionary
organization) Lists world languages and language families.
Pidgins and Creoles University of Pennsylvania.
An Introduction to Tonal Languages University of Minnesota.
International Phonetic Alphabet Universite de Lausanne.
Rosetta Project of Stanford University is a global collaboration of language specialists and native speakers building a publicly accessible online archive of ALL documented human languages
7. Interpreting and How to Work with Interpreters Websites
The following are websites providing information on professional interpreters in
Australia and Queensland
NAATI National Authority for the Accreditation of Translators and Interpreters.
TIS Translating and Interpreting Service of the Department of Immigration.
ONCALL Interpreters and Translators Agency.
8. English Language, English Language Learning Websites
NSW AMES is the lead agency delivering the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) in over 100 locations. It is the largest publisher of Australian language and literacy resources and teaching materials. You will find some free resources but most need to be purchased through their catalogue or online shop.
English as a Foreign or Second Language Wikipedia the free encyclopedia- I wouldn't normally refer people to wikipedia but I love this entry. Really covers a lot of ground around English language acquisition for immigrants. See especially the section 'Difficulties for Learners.'
The following fact sheets from AMEP Research Cente address specific cultural groups
Sudan Profile
Somalia Profile
Sierra Leone Profile
Rwanda Profile
Eritrea Profile
Ethiopia Profile
9. Refugee and Settlement Support Organisations' Websites
Queensland
Multicultural Affairs, Queensland.
Local Area Multicultural Partnership (LAMP) Qld. and local government partnership providing a team of workers who are placed in regional and rural councils to assist and facilitate positive community relationships and service access to migrants and refugees.
Community Action for a Multicultural Society (CAMS) is a network of workers based in community organisations who work across Queensland in advocacy and specifically in African/ Refugee, Pacific Islander and Australian South Sea Islanders communities.
Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS) Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
QPASTT Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors or Torture and Trauma.
Multicultural Development Association Woolloongabba.
A.C.C.E.S Services inc. Logan Central. Provides education, support and advocacy for migrants, refugees, humanitarian entrants and temporary protection visa holders. Links to Ethnic Radio.
Migrant Settlement Services Cairns.
Migrant Resource Centre Townsville Thuringowa.
Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast.
Multilink Community Services Woodridge.
Victoria
Victorian Multicultural Commission
Multicultural Advisory Service - Victorian Police
Halton Multicultural Council
Northern Migrant Research Centre
Migrant Information Service East Melbourne.
10. Statistics
2006 Census Local Goverments
Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
Northern Territory
South Australia
Queensland
Tasmania
Victoria
Western Australia
11. Local Government
Municipal Association of Victoria
Local Government Association of Queensland
12. Supporting Students
Immigrants
NSW AMES is the lead agency delivering the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) in over 100 locations. It is the largest publisher of Australian language and literacy resources and teaching materials. You will find some free resources but most need to be purchased through their catalogue or online shop.
Catholic Education in Brisbane has an excellent website: Support Process for Assisting and Assessing Students from a Refugee Background.
Multicultural Australia The website has been jointly developed by the NSW Department of Education and Training and the Office of the Board of Studies NSW with assistance from Dr Andrew Jakubowicz, Professor of Sociology at the University of Technology Sydney. 'Teaching resources and strategies to understand cultural diversity and tolerance. More than 3500 pages of articles, research, teacher guides, lesson plans, audio interviews, video clips, Australian multicultural artworks.' Includes quite a lot Queensland-specific information.
QLD Programme for the Assistance of Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT) provides counselling/ advocacy, referral, in-service training for teachers, group programs in schools, access for young people to community activities and a homework club for high school students. Resources available include:
Students from refugee & displaced backgrounds- a handbook for schools This handbook contains information and practical strategies for all members of the school community to understand and respond to the needs of refugee students.
A teacher's guide to working with students from refugee and displaced backgrounds This booklet is a reference guide for teachers to assist their teaching role with students from refugee and displaced backgrounds, particularly in relation to their social and emotional needs.
Success in Learning provides resources to help students and their parents, including resources to learn English and cope with the transition to an Australian school.
International Students
Education and training institutions are required by law to assist International Students with problems which may arise when studying with them. They must also have a staff member to contact if International Students are having problems with adjusting to life and study in Australia. Visit provider websites for details on how they support their International Students.
Study in Australia Australian Government info to assist International Students in 12 languages.
Australia Education International Australian Education International (AEI) is part of the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). A must visit for scholars researching on international students.
13. Service-Specific Websites, Research, Information
a) Aged Care
At Home with Diversity: Diversional Therapy Manual in Transcultural Care Developed by the NSW Transcultural Aged Care Service in consultation with diversional therapists and ethnic aged care advisors, the manual is a practical tool for guiding the design and implementation of activities with residents of mixed cultural backgrounds or from the same cultural backgrounds. Contents: Skills, Inclusive activities, Culturally Specific Activities, Calendar, Contacts.
Cultural Assessment Guidelines is a concise guide to improve needs assessment for new residents from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The information obtained will help to improve the care plan, and provide culturally sensitive care.
Cultural Diversity and Dementia A planned approach to residential care for people with dementia who come from a non-English speaking background, by the Centre for Education and Research on the Aging, Sydney. This is an excerpt from the 83 page resource which aims to assist residential care staff to provide appropriate care to residents with dementia who come from a non-English speaking background.
b) the Arts
Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE), Parramatta, Sydney. ICE has to be the most exciting multicultural arts organisations I've ever come across. It's been going for 20 years and I only just learned about it at the FECCA conference in Adelaide last week (17-18 November 2011). Check this mob out! Particularly enthralling are the ICE Career Journeys video clips.
Kultour: mobilising arts in multicultural Australia. Established in 2001, Kultour is the national body advocating for the importance of cultural diversity in the arts. It delivers this through service provision, facilitation, development and support for the mlobility of high quality programs across Australia.
c) Child Care
Differential Parenting of Children from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds Attending Child Care 2007: explores how children from Anglo, Somali and Vietnamese cultural backgrounds are parented at home and in day care, focusing on the extent to which parenting beliefs and behaviours vary according to cultural background.
Child Care in Cultural Context:Issues for New Research Sarah Wise and Ann Sanson. AIFS. Research 2000. This paper details the theoretical and empirical literature on home-child care congruity and outlines the approach taken in the current research to unravel the importance of maintaining parental practices for child rearing in child care.
d) Disability
Less Talk, More Action from Multicultural Disability Advocacy documents some of the commonly held myths and stereotypes surrounding people from NESB with disability and outlines the historical, social and political context which has shaped the current realities of many people from NESB with disability. The five major issues facing people from NESB are covered.
CALD Consumers Perspectives Developing culturally and linguistically responsive approaches to the disability service standards2005: This guide provides a framework within which consumers can articulate their particular needs and agencies can develop responses within the types of services they provide, their capacity and priorities, and the changing nature and circumstances of their own particular local consumer population.
e) Domestic Violence
Domestic/Family Violence and Australian Immigration Law: A Guide to the Law is a plain English guide to how the domestic/ family violence provisions operate under Australian immigration law. The booklet provides comprehensive guidance to victims of domestic/family violence, social workers, community workers, migration agents and others.
The Immigrant Womens Support Service provides brochures in community languages on sexual violence and counselling; includding palm cards on sexual assult and information for mothers of children who have benn sexually assulted.
Immigrant Women’s Speakout Association NSW has developed plays and an Audio CD to provide information on Domestic Violence and in particular on Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders. In Arabic Sudanese (Sudan), Dinka (Sudan), Dari (Afghanistan), Kriol (Sierra Leone) and Somali (Somalia). This link is to the English version of the scripts.
The Community Relations Commission NSW Document on the special considerations to make when using Interpreters in Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Cases.
f) Employment
Job Providers Network and employment issues for migrant and refugee jobseekers June 2002 Multicultural Employment Advocacy Network.
g) Gambling
Cross-Cultural Educational Tools for Ethnic Communities (2004) this University of Western Sydney
paper explores conceptual and applied research on issues surrounding gambling and the need for educational tools to enable cross-cultural communication, and on the risks associated with recreational gambling pursuits. From the Bridging Cultures: Adult Learning Australia National Conference, 2004.
Gambling and Problem Gambling Among the Chinese (2007) Behavioural Research and Therapy Center, School of Psychology, University of Queensland.
Research into Health Promotion for CALD Communities released in December 2005, contains findings and broad recommendations which will be used to develop future directions for problem gambling service delivery and health promotion activities for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
h) Health
Lost in Translation: A Discussion Paper on Interpreting Issues in Health Care Settings in Queensland. (March 2004) Community Health Action Group is the advocacy arm of the Multicultural Health Network convened by the Multicultural Development Association.
Cue Cards in Community Languages Available in 60 community languages from Eastern Health, Victoria. Each set of cards includes cards for: Basic, Instructions, Family, Community, Descriptions, Medical, Objects, People, Religion, Time & Dental and includes charts indicating days of the week, months of the year, level of pain scale.
Publications on Refugee Health from The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture. Includes Making a Healthy Start in Australia (2001), a booklet designed to assist people to understand and access health care services in the early settlement period. It is available in various community languages. Also Promoting Refugee Health: A guide for doctors and other health care providers caring for people from refugee backgrounds (292pp; 2nd edition) which is a comprehensive guide to working with clients from refugee backgrounds. And Caring for refugee patients in general practice: A desk–top guide (21pp; 3rd edition).
Cultural Competency in Health: A guide for policy, partnerships and participation (2006) Governments and health services may be better equipped to tackle Austalia's future health issues, including overweight and obesity, if they integrate cultural issues into the planning and delivery of health care and services, business and community groups. The guide will help policy makers and managers with culturally competent policy and plannning at all levels of the health system.
The resources page of Diversity Health Institute (DHI) website. DHI is a consortium of public health organisations that work together to improve the health and wellbeing of Australia's culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community. The DHI is based in the Sydney West Area Health Service (SWAHS), however, it comprises units with a statewide, national and international focus and is funded from a variety of sources including NSW Health and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.
Good Starts Study for Refugee Youth. This study (published January 2009) from La Trobe University's Refugee Health Research Centre in the School of Social Sciences, looked at the social determinants of health and well-being among refugee youth. There are some fact sheets on this page with concise and helpful information.
Q&A with Arthur Kleinman, the celebrated pioneer of cross-cultural health and mental health Boston Globe interview.
i) Immigration
Immigration Rights in English, Farsi, Chinese & Arabic Immigration Rights Centre (Sydney) information sheets provide a step-by-step guide to the visa application and review process. These information sheets provide information which is often not available in the fact sheets and Booklets produced by the Department of Immigration.
j) Mental Health
Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre is a statewide service which provides an information, referral, resource and clinical consultation service, funded by the Queensland Government. All services are provided free of charge.
The Diversity Health Institute Research Laboratory investigates the influences of genetics in the presentation and treatment of disease. View current projects.
This brochure outlines the services of the Transcultural Clinical Consultation Service (Qld) including their free telephone consultation and free clinical consultation, plus access to free video conferencing in rural Queensland.
k) Policing
The Multicultural Liaison Officer (MLO) program Working closely with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) has implemented an MLO program to alleviate language and cultural issues new arrivals encounter when dealing with Australian laws. The program also demonstrates that police are there to help and are people to go to in an emergency - something new arrivals may not have been able to rely upon in their country of origin. Video on YouTube.
Australian Cultural Orientation (AUSCO) Program and Victorian PoliceIn 2008 Victoria Police joined forces with the department of Immigration and Citzenship's cultural orientation program to try and break down the barriers between law enforcement and new arrivals, and introduce refugees to aspects of Australian life we all take for granted.
Cross Cultural Liaison Officer Role - Queensland Police. Sergeant Jim Bellos, Queenslander of the Year 2009, explains his role in working in multicultural communities.
Improving Legal Access for CALD Communities Commander Ashely Dickinson Victoria Police PDF document
l) Volunteers - Welcoming Migrants as Volunteers
Volunteering Australia offers a practical guide to Involving volunteers from diverse cultural and language (CALD) backgrounds in your organisation, including strategies to help with recruiting and involving volunteers from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. It is made up of five modules, two of which deal with specific demographics: women from CALD backgrounds, and young Muslim Australians.
m) Youth
Good Starts Study for Refugee Youth. This study (published January 2009) from La Trobe University's Refugee Health Research Centre in the School of Social Sciences, looked at the social determinants of health and well-being among refugee youth. There are some fact sheets on this page with concise and helpful information.
*
