Philippa Duell-Piening, Assunta Hunter. Resettlement experiences and support needs of people living with disabilities from refugee backgrounds

Transcription

1 Philippa Duell-Piening, Assunta Hunter Resettlement experiences and support needs of people living with disabilities from refugee backgrounds

2 Victorian Refugee Health Network, who are we? Build the capacity of the Victorian health sector to respond to the needs of people from refugee backgrounds, including people seeking asylum. Support services to be more accessible to people from refugee backgrounds. Improve service coordination for recent arrivals and those with more complex needs.

3 Background to the Project Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Australian reservation National Interest Analysis Review Migration Act and Regulations Health waiver for humanitarian entrants

4 Implementation of the health waiver: Australian Health Providers Perspectives Welcomed Remote and opaque process Policy not well understood Precarious

5 In practice Victorian Refugee Health Programs report increased numbers of people arriving with disabilities through the humanitarian program. A new population group that Victorian/ Australian service systems had little or no experience of: people from refugee backgrounds with disabilities.

6 Systemic issues reported to Network Little or no advance information about a person s impairment No data to assist with planning Long waiting list for allied health assessment Rigid intake criteria that cannot be met or take some time to meet due to a person s migration history Difficulty accessing services, equipment and housing stock

7 Victorian service responses 1. Refugee Health Program and specialist refugee health services 2. AMES Australia (HSS/CCS provider) working group 3. New Settlement Health Coordinator roles

8 Gaps Disability Support Pension -> fully diagnosed, treated and stabilities NDIS -> disability threshold, interpreters Long waits for aids and equipment Tensions around early diagnosis: evidence to receive services vs inaccurate assessment

9 Our project: Service responses to people from refugee backgrounds in the northern metropolitan region with disabilities: a needs assessment Scope Aims

10 Methodology Phase 1: Information gathering a) literature and policy b) data c) interview service providers Phase 2: Circulate draft report for discussion, and host roundtable to develop sector recommendations Phase 3: Disseminate report, discuss findings and promote resources.

11 Questions we re aiming to answer What services are available? How well networked are service providers? What referral pathways are used/work? Where are the gaps in services/barriers to accessing services? What would improve the health and support services available to refugee families living with disabilities?

12 Opportunities for national collaboration Reform of rigid assessment criteria that prevent people from accessing entitlements/ services due to their refugee backgrounds: Disability Support Pension NDIS Improve information transfer from offshore to Australian settlement and health services to assist with planning.

13 Philippa Duell-Piening Correspondence Coordinator of Victorian Refugee Health Network Assunta Hunter Sector Development and Policy Advisor - Disability huntera@foundationhouse.org.au