Rationale
This research aims to investigate a shift in service delivery from community-specific to mainstream organisations, as informed by Australian state and federal government policies. Preliminary consultations with Partner Organisations (POs) Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights, the Victorian Multicultural Commission and the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria in the service provision for Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) clients suggests that this is the direction undertaken by Australian government, which is visible yet under-researched in terms of its consequences and impact on the wellbeing and socio-economic outlook of CALD communities (ECCV, 2011). In terms of service provision, we will focus on the areas of health, social (e.g. housing) and economic (e.g. employment and job training) in this research.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of current social services for CALD recipients, along with an assessment of how these services can be improved, will maximise economic and social benefits for Australia, and particularly the end-users of social services in diverse communities by identifying the service-provision mode that has the most positive impact on Australian communities.
Research Questions
Two aims and questions frame this research and they are:
How is mainstreaming experienced by Australian CALD communities? This will uncover the nuances and complexity of service provision modes in the experience of CALD communities, informed by the experiences of CALD individuals and their communities at different temporal junctures along the settlement and integration journey.
What is the impact of mainstreaming on multicultural Australia? This will assess the perceived impact of mainstreaming on social cohesion, citizenship and social and cultural rights of CALD Australians, informed by the experiences and perspectives of CALD communities, service providers, and the broader Australian population living in multicultural suburbs.
Case Studies
The field research will focus on two sites:
City of Greater Dandenong (VIC)
City of Hume (VIC)
These two sites were selected because they have a comparable population size (152,050 people in Greater Dandenong and 197,376 people in Hume), and because they are characterised by significant ethno-linguistic diversity, and by similar indicators of socio-economic disadvantage (ABS, 2017a, 2017b). The study of two different but comparable sites will provide a more robust basis for the applicability of the findings to other Australian multicultural urban areas.
Expected Outcomes
The POs, along with all stakeholders involved in delivering services to and representing diverse communities in Australia, will benefit from this project as they will be able to understand the mainstreaming of social services, the experiences of users and its likely impact on constituents and society at large.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of current social services for CALD recipients, along with an assessment of how these services can be improved, will maximise economic and social benefits for Australia, and particularly the end-users of social services in diverse communities by identifying the service-provision mode that has the most positive impact on Australian communities.
Through engagements with key stakeholders, we aim to disseminate our findings to civil society, government, policy makers, media stakeholders and the academic community.