MacKillop Family Services today launched a suite of resources, developed in collaboration with the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY), to enhance the cultural responsiveness of youth residential care programs across Victoria.
The resources were developed during a pilot program that was established after staff identified that young people achieved better outcomes when cultural identity, communication, and lived experience were meaningfully embedded into everyday care.
The program drew on cultural expertise within MacKillop’s diverse workforce, matching Multicultural Advisors with young people and care teams based on shared cultural background or lived experience. Advisors supported care planning, strengthened family engagement, and built the confidence of care teams to deliver culturally safe, inclusive care.
During the pilot – which was funded by the Scanlon Foundation, the Brian M Davis Charitable Foundation, and Equity Trustees – MacKillop supported 42 young people with 64 cultural consultations, delivered by 19 Cultural Mentors working alongside 111 care team members across residential care homes.
Central to the success of the program was the development of a Multicultural Support Plan for every multicultural young person in care, supported by practice guides and cultural consultations that centred the young person’s voice and cultural identity
Dr Robyn Miller AM, CEO of MacKillop Family Services said, “We continually strive to better support the young people in our care, and we’ve found that when culture is respected and understood, young people feel seen, supported and more connected to who they are.
“This program has been key to developing stronger relationships with families, improving cultural awareness and giving our staff greater confidence in having complex conversations about culture. We are proud to share our findings and resources with partners in the sector as we work together to support and empower young people from all backgrounds and cultures.”
An independent evaluation found the program had a strong positive impact on care teams and highlighted opportunities to sustain and strengthen outcomes for young people through ongoing resourcing and formalisation of the program.
Cultural Advisors also described the work as deeply purposeful, allowing them to give back to their communities while supporting positive change for young people.
Simangaliso Brenda Nyoni, Multicultural Practice Lead for MacKillop, says centring the voice of the young person and strengthening their connection to culture is critical to their wellbeing.
“When culture is not centred, our young people and families suffocate. The Multicultural Advisor program recognises the importance of culture as the bedrock of culturally-responsive care.”
MacKillop Family Services is committed to continuing to embed culturally safe, responsive practice across all services and is sharing Multicultural Advisor resources with other agencies in the sector to foster culturally responsive practice. The resources can be downloaded from this webpage.
