To communicate effectively with families and carers, it is important to understand the context and needs of the communities you are working with, including priority and vulnerable groups.
Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities within NSW include both long-established and smaller, emerging groups, including refugees (see below). NSW Health has a commitment to ensuring culturally responsive care that recognises and respects linguistic and cultural needs. This includes access to care and supporting health literacy to enable shared decision making. Neonatal service staff should adapt their communication style and cultural knowledge to support culturally and linguistically diverse families and carers.
Patients, their families and carers who do not speak English as a first language (or who are Deaf) have the right to free, confidential and professional interpreters when they use public health services. These can be accessed in person, as well as via telephone and videoconference.
Staff resources
NSW Health care interpreting services
Contact information for professional interpreting services available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week for patients, families and carers who do not speak English as a first language or who are Deaf.
Source: NSW Health
An app to assist clinicians overcome language barriers with patients who have limited English proficiency, when an interpreter is not available in low-risk settings.
Source: NSW Health
Many Aboriginal communities have little trust in the healthcare system. The Stolen Generations and continued removal of Aboriginal children has generated fear among many families. In this context, it is important to:
- provide culturally relevant and safe healthcare services that empower and actively involve Aboriginal families and carers in decision making in the health of their children
- be willing to gain the knowledge, understanding and skills to communicate sensitively and effectively with Aboriginal families, and to acknowledge and respect cultural differences
- use resources including the ‘Finding your way’ shared decision making model created with and for mob – a holistic, two-way process where Aboriginal people and their healthcare professionals make decisions together
- take a trauma-informed approach, and identify parents and families who may require additional support on referral or early in the admission
- involve Aboriginal health workers, community workers or Aboriginal liaison officers where available, to foster understanding and trust between the family and the healthcare team, and help to coordinate care.
Staff resources
Aboriginal cultural engagement self assessment tool
A quality improvement tool to assist NSW Health organisations in delivery of culturally safe and accessible health services for Aboriginal patients and clients.
Source: NSW Health
Cultural safety for health professionals
A collection of resources for health professionals to critically reflect on the concept of cultural safety and to deliver safe, accessible and responsive healthcare that is free from racism.
Source: Australian Indigenous Health Info Net
Shared decision making: finding your way
An interactive shared decision making model for use by Aboriginal people and their health professionals.
Source: Agency for Clinical Innovation
Communicating positively: a guide to appropriate Aboriginal terminology
Information and guidance on appropriate word usage when working with Aboriginal people and communities, and when developing policy and programs.
Source: NSW Health
Pregnancy care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women
Information on general considerations in providing antenatal care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
Source: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives of pregnancy, birthing and motherhood.
Source: Common Ground
People from refugee backgrounds can face multiple challenges in accessing health services, including:
- language and cultural barriers
- lack of familiarity with the Australian healthcare system
- limited trust of health service providers
- limited socioeconomic resources and competing settlement priorities, such as housing, education and employment.
Separation or isolation from their baby may be a trigger for some parents, including refugee families. Identify parents and families that may require additional support on referral or early in the admission.
Staff resources
Sydney Children's Hospitals Network refugee service
Information on advocacy, research, training and clinical services for children with a refugee background, their families and the health professionals caring for them.
Source: Sydney Children's Hospitals network
Information on the statewide NSW Refugee Health Service (RHS)
Source: South Western Sydney LHD
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender, intersex, queer and other sexuality, gender, and bodily diverse families and carers require a healthcare experience that is inclusive and responsive.
Staff resources
Supporting LGBTIQ families in your community
Information on supporting and including LGBTIQ+ families.
Source: raisingchildren.net.au
Information on family with parents of the same sex bringing up a child, or an LGBTIQ+ parented family.
Source: Pregnancy Birth & Baby
NSW Health aims to provide services of a high standard and range for all people and without discrimination on the basis of disability. Women living with a disability experience particular disadvantage, especially in relation to parenting.
Parents living with intellectual disabilities can have fewer social support systems. The service system has an important role in helping families where a member has a disability.
This can mean tailoring services specifically to meet the needs of people with disability, including intellectual disability, for best outcomes.
Many service providers feel ill-equipped in supporting parents with intellectual disabilities and their children.
Staff resources
Information to assist health professionals providing care for women with disabilities during pregnancy, birth and the early postnatal period.
Source: disAbility Maternity Care
Healthy start: helping professionals support parents with learning difficulties
Research and practical information to support professionals working with parents who have learning difficulties.
Source: Parenting Research Centre
Some people are referred to as ‘intersectional’, meaning they belong to more than one group that has been treated poorly or excluded when they seek healthcare. This might be because of their faith, their gender, their sexuality, their disability or another reason.
‘Intersectionality’ refers to the ways in which different aspects of a person’s identity can expose them to overlapping forms of discrimination and marginalisation.
Staff resources
Understanding intersectionality
Definition of intersectionality and how it can lead to overlapping of discrimination and marginalisation.
Source: VIC Government
Information on understanding intersectionality and how it affects health, with examples.
Source: Health Consumers NSW
Trauma-informed care is an approach to service delivery based on an understanding of the ways trauma affects people’s lives, their service needs and service usage. Adverse childhood experiences, including various forms of child maltreatment, abuse and neglect, have a strong negative impact on health.
Together with their mental health sequelae (e.g. post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, dissociation), they can contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes (e.g. preterm birth, low birth weight), poor postpartum mental health, and impaired or delayed bonding.
Staff resources
Trauma-informed care and practice in mental health services
Information on the ways trauma affects people’s lives, and how those affected use health services.
Source: Agency for Clinical Innovation
Families and carers of babies in neonatal services may experience impacts on their mental health. There are different services for referral, depending on the problem or concern. Being a parent or carer of a child or children in neonatal services is a stressful situation; early referral is important. Support pathways should be provided to all parents and carers.
Also see The neonatal care journey: in the unit.
Staff resources
Mental health services – perinatal and parenting
Organisations and contacts for perinatal and parenting mental health services.
Source: NSW Health
My Health Learning resources
How to use healthcare interpreters
- Risks in using family to interpret
- Assessing the need for an interpreter
- Face to face communication with interpreters
- Telephone interpreting
- Interpreting in family conferences
Understanding communities modules
- Health literacy and teach-back
- Promoting inclusive health care: LGBT
- Respecting the difference: know the difference - eLearning
- Promoting inclusive health care: LGBT
- Meeting the healthcare needs of refugees
- Foundations: Working in culturally diverse contexts