Overview

Who should use this site?

This site can be used by individuals engaged in a broad range of organisations and services that interact with, and provide services to, the community, such as: 

Generalist community and health services, including primary health care providers, particularly general practitioners and maternal and child health nurses, local government, sports organisations, men’s sheds and educators. 

Specialist community and health services that primarily work with people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, including organisations providing various settlement services, torture and trauma counselling services, migrant health services and transcultural mental health services. 

Multicultural or ethno-specific community organisations, such as Migrant Resource Centres, multicultural community services or hubs as well as the large number of organisations catering for a specific language, cultural or religious group. 

This site is also for individuals who are community leaders or faith leaders, and therefore have significant standing and authority within communities and may be the go-to people for advice and support. 

Depending on the role, your level of engagement and interaction with migrant and refugee men will be different. In recognition of the diversity of organisations and services—and therefore, the nature of engagement—the information on this site can be tailored to a range of settings and is applicable to a range of circumstances. 

As someone working or volunteering with such services and organisations, you are likely to engage with migrant and refugee men who: 

  1. have recently migrated to Australia and have diverse cultural, religious and linguistic characteristics, as well as recent migration and settlement experiences, or 
  2. are born in Australia to parents from migrant and refugee backgrounds and have diverse cultural and religious traditions and influences. 

What to consider 

  1. In your professional or volunteering role/s, do you interact with men from migrant and refugee backgrounds who may be experiencing mental health issues, and/or are new or expectant fathers? 
  2. If so, how close and regular is such interaction? 
  3. As part of such interaction, do you discuss, or have opportunities to discuss their mental health and/or experiences around fatherhood? Do you share any information or advice in this regard? 

Why use the site 

The site supports engagement with men from migrant and refugee backgrounds to: 

  • help them understand the importance of maintaining their mental health, particularly through times of change such as becoming a father 
  • help them to appreciate their current or future role as parents and partners 
  • provide them with access to evidence-based and culturally appropriate information and advice 
  • support them to maintain healthy and respectful family relationships. 

The purpose of engagement is to provide a safe space for interaction, in a constructive and affirmative way, and to focus on the positivity of fatherhood and respectful family relationships. Engagement can also help men participate in their local community, meet other men, including other fathers, from similar backgrounds to exchange experiences, and feel that they belong and play a key role in the wellbeing of their families and communities.