The importance of tailored approaches

Diversity of the cohort

Whether you work with men who have recently migrated, arrived as refugees, or are second-generation migrants, you will find each individual has different experiences. Make sure you do not stereotype cultural, religious or linguistic groups, as there is diversity within every group. Recognise the existing strengths of the person you are working with. 

Specific needs of refugees and asylum seekers 

Remember that refugees and asylum seekers may have different needs to other migrants. They may have trauma-like experiences and difficult pre-migration experiences. This might include feelings of loss, grief and difficult journeys. Their experiences may affect their capacity to seek help.

Factors increasing vulnerability 

These include: 

  • migration and pre-migration experiences (e.g. difficult journeys in search of safety, experiences of war migration status or visa uncertainty, changes in family structure as a result of migration) 
  • settlement experiences 
  • socioeconomic factors (such as unemployment and underemployment) 
  • isolation and loss of family support or social networks 
  • lack of trust towards authorities, and 
  • low levels of literacy (including English language). 

Due to these difficulties, fathers can be under increased pressure and stress in providing for their children.  

Family composition, dynamics and roles and responsibilities 

For some men, settlement challenges include having a different role in society, changes in their family structure and income. There may be gender stereotyped attitudes and beliefs relating to gender roles that are a significant barrier to engaging men from migrant and refugee backgrounds. 

Some culturally embedded views of gender roles see the raising of children as being a predominantly ‘women’s activity’ or women as responsible for maintaining family unity. Similarly, family composition may extend to aunties, uncles, cousins and extended family and they may have a greater role in raising children, in a communal setting, than is commonly practised in Australia.  

They may find the expectations of parenting and fatherhood different to their understanding of family. While this can be true both for first- and second-generation men, migration experience can also result in change in gender dynamics in families and intergenerational conflict. 

Collectivist approaches 

In some cultures, it is normal for the wider community to be involved in couple, family and child raising issues. Likewise, some cultures may have different, much broader concepts of personal space and privacy. The notion of confidentiality could have a broader, community application, meaning that the information can be shared beyond those immediately privy to it.

Parent-child relationships 

There may be different views on raising children, with some people preferring an approach whereby the parent has complete authority and obedience is expected from the child. In other families, children may be brought up to meet the expectations of their parents, rather than develop independence. You may find that, for some men, it is not customary in their cultures or countries of origin to be present or to be invited to be present at the birth of their children. 

The men’s portal of this site provides a wealth of information and resources for individuals on the changes associated with becoming a father, and covers topics including: 

  • the importance of fathers and bonding with your child 
  • the role of language and culture 
  • being a positive role model and managing your child’s behaviour 
  • dealing with stress 
  • mental health including perinatal anxiety and depression. 

Read Transcript

I think one of the most challenging parts of working with men from different cultural backgrounds is to break through the barrier where they feel like they have been unfairly targeted and that they are actually the victims and and some of them have genuinely heartbreaking stories.

They've had challenges with migration.

They've had challenges with the mental health and obviously all the other accessibility issues of addictions alcohol, gambling, etc.

They're probably spending a large part of their early years here, rather than experiencing the culture here.

They're trying to set up a whole new life.

They're trying to become economically independent the stresses of doing that in a country or in a community where they have no built social capital is as much a challenge for the men as it is for the women, but for the men especially those coming from strongly patriarchal communities showing that and having the language to express that doesn't come easy. Which means that even though they may have seen signs that they need support, they don't have the language or asking support and they also don't know where to get support.

The challenge is to put some of your internal knowledge of the process that they've gone through aside and meet them where they're at.

Not being sympathetic, but being empathetic towards happened and keep bringing them back to the fact that perhaps this is not the life that they saw for themselves as well.

Sometimes getting them to see it is quite difficult.

And we do know that mental health for men is a lot more difficult to crack and get support for than perhaps for women and it's difficult for women from multicultural backgrounds as well.

It is a huge challenge.

I think to get men interested in programs like this very few men actually self-refer, which is the goal.

We want men to seek support before mental health is still a massive stigma in most migrant communities for in many languages the words for mental health is exactly the same word as it is for madness.

So in their minds, they're seeking support for something that's highly stigmatised in their own cultures and languages and even for mainstream communities the awareness around mental health particularly for men is relatively low with that additional challenge getting men interested in your programs is very very difficult.

I think we are still taking baby steps word of mouth is probably one of the most important essential ways in which to get men to get interested.

The other things that are being tried is working with community leaders creating safe spaces for men.

Talk about the programs and there's a few happening around Victoria now.

But normalising these conversations I think is what will be beneficial in the long run which we are there yet, but hopefully soon.

Read Transcript

I think one of the differences between working with people from different cultures and specifically working with people from a refugee background is having a recognition and acknowledging the experiences of refugees is very different to, say, the experiences of an international student who has migrated here or economic migrant or someone who's been specifically invited to come here because of their work qualifications as a skilled migrant.

The level of trauma that a refugee can experience is very, very different and also where they're coming from.

A lot of the times you have refugees coming from countries that have seen high levels of conflict and that will definitely impact a whole array of their of their social and emotional makeup.

As international student, you experience services very differently because you're bringing in revenue.

As a skilled migrant, you're bringing in skills, you're fulfilling vital gaps in our working life. So you're perhaps welcomed a little bit differently to a refugee.

And given how the dialogue around refugees has been in the last few years, the last decade or so, we almost feel like there's a whole bunch of people, you know, making dangerous journeys in boats, coming in here illegally.

But they're not.

Many of them are not coming in that way, and they are genuinely escaping horrific situations.

Services are also made up of people who reflect the broader community view and that makes a huge difference to how a person coming from a refugee background is invited, accepted and treated as a service, then have someone coming in differently.

Educating staff is very important.

Having refugee advocates, people with the experience of a refugee life and refugee journey is very, very important.

Also recognising that trauma can show very differently in different types of refugees. That's very important as well.

nd giving your staff the tools to recognise that is very important, I think.