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There are a number of ways to learn more about the needs of the communities you will be working with.

• Research publications to find out general issues.
• Talk to people, for example, at:
  • the local government authority near you—they usually have a Community Engagement/Community Development team
  • community-led events
  • schools
  • gathering spaces such as churches/mosques/temples, shopping malls, community centres and other agencies that work with CaLD communities.
• Identify key people such as:
  • community leaders
  • agency staff
  • bilingual/bicultural workers
  • community volunteers.
    

The design and delivery of your service is critical to ensuring that CaLD people feel included. In assessing this, you may want to consider the following points.

• Does your organisational staff profile reflect the community you are working with?
• How culturally diverse is your staffing profile?
• Have your staff done cultural awareness training? This can be online or face-to-face.
• Is your programming and service model flexible? For example:
  • Do you have the option of after-hours and/or weekend service or could you provide an outreach service if needed?
  • Is there a need to provide a crèche for clients while they visit your service?
• Have you included the cost of language services in your budget? You might need to access telephone and face-to-face interpreting (by accredited or trained interpreters). Note that:
  • you need to allow enough time for interpreting. For example, if the appointment is usually 20 minutes, schedule double the time to allow for interpreting
  • some terminology may not be understood or may not exist in the language being translated
  • if the community group is small, or a dialect is not widely used, there could be a limited number of interpreters available and some may be in a different State. Some may be known to the client, which could lead to confidentiality issues.
• Have you considered how best to deliver the service to the client group? For example, ‘one-on-one’ or in a group? If group work is the method, is it appropriate for it to be mixed gender or a mix of cultural groups, or would it be best to customise the groups?

Understanding how to best reach the people you want to work with is vital.

• Do you identify your target audience and develop the most effective and targeted approaches to communicate the information in consultation with key people and agencies?
• Have you identified opportunities for partnerships with other organisations, associations and networks, local governments, State or Commonwealth Government agencies and non-government agencies that could assist with promotion?
• Are you using a mix of approaches such as face-to-face, online and social media, print media, posters and radio commentary and advertising? Strategies could include:
  • information stalls at community festivals and events, community information sessions or workshops
  • targeted distribution of written resources such as posters, stickers, cards, information sheets and pamphlets in languages other than English
  • community language voice-overs and/or pre-recorded audio and audiovisual materials and community messages and advertisements through government and community CaLD-targeted radio or television.
• Do you include the interpreter symbol in your information and promotional brochures and flyers?