Engagement and Partnerships

Consumer and Carer Participation

Communications Strategy

Policy Development and Implementation

Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention, Stigma Reduction and Suicide Prevention

Workforce and Leadership Development

Service Access, Coordination and Continuity of Care

Research, Evaluation, Knowledge Exchange and Innovation

Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (MHiMA)

The MHiMA project is funded by the Australian Government, Department of Health & Ageing to provide a national focus for advice and support to providers and governments on mental health and suicide prevention for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

This includes representation and support of CALD communities’ interests in the mental health sector and raising awareness of mental illness and suicide prevention in CALD communities. It will also highlight the role that culture can play in the provision of appropriate and accessible mental health care.

The Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (MHiMA) project is led by a consortium consisting of: the Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre (QTMHC); the Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit (VTPU); the Centre for International Mental Health (CIMH) at Melbourne University; and the Mental Health Substance Abuse Research Group, Human Rights and security Cluster (UniSA).

The project will work to promote mental health, primary care and community awareness of mental health issues in CALD communities. It will engage with, establish and maintain productive relationships with relevant stakeholders such as the CALD community, consumers and carers, state and territory mental health specialists and mainstream services, relevant government agencies, non government organisations and the tertiary sector. Through these engagements the MHiMA project aims to improve access, responsiveness and quality of mental health services and suicide prevention programs for people from CALD backgrounds, and also facilitate access to information about mental health and relevant services.

The focus of the project is directed toward building networks, collaborative partnerships, developing effective strategies, encouraging evaluation, research and innovation, assisting to build CALD community capacity and providing strategic policy input to state and commonwealth governments.

The eight work domains, to be shared across the consortium are:

  1. Engagement and Partnerships
  2. Consumer and Carer Participation
  3. Communication
  4. Policy Development and Implementation
  5. Promotion, Prevention, Early Intervention, Stigma Reduction and Suicide Prevention
  6. Workforce and Leadership Development
  7. Service Access Coordination and Continuity of care
  8. Research, Evaluation, Knowledge Exchange and Innovation

The project promises to offer extensive consultation and collaboration in the spirit of improving early intervention and prevention, community and acute mental health care for Australia’s CALD populations. 

Contact Details:
Phone 1300 136 289
Fax: (07) 3167 8399
Email: info@mhima.org.au
Postal address:
PO Box 6623
Upper Mt Gravatt  Qld  4122