Communicating with families from diverse cultures to nurture wellbeing

Sara Richardson

Hello, everybody, and welcome to our Early Childhood Australia Be You first webinar for 2026. Today's webinar is on a topic that's going to be of interest to a number of you, I'm sure, communicating with families from diverse cultures.

Our focus today is really going to be something that I think all of us, look for and explore and continue to want to understand how we can work effectively and sensitively with families. From a diverse range of, cultural backgrounds, and so…The focus today is going to be on both of those things, the relationship with educators, between educators and families, but also really digging into how we can communicate with families from diverse cultures. In particular to focus on the thing that we think's important at Be You is how we do that in order to support children's mental health and wellbeing.

But before we go any further, I would like to acknowledge that I'm joining you from Kaurna country in… that's the Adelaide region of Australia, on a country that was never ceded, and I want to pay my respects to Kaurna elders past and present. And I really encourage you to share and acknowledge, the country that you're joining from today, and if you're doing that online with us. Do that in whatever way feels right for you, but also if you're, joining us and watching the recording, then you might want to think about what that looks like for you in your service as well.

So, it's really important as we have these conversations, that we…take note of our, emotional safety, and as we have these conversations about mental health, we… we think about and plan for how we… what we'll do if this raises anything uncomfortable, or some thoughts and feelings come up for us. And remember, there's always someone to talk to, so on screen, you'll see some support services that you can access, so you can… you can access this as part of the Be You suite of resources, but just you might want to think about for your own, personal and emotional safety, what you might do if something rises up today.

So, as I said, today's, webinar is the first for 2026, and this year, we're offering a slightly different offering, and it's really exciting. Monthly webinars in a series that's focused on relationships and mental health. So the theme, that's going to be the theme across all of the webinars that we're having, so these webinars will be held every second month, starting with this webinar, at the same time, and on the same day. And it'll be in today's conversation is a discussion with a guest speaker on the… on the topic, and how that contributes to us building a mentally healthy learning community. So that's the in-focus. Then, on the… on the Next month, there will be an in-practice conversation, which will follow-on from the In Focus webinar, and the next one will be in April, following on from this webinar today. And what will happen in that In Practice webinar is that there'll be opportunity to revisit some of the key messages from the webinar, but also really translating those ideas into practice. So, today's webinar and the In Focus webinars will be about having a conversation with experts from the field.

And really digging into the content and understanding the concepts. And then the in-practice will really be about what does that look like, and how do we do that, and what does that look like at our service? So, really encourage you to join, all of those conversations that we can have. So, look forward to seeing you at the rest of the series, the In Focus and the In Practice, as we go along during this year.

Poll 1: 3:58 – 5:53

Sara Richardson

So, let's start off with this one, though, and let… and we'll do a poll to get things started. Now, if you're joining, online, I really encourage you to, have a go at the poll, and give us your ideas. If you're join… if you're, watching a recording, you might want to pause now and really have a conversation with each other about these questions. So the question we're asking is, what does your service… what's your service's current approach to communicating with diverse families, and what does it look like? So, is that… do you have something in place? Do you have a service-wide approach, or a strategy that's kind of really consistent and everybody's bought into? Do you think you're kind of…getting there, making progress, so we've got a plan, and we're kind of putting things into action? Or are you at the first step? So we've got a bit of a… you might have just started planning, or it's happening in a few bits, and…Parts of your service, or just really early days and you'd want to do it, but you haven't really started to think about how this work looks like in practice. If you could contribute to that, that'd be great, and we might have a look at the results. It'll be interesting to see if this webinar helps you think differently, or put some things in place.

It looks like we've got a fairly even spread, so most of you have got something in place, or you feel like you're making some progress. There's a couple of people who are just at the beginning, but some people, 20% of you, are just are in those early days. So, hopefully, from today, and a couple of people, I think, are commenting in the chat, too. They didn't get a chance to… to grab the poll. So, as I said, we'll give you another opportunity to respond to that later, and hopefully some of the things that you will learn from today will move you along, and maybe move you from first steps to making progress, or even giving you those first steps, if that's where you're up to.

Introducing Julie Ngwabi and question 1: 5:54- 12:14

Sara Richardson

Now, as I said, one of the things for the In Focus webinars is that we are, inviting some, experts and some guest speakers to come and help us have a conversation about the topic. And it's really exciting to have Julie Ngwabi here with us today. Julie's a Senior Mental Health Advisor with Emerging Minds, and if I'd like to invite Julie to come on screen now and maybe tell us a bit… a few things about herself.

Thank you, Sara, and good day, everyone. So, as Sara said, my name is Julie Ngwabi and I'm a Senior Child Mental Health Advisor here at Imaging Minds.

Julie Ngwabi

 I have about 20 years' experience working within the infant, child, and family mental health space, and I'm also a mother of two boys. I've got a 25-year-old who was born overseas and was 4 years when we moved over here to Australia, and I've got an 8-year-old boy who was also born here.

Sara Richardson

So I'm looking forward to having these discussions with you today. you so much, Julie. And do you know what? I forgot to introduce myself to. I'm Sara Richardson, I'm National Manager here at, Early Childhood Australia in the Be You team, and I, have the really fortunate role of hosting these In Focus webinars and the opportunity to have the conversation with you today, Julie about, about this really important topic, and I think it's a topic that a lot of early childhood educators really, feel really… know it's really important, and maybe sometimes are not 100% sure about where to land.

So, I think we're one of the things we really want to start with is, what do we really mean when we're talking about cultural diversity, particularly in the context of early childhood education and care? What do you… what would you say to. To that, trying to really understand the meaning of this topic.

Julie Ngwabi

I think that's a really important question to start with, Sarah, trying to understand or establish that shared understanding of what do we mean by cultural diversity, and also being mindful that we're doing this webinar today, which is Close the Gap Day, which really gives us an opportunity to reflect on some ways that we can ensure that first, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, you know, we do everything within our power to make sure that mental health… child, family, and mental health outcomes really a positive, and also acknowledging that the work that we are doing today, it really sits on the shoulders and resilience of Aboriginal and tourist Strait Islander people. So, really, cultural diversity is about acknowledging the existence of broad, cultural groups within a culture and within a system. And just looking at how these different cultural groups actually live and interact with each other. And within early childhood education care, we know that there is diversity within families, within parents, within children, in their communities, in that educators, really, in the course of their work. They interact with this, diversity. And it comes in the form of different languages, different races, nationalities, religion, different traditional and family practices.

So, in the co… in the… when we are talking about cultural diversity in this space. We're really looking at those relationships and communications and behaviours within diversity, and it's about us asking and also actioning. How does cultural, how is cultural diversity, you know. Influence how our service is accessed and how it is experienced by the same diverse families and children that we work with. And it's also looking not just at individual educator level, but at organization level as well, that how does this cultural diversity influence the way we design our services, the way we deliver our services, and who is evaluating our service, whether or not it's culturally diverse in ways that are helpful, And really, ultimately, within this space, again, it's looking at how is… what is in place to ensure that we work together to achieve our common goal? And we know that this is about nurturing the development, the social and emotional well-being, and the lifelong learning skills of young people.

So, I really think as early educators., you… I know that you know that you play a very crucial role, really, in that… in physical development, social development, and also in the development of lifelong skills.

And I think it's really important that we're having this conversation and trying to look at ways how we can strengthen the way we interact with each other for the positive mental health outcomes of all the children and families.

Sara Richardson

Yeah, that's so interesting, and I wrote down two things as you were talking, and I know that's going to happen. I think… I think one of the things you… that really made me think language really matters, and the words we use really matter, and that's important, and… but the other thing that happens with us sometimes is that we get stuck on doing it right, and getting it wrong, and, you know, that kind of thing. And I think one of the things you talked about that really helps with that, that… because often is… and I wrote down, we need to look in, we need to look at what we're doing, we need to look at what… what our… and you talked about our systems, about how we set up our, our environments, not just the physical environment, but the, you know. Is it accommodating and reflecting that diversity that we might be seeing in the community? And I think a lot of the time, we don't do that first. We look out first, and we look at… out… and look at the diversity, and then… but don't think about what that

Question 2: 12:15 – 18:05

Sara Richardson

Looking in looks like, and I think that, you know, if we move to the next question, is around… particularly around mental health, which is the thing at Be You that we're really interested in talking about, and I think probably at Emerging Minds as well about young children's mental health. So, you know, that question about how does culture influence the way mental health is understood, conceptualised, talked about, in, you know, in the context of this kind of conversation.

Julie Ngwabi

I like it that you've laid the foundation that it starts with us. In order to do this work and do it authentically and genuinely in ways that are helpful, it has to be work that is done, with us, and it's important that we establish a shared understanding, even of… you said language is important, even the way we understand, you know, terms like culture, it's really important, because it makes a difference.

So, we know that culture is ways of being and doing, and we all have a culture. And we know that it influences, as you were saying, our values, our belief systems, and it's our culture which shapes our worldviews and our behaviours as well. And equally with mental health. Everyone has got mental health, ranging from positive mental health to diagnosed mental health condition. But what we do know is that generally in Australia, including amongst professionals, unfortunately, child mental health literacy is very low. Usually, when people hear the term mental health, they immediately think about mental health difficulties, or childhood behaviours, or vulnerabilities.

You know, or diagnose the mental health conditions. So I think, first and foremost, as a nation, we've got a culture that we need to improve.

The way we understand child mental health in general, and that becomes the bedrock and foundation of really doing this work with families and children to support their social and emotional well-being, even before we start talking about, you know, how culturally diverse families themselves view or perceive mental health.

And we know that all cultures, Sara, they want the best for their children. And having said all that, we also do know that in some cultures, the term mental health, it doesn't translate well. But, terms like social and emotional well-being, they are well and better understood.

Compared to mental health or mental illness. And for some cultures as well, there are some… there may be some beliefs that some mental health challenges might be outgrown. You'll hear talk like, oh, his uncle was that… was like that, his auntie was like that, and therefore they might delay, you know, seeking help.

And also, depending on understanding, there might be shame, and within the family, or how they're going to be perceived by others, and fear of raising this with other services as well, whether it's with the educator or with the GP. And there might also be stigma.

To any challenges that might be faced. And that might also lead to secrecy, you know, families wanting to keep this within staying away from services. And I know for sure that there are some families who actually take their children away back to the country of origin to try and solve that problem away from prying, you know, our Western eyes, because the way culture influences how mental health is understood, and the supports that's needed. Sometimes it's seen or viewed within spiritual lens, or within issues of faith.

So if they think that's related to that, then they might feel like mainstream services really have no role in supporting their children's social and emotional well-being. And on the other hand, we know that culture has got some strengths as well.

There are some instances where when a family is experiencing some challenges, they wrap around that family and that child and really support them. For example, even in the perinatal period, when a parent has given birth, you know, people within the same community will gather around this family and child and really wrap around them. So that's a strength that is coming from culture, and we know that really leads to positive mental health outcomes for children. To really summarize on this point, I think we all need to… to have a good understanding on what child mental health is, and that everyone has it, and that it's within a continuum of positive mental health or for mental health vulnerabilities when children are beginning to show signs. And it's only a few children who reach that criteria of actually having diagnosed mental health conditions. And seeing mental health from this. Continuum and this, lens. It really, highlights to us that we really all have a role to interact with parents in a way that promotes positive mental health, if we know what it looks like.

To engage with parents and children to identify those challenges early on, and facilitate, supports and early intervention, and ultimately, eventually, that will minimize the number of children who will need specialist mental health support and intervention.

Sara Richardson

Yeah, absolutely. And that's, you know, fundamental to, I know, the work that you do at Emerging Minds, but also that we do here. And kind of moving on to the next question.

Question 3: 18:06 - 25:24

Sara Richardson

Which is about how do diverse perspectives on mental health impact on how educators and services partner with families to support children's mental health and wellbeing. And I think one of the things I was thinking as you were just talking then is that partnership's a critical element to this, but I think the diverse perspectives is not just about the diverse perspectives of the families. I think even within services, there's probably diverse perspectives, and maybe not shared understanding about what mental health is, because of people's own experiences. And so, again, it's that looking in and understanding self, and getting shared understanding internally, but that is valuable part, and doing your own learning first, which is valuable part of this conversation. But, you know, so if we are thinking about that question of picking up partnering, and I really like, and I think it's really important to hold on to that notion that every… that you said, every family and every community, really, because you're talking about that wraparound, that's the strength wants the best for children, and if we do this well, then… then we're setting children up really well.

But there are some specific things, I guess, around how these things might impact on how we partner with families.

Julie Ngwabi

Yeah, they are, and you cite it, really. We… it's really, really… I will re-emphasize to have that shared understanding on what supports positive child mental health, because we have to know what we're looking for, what we want to sustain, and we have to know when children are beginning to struggle, and to know what to do with that. So, having that foundational child mental health literacy and knowledge and understanding on child development, it really positions educators.

Well, to partner and collaborate with families and parents with intention. So, and you said it well, that it's for all of us, not just the individual educators or professionals, but the organisation themselves, and just also the families themselves, because they know what is best for their children, they've been raising their children, they know what works and what doesn't work. So, it takes all of us having that child mental health literacy.

We always talk about it takes a village to raise children. It sure does. And I'll give you an example. I was, talking about this to my husband the other day, how in my culture or community, when you meet someone who is of childbearing age, you ask them, oh, hello, how are you? How are the kids? So, you'll ask, how are the children, whether or not you know that person has got children or not.

So even if that person has got no children, they'll never say, what kids? I don't have kids, because immediately they'll think about their nephews, their nieces, and knowing the role that they play in nurturing, you know, and supporting the well-being of these children. So, it's equally the same even within our system, that all of us.

We are a village that trips around the parents and represents the children. And again, it's, understanding and moving away from, seeing mental health as mental health challenges or mental illness, because we are missing out on opportunities of promoting positive mental health, of prevention, and of early intervention. We'll see child mental health as something for specialists.

And then we won't be able to see our role in that, when in reality, in the course of doing their work with parents and children, educators, they are promoting children's positive mental health.

You know, they are doing things, they're engaging with children and with the parents in ways that, you know, supports preventing of mental health, challenge. So it's bringing that to the fore, and we're being conscious of what we are doing, and why you are doing it in this space. And, and we know that for children who aged 0 to 12, their social and emotional well-being is really impacted by places where they play, where they learn, where they live, where they grow. So, that, socio-ecological context. That whole-of-child approach is really, really crucial. And again, if we are looking at children, supporting child mental health. With that length… with that lens, we are really maximizing our engagement and our partnerships. With the parents. We're not only looking for challenges, you know, for the red flag, so that we are reactive, but we're also looking to partner with parents to say, what is working well? You know, that strength-based approach, it really provides that beautiful medium of connecting with parents to then address what other challenges they might be… they might be facing, because all parents will agree that if you are having a casual conversation with someone about your children, if you feel safe with that person. You… you'll tell them, I'm struggling with this, with Mary, with Johnny, whatever, because you do not have fear that they are going to do something about it.

So it's the same in the professional space. If we come from that strength-based approach, if we create safety, then we're providing a medium for parents to be able to feel free to share. What's some of the areas that they might be struggling with?

And we are also bringing the cultural context as well. We know that families and parents from diverse cultures, they carry a lot of parental wisdom with them that they draw from to support their children. They've got a lot of parental wisdom and problem solving that they use to navigate, you know, services here in the country that they alcohol their home, and to thrive. So, that approach, I think, is really important as well.

Sara Richardson

That's so good, and I think, I mean, you talked about intentionality, and we talk about that a lot in early childhood, but I think the intentionality… the intention to partner is really powerful, and to look for strengths as well. And, you know, I think… I was thinking as you were talking, you know, that notion that, families feel safe to be vulnerable, then maybe there's an element where sometimes we don't feel safe enough to go. You know, I'm wondering… you know, I'm wondering about how we might do that, because that doesn't seem to be working here, or I've tried this, and I've tried that, and actually seeking the parents' wisdom out sometimes, too, because I think a lot of times we provide information to parents, which is great and important, but we tend not to seek information from parents, and they have a lot of… they… you're right, they know the most about their child, and the context that the child's coming from, and so if we create the environment where that information can be two-way, then it's with a focus on the child, and I think that's, you know, that's why we have a relationship, and that's why we're partnering with families, because

Further exploration of question 3: 25:25 – 27:39

Sara Richardson

We want to do things better for that… that child and children that we're… we're caring for. So, it's really, really good. So, yeah, do you want to say something?

Julie Ngwabi

Yeah, I wanted to say that, I think it's tempting for professionals, when we engage with parents, we go straight into professional expertise mode, you know?

Julie Ngwabi Emerging Minds: I heard someone why say that I think it's really important for us to go back to the basics of who we are as people, and connect from that

Level, first and foremost, so that you are connecting with another individual who has got knowledge, experience, and self-determination, who's got urgency.

So, that… that balances power as well. So, before you come with professional expertise, also being aware that that person is also an aspect in their own right, they're an aspect in raising their child. On what's best for their child and their family as well. And as professionals, we always talk about evidence-based approach, and we know that it comprises of three elements. The best available research evidence Practitioner expertise, absolutely, but there's a third crucial element that we overlook.

That's the individual expertise, the lived experience. If we put value on that third component, when we approach the other person, you know, as processing knowledge and experience, and be able to partner with them to collaborate with them, to reach a shared understanding, what are the issues, and to collaborate and partner with them how do we solve these issues? How have you solved them before? It will make a difference. Yes, we are professionals, we've got a lot of expertise, but the parents, they are experts in their own rights.

Sara Richardson

Yeah.

Julie Ngwabi

 Lots of wisdom that we can harness in order to partner and collaborate with them effectively.

Sara Richardson

Yeah, absolutely. And that… so, if we shift our questions now, we've spent a bit of time talking about, you know, trying to really understand what… some definitions and get some shared meaning.

Question 4: 27:58-33.40

Sara Richardson

And if we shift our questions now, you know, to a little bit more about how we might go about doing that, which we've kind of already started to do. So if we think about, you know, and we've started to talk about high-quality family partnerships, they rely on open, responsive, culturally sensitive, and I'm going to put that word… I'm going to put that in inverted commas, because I think that's a very loaded way to describe communication that really acknowledges and honours that cultural diversity. So, you know, if we think about that, what does that really what does communication look like in practice? Do you think?

Julie Ngwabi

 Again, it's starting at the foundation of being human, being respectful, creating a safe space, and making it mutual. Collaboration is mutual, it's not a one-way street. And we know that's the basis, really, for all effective communication and relationships.

Really, doing this work is based on building and nurturing relationships with parents and children. It's the medium by which we can do this work, and creating this kind of relationships and rapport, it's part of the work. It's a great part of the work, and when we spend time creating these kinds of relationships, it will pay off.

So sometimes we skid ahead and want to do for the parent, the child, or the family. We skip all this, and then we get stuck.

And then it becomes really difficult to come back at the beginning. And as I said, just considering this right of the other person for self-determination, for choice, and for making decisions that are best for them and their children.

And this kind of communication and partnership is also genuine and authentic, truly believing that parents possess parental wisdom for what's best for their children. And it seeks to understand the meaning of culture from this family.

And it also accepts, people have their own cultures and traditions, and that they draw from to raise their own children and also accepting that those might be different from yours, or mainstream, and it's okay. We know that child safety is a priority, but if it's nothing to do with child safety, it's just a child-rearing practice, that's just different from yours.

Question 5: 33:41 – 38:18

Sara Richardson

It's seeing that it's different from mine, the way I was raised. I raised my children, and it's okay. That's where cultural diversity comes in. And it really packs judgment and assumptions but seeks to learn and understand from the parent and from the child as well.

Julie Ngwabi

 And it listens to learn, you know? It helps us as professionals not to be reactive or to be quick with aspect intervention.

And it doesn't assert power or authority. Therefore, it's not readily prescriptive, like, I know what's going on in this family, and I know what's good for you and your child, and what their needs are. And it's also not hurried. It seeks collaboration, partnership.

Again, with the aim of reaching a shared understanding. What are the needs? What do they see as a priority? This family, this parent, and this child? And what are the possible solutions? And really aiming to come up with those solutions together. And,

I think sometimes the best intentions may miss the point when we are so quick to… to formulate problems and to, come up with what we think is the best solution for… to support this family. I always use the borehole example, which I heard from another

Nigerian educator, she was saying that in their village, they… some Westerners came from an NGO organisation. They noticed that the mothers with young babies know, they were traveling long distances to go to this one particular borehole to fetch some water. So, of course, they wanted to help. They've got the means. They say, talk to the men in the village and say.

I think we can help these women who make sure that in each home state, there is a borehole, so it means these women will just be taking water within their home state, and then it will save them time from going to…to this faraway borehole, and they will have more time to look after their husbands and their kids.

So, they agreed to do that, they put the balls there. Initially, the women, they stayed at home, they took water from their boreholes. But with time, they went back to the old borehole. So, the men were confused.

And the engineers were confused. What's happening with what we're helping these women? So when they asked, eventually asked to the women, the women said, you never asked us. If you had asked us, we would have told you the reason why we're going to that porthole. It's time for us as parents, you know, to look after ourselves, to connect with other mothers, away from our husbands and away from our kids, and to catch up on gossip and stuff like that, you know, it's for our own well-being and self-care. So if you had consulted us. Would have come up with a solution that had… would have benefited, everyone. So then it comes back to the best intentions sometimes. They really do miss the mark. And it's also asking what's happening in this family, because families do… and parents do want the best for… for their children. What's getting in the way for them parenting in the way that they would love to? Again, it's looking at the context, what is happening? What else is happening in this family? And it's asking them, what happened to you? as opposed to what's wrong with you, because you get a totally different response from that. And as I say, it is also strength-based, but also because of safety, it provides a medium of addressing any other challenges. And we can see from this that it's really grounded on curiosity and humility, yeah.

Sara Richardson

Yeah, and I think that shifts us to the next question, which really, helps us think differently, and I think we've got a slide that you want to talk to about, you know, this concept of culturally curious, and I'd be really interested to hear you talk a little bit about that, because it's following on from what you've just been talking about.

Julie Ngwabi

Yeah, we know that our culturally diverse families and children, they've got different experiences from mainstream communities. So, one is, again, opening us up to con… consider the whole ecology and context when engaging with culturally diverse families, because their experiences are different. And these are an example of some of the things that they experience differently compared to mainstream, which affects their social and emotional well-being and mental health as well. So, culturally diverse families, they experience racism and unconscious bias, and we know that racism is harmful. It's a stressor. If a parent is stressed. It affects the way that they respond to their children, and unconscious bias, if for the professionals or services that they are trying to connect with, they've got buyers or stereotypes or assumptions, it will ultimately affect their help-seeking behaviours, or even their connections with, different organizations or different services within the community, whether it's education or health or whatever it is that they need. And also, being curious about their migration and acculturation journeys.

They might have experienced some trauma, there might be some stress, you know, circling into the new country and navigating, and then there's some acculturation issues.

You know, first generation who are culturally differently from the second generation, which in turn raises conflict within the parents, especially when the parents, you know, might want to remain as conservative as possible. They might want to stick to the cultures and traditions of their family of origins, and children are trying to adopt as much as possible. The new mainstream culture. That also creates some family conflict and stress within the home. And then there are some cultural family practices that might be lost because of the move. Practices that they were drawing from to raise, you know, their children. And again, even within the parents, the parenting styles might differ. One parent might want to adopt more westernized ways of parenting and disciplining the child. Maybe the other parent or the grandmother might want to stick to the tradition. So all those things have got, say, a flaw on impact on parenting and child well-being. And again, the cultural identities

Children sometimes find themselves as little people with no land. You know, at one point, at one hand, at home, maybe there is pressure to remain as conservative, or to, you know, to, stick to the culture, family beliefs, and tradition of the parents. And then they go out at school, in the community. There's also pressure to conform to mainstream.

So that's very confusing for children, and it affects their sense of identity, who they are, and their sense of belonging. And we know that has got a huge impact on children's social, emotional well-being and their mental health. So, as practitioners, these are some of the things that you can be curious about, you know, before you reach into professional expertise mode of problem solving, but try to understand. What happened to this family, or what is happening to this family, so that you reach a shared understanding of what the issue is, and then possible solutions for that.

Sara Richardson

Really… it's really helpful to have those really clear and key thing domains to be curious about. I was… but I was actually thinking as you were talking, I think in response to the last question you talked about, you actually reframed a question, and I am wondering if people might feel, like. We've got these domains, but, you know, a little bit reluctant to or afraid of knowing how to ask these kinds of questions, or how to broach these kinds of conversations with families, because it doesn't always… maybe a direct question might feel a bit too direct.

Question 6 38:19- 45:56

Sara Richardson

So, yeah, and this is a question without notice, and we haven't talked about this before, but I am wondering what you… what your thoughts are about, you know, how would you bring some of these up?

Julie Ngwabi

So, in engagement. Again, you start by establishing that safe, mutual, respectful relationship, and again, it's withholding, you know, putting on the professional expertise head and learn. You can ask them as open-ended question. How long have you been here? Yeah. How was it moving here? How was the experience? So, from that open-ended questions, they will provide you the context and the details, and then you'll get your answers from all these, you know? Yeah.

Sara Richardson

Also get a little… sorry to interrupt you, you might also get a little bit of a feel for how much someone's prepared to share, or how open they are to, and you should listen. I think you talked before about listening to the tone and body language as well, which is important, not just the information you're getting, but those kind of things might also… are also really important cues, probably, to how much further you go. But yeah, sorry to interrupt you, keep going.

Julie Ngwabi

 No, no, that's fine, because really, as we say, where there is safety and perceived collaboration and respect, parents do want to talk about their children. They don't just want to talk about strengths, they also do want to talk about vulnerabilities in their children, in their families, because they want those to be addressed.

Sara Richardson

 Hmm.

Julie Ngwabi

 So, creating that environment is really, really important. Investing time to create that environment so that this communication and interaction and partnership and collaboration happens, it's really, really important. And listen… asking open-ended questions. And also listening to learn, to understand, and get the full picture. Really happening, because you wouldn't ask if you experienced racism, stuff like that, no. But when you ask open-ended, I'm curious to know, how was your move to Australia here? If they had, if someone like me who get the first child back home, how is it like you're having your 8-year-old? What are the differences? I'll be able to tell you, you know?

The difference between my experience when I had my child back home, when I had all the supports, when I had all the village, and then I came here, and all that support was left back home in my country of origin. So the way you ask it, I'll be able to provide you with that information.

Sara Richardson

Yeah, and that's a very different question than asking, oh, can you come and cook something from your culture, or can you, you know, which we tend to be… feel safer about asking and more comfortable about asking. I think these questions will give us a lot more information, and we should still, though, give people those other opportunities to share their culture in whatever way they feel comfortable, but I think that, you know, really exploring these domains is also really helpful. The other part of that question was what… about

It was back to a meaning quest… a meaning and shared understanding kind of thing, and how all of these things feed into what does it mean to be culturally competent?

So this is about being culturally curious, and how does curiosity and competence go together, do you think?

Julie Ngwabi

They do go together, because we do know that, effective engagement requires us to be both culturally competent and culturally curious. And again, cultural competence is best answered by what it is not first.And we know that it's not doing or attending cultural competence training or courses, and then being satisfied, you know, culturally competent.

And we know that no one is expected to learn or know all cultures. It's a lifelong journey that we all have to commit to, and that to be culturally competent, really, you are taught by the parent, the family, and the child in front of you. What culture means to them.

And how they connect with their culture. And we also know that culture is dynamic, even within the same culture. The way I connect to my culture

It's different to the way my 25-year-old connects to my culture. So you cannot have one size fits all. Until you talk to my son, he's the best person to tell you how he connects to his culture. And when you talk to me, you get a totally different, reason how I connect, to my culture. And that makes culture something that's much more meaningful, because we're talking about meaningful partnerships and relationships, and how to respond appropriately. So, cultural competence really is best described as the capability that's required both at organizational and practitioner level.

To effectively engage and provide appropriate services to culturally diverse people. Yeah, and we've just got a little moment before we start to… into the, you know, the final stages, but I think that point that you've made is really important, that… that this needs to happen on an individual level, but also on a service level. We need to do both of those things, and it can't just sit with us as individuals, although that's really important, but also we need to think about what this looks like at a service level as well. So, do you want to… would you be able to just quickly. Maybe just speak to that, and then the… when the poll launches, then that's a queue to maybe just wrap up as we move on to the next thing at organization level, I think we mentioned it, it's asking and also actioning.

How is this diversity reflected in our policies, in service planning, delivery, and evaluation? How are we supporting our practitioners to be culturally competent after they've done the training? How are we supporting them in practice? And how are culturally diverse people influencing all aspects of service? Because it's the… it's only the culturally diverse people who can authentically assess and evaluate how culturally responsive and safe you are. It's not the organisation or practitioners themselves. And how are you supporting staff well-being? Because doing this work is not easy. You have to sit with the anxiety of not knowing, and you have to sit with that discomfort as well. So this brings issues of staff well-being. How are we supporting staff? Are there any supervision opportunities around issues of culture? Are we providing them with, opportunities to reflect the parents that the, you know, the interactions that they are having with culturally diverse families, and get the necessary support? as they go ahead. And, I'm happy to talk about the individual level as well.

Sara Richardson

Well, we'll pop the poll up now, so maybe… well, maybe if you want to just touch on it while we do, because I think the poll leads directly into what you've just been talking about. So, if people can listen to you and do the poll, if you want to speak to that, but the questions in the poll are, you know, really thinking about that service level.

Julie Ngwabi

Okay.

Sara Richardson

You know, and this is the steps that people are going to take after today's webinar. So, you know, they're going to take back to their service and discuss with colleagues, and so that can be on an individual, but that can be something that people will do at a service level as well. And I think, you know, also there's a question here about using the Quality Improvement Plan, which Early Learning Services have to do. So, while people… we'll just give people a moment to fill that in. Do you want to say quickly just something about individuals?

Julie Ngwabi

 Yeah, for individuals, again, it's having that awareness of your own cultural belief system, your values, and your own biases as well, and also being aware of the role of culture that it plays in family, in people's lives, and in their well-being as well and also possessing those practice skills. To be able to safely and effectively engage with culturally diverse families, and to be able to work in partnership and communicate meaningfully with them. So, it's really… cultural competency encompasses competence at organization level, at individual practice level, and also having that, social determinants of health lens in order to make it more relevant and more responsive, yeah.

 

Summary of the key messages: 47:34 – 50:56

Sara Richardson

Thank you. Let's just have a look and see the results of the poll, maybe, and see how… what people are, So looks like every… nearly half the people are going to go back to… and have a conversation with their… with their service, which is fantastic, and I think there's lots to talk about.

And some people are going to reach out to the Be You consultant, which I think is also a really valuable thing to do, that we can provide ongoing support. You know, picking up some of those things you talked about, mental health literacy, and knowing… learning more about mental health myself, and that looking inwards, and how we can start with us first. But embedding those service-wide things, I think, is really important, too, that you've also mentioned. So, that's fantastic to hear that.

And as we move into the final stages of the webinar, I'm going to ask you to maybe just wrap up some… a key wrap-up of some of the key points, Julie, if you could.

Julie Ngwabi

Yeah, we know that, really, using culturally sensitive language is really powerful in shifting perspectives, and being intentional with the language that we use, and also,

Recognizing that people that we connect with, they bring expertise and knowledge, and also being aware that they've got their agency and self-determination before coming on, putting on our professional heads-on, and also knowing that sometimes people, might have experienced the trauma, so being trauma-informed.

Allowing them to have choice and to collaborate with them and being intentional to seek to understand the whole context. Because it's so much easier to think we know what's happening to this family, and by so doing, we risk stereotyping people. And being intentional, that's the language that we are using, it really draws people in. It doesn't draw them away.

And also, some of the strategies that we can use to shift perceptions really, Again, acknowledging the parental knowledge and wisdom of families from diverse cultures, and looking at ways on how you can tap into that and harness that in your engagement, and also considering the whole context, cultural context. The social and historic context that this family might be finding themselves in. And of course, this requires us to be culturally humble.

To be curious in order to effectively collaborate with them, and we cannot overemphasize the importance of being respectful in our language and interaction. And we know that culturally responsive practitioners are those that look inwardly as themselves, who have got that self-awareness of their own biases, beliefs, and assumptions. And they don't just look at a problem in its isolation, but they seek to… they listen to understand the context as well. And they are also mindful on how they position themselves, you know, to share the power with the other person, and to also be mindful that they might be privileged because they belong to a mainstream community, so there are some barriers that they may not be aware that culturally diverse families are facing, and the willingness to keep on learning. No one can know all the cultures all the time, so we are taught by the people that we are interacting with at that particular moment. And doing this work, really, is through partnership and collaboration. Thanks so much, Julie. I think there's so much, and for some of us, this might be… some of these points might be, affirming and validating some things we already know, but there's always.

Webinar Wrap Up 50:57 - End

Sara Richardson

New things, and I think the way that you've really encouraged us to look inward first and to really understand, and connect with people on a human and individual level is really powerful and really important. So, as we finish up, we will share a few resources with you, and so, we'll hear a little bit more from Julie in a sec, but we really value your feedback about this event. We've really tried to build some of to some of these webinars series, to meet your needs. So the feedback is, available there for you, so we really… we really, value your input.

with that. But just moving on, I would also like to, remind people that there are Be You resources that you can, access. So we have some culturally responsive resources, and also there's some professional learning modules. But I think, to your point too, and we didn't put this here, but you can also find these on the website, is building our own mental health literacy and our own understanding of mental health when we… while we're having these conversations with families is also a critical element to that, and something that Be You offers really well. And Julie, would you like to speak a little bit about, the Emerging Minds, fantastic Emerging Minds, resources that are available that support this work as well.

Yes, these are two short courses that you can do free of charge from Imaging Minds. The first one is the Foundation course.

Julie Ngwabi

 That really talks about some of the principles that we're talking about, how to understand child mental health in culturally diverse communities. And the second one is a more practice-focused course, and it talks about how you can develop those strategies as well. And it answers some of those questions on how you can be curious on those four domains that we had on the screen earlier.

one. And the next one, I think, is, Imaging Minds families, that's where you'll find resources specifically curated for families.

So, they really aim to build the understanding of families and parents themselves on how they can support the social and emotional well-being of their own children. So, as educators, you can access these resources and see how you might use them with the parents and families that you work through.

Sara Richardson

That's fantastic, thank you so much, and it's wonderful to be working together, because Emerging Minds and Be You are, funded in the same, pool of, funding from the Department of Health, and I think it's fantastic to see how these resources, you know, really support, you know, and complement each other, so you… and they're all freely available, so they're fantastic resources. So, really appreciate you sharing those particular ones, and I know, accessing information for families is always something that people are really looking forward to, especially for… for this, for this topic.

So, as we finish up, I want to remind people, as I said at the beginning, that this is a series of webinars, and the next conversation will be about how we take some of these concepts that, Julie's really helped us understand a bit more about, and maybe, you know, offered some new ways of looking at this work that we do, and we know is really important. So the next, webinar that's on Thursday the 16th of April at the same time, so we're going with Thursdays at 4 Eastern Standard Time, is, thinking about what this looks like in practice, so really how we can make change happen in our, in our services, and looking at that service-wide, and that's why I really wanted you to really reflect and talk about that, Julie, because I think we can all do our own work, and that's a really important part of this, but how do we make that happen across our whole service, and make it stick? Like, make it something that doesn't leave when someone leaves, because that's the challenge, too, is how we really, kind of, really embed this, and we're doing it not because It's a good thing to do, but because… It matters for children. And… and their ongoing mental health. So I think it's really important that we, have that conversation as well. So, I'm really excited that we've, stuck to time, Julie, because I wasn't sure how we were going to go with that, but I really, really appreciate your time today, and I think, the way you've been able to, help us explore some of these topics that are big and quite tricky has been really, really valuable, and I've really appreciated having the conversation with you. Thanks, everybody, for coming. Do you want to just say one more thing before we go, Julie?

Julie Ngwabi

No, that's all. Thank you, Sara, it was a pleasure.

Sara Richardson

Thank you so much for your time today, and thanks, everybody, for coming. Remember to fill in the evaluation survey, and keep, accessing the fantastic resources from Be You and Emerging Minds, and keep doing the good work that you do. Thanks, everybody.