New eCALD® Courses and Resources for Working with CALD Children and Adolescents

eCALD® Services are pleased to announce the launch of new courses and supplementary resources suitable for health providers working with CALD children and adolescents and their families in child health and child and adolescent mental health contexts.

Please click on the resource name to find out more about these resources and how to access them.

These resources have been developed in response to the growing number of Asian children and young people in our population. In 2013, 37 % of the Asian population was under the age of 25 years. Language, culture and unfamiliarity with New Zealand health and social services are major barriers for Asian families accessing services for their children and young people. Being aware of the barriers to accessing health services for Asian families, and how to overcome these, is helpful in ensuring that families remain engaged with service providers and with the treatments and interventions prescribed. As well, being familiar with Asian family values, traditional health beliefs and practices, perceptions of health and illness and expectations of healthcare, will reduce cultural conflict between families and practitioners.

There is growing evidence that culturally adapted mental health interventions improve engagement and outcomes for CALD clients and families. To be clinically effective, health practitioners need to be knowledgeable about Asian, Middle Eastern and African family values, norms and traditions, be flexible in their therapeutic approaches, and create an atmosphere in which both parents and children feel valued and respected. The courses and resources provide the necessary skills and tools to support practitioners in this endeavour.

CALD 10 Working in a Mental Health Context with CALD Children and Adolescents course

We have upgraded the face to face course and developed a new online course for “Working in a Mental Health Context with CALD Children and Adolescents”.

The aim of this course is to provide strategies for managing cross-cultural interactions, screening, assessment, treatment and interventions when working with CALD children, adolescents and families in a mental health context.

Here are what pilot participants of the CALD 10 face to face course said:

I very rarely rate course this highly. I am very impressed by content and presentation.

The booklet and resource are great. The cultural assessment tools and guidelines were useful.

Very relevant to my practice, helpful tools and explanations were easy to relate to and understand.

Here is what pilot participants of the CALD 10 online course said:

I enjoyed the case studies and videos, I felt they helped my learning the most and made it easier to understand concepts and how to apply them. It really opened my eyes to some of the experiences of youth and migrants. The reflections were useful to think about my own views/experiences and how I might apply my learning in practice.

I found the information really helpful and this was facilitated by the way it was presented. The information was presented in a compassionate non-judgemental way and the video vignettes brought it alive. I appreciate having the workbook to download as I will be able to continue going back to it and reflecting on my practice

I found the content well balanced and presented in a way that kept me engaged throughout. I enjoyed the assessment section the most. The online course was interactive and interesting and encouraged reflective learning. I like the way this course is not weighed down with clinical information but provided the broad awareness to put the learnings into practice.

Cultural competency development is an ongoing development. While our eCALD® courses provide the necessary principles and cultural appropriate approaches to work with CALD children and adolescents and their families to help learners understand and gain skills on how to keep client or family engaged, and gain necessary knowledge and tools for culturally appropriate assessment and treatment, it is essential for learners to have access to researched and additional cultural specific information to increase cultural awareness, knowledge and skills.

The following supplementary resources contain useful research material with additional cultural specific information, useful cultural assessment tools, tips and case scenarios to enhance understanding.

CALD Child and Adolescent Mental Health Resource

We are launching the new e-book for this supplementary resource that is written for health providers caring for Asian, Middle Eastern and African children and young people and their families. It provides an overview of cross-cultural issues, with strategies on how to be culturally effective and responsive, guidance and tools and case scenarios to help readers gain more cultural understanding and skills. In the e-book you can also find a downloadable PDF version.

Caring for Asian Children Resource

We are launching the new e-book for this supplementary resource that is written for health providers caring for Asian children and young people and their families. It provides an overview and perspective on Asian children and their families, as well as a general guide with strategies on how to be culturally effective and responsive to Asian families when caring for their children including case scenarios. In the e-book you can also find a downloadable PDF version.

Related links:

eCALD® cultural competency courses “Working with CALD Patients”

eCALD® cultural competency courses “Working in Culturally Diverse Workplaces”

eCALD® course calendar

New eCALD® Courses and Resources for Working with CALD Children and Adolescents