Centacare Multicultural Services delivers a range of ongoing wellbeing groups and community programs under the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support Services (SETS) for the migrant communities in the region.
Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, the team delivered wellbeing groups online further supported by Wellbeing phone check-ins with up to 150 clients between the ages of 5-89 contacted each week. Post lockdown, we saw a return to wellbeing weekly focus groups with over 150 people between the ages of 5-89 engaging in weekly programs. There is a focus on building independence to engage with the broader Cairns community and to foster cross-cultural and intergenerational understanding and build authentic relationships particularly with First Nations and Traditional Owners in the region. We are very proud of our casework services team who have been under immense pressure to support migrant communities who have all been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in various ways – financial, health, housing and homelessness, education and employment, and have needed assistance and referrals to navigate community supports available to them.
During the September school holidays, over 40 young people aged 15–18 participated in the Holiday Youth Employment Program, growing their capacity to apply for part-time jobs and to understand the employment markets in Australia.
You can get in touch with the SETS team by calling (07) 4242 1058 or emailing [email protected].
