Senior Citizens Liaison Program
City of Whittlesea, Victoria
Background
The City of Whittlesea is located on the metropolitan fringe approximately 20 kilometres to the north of the Melbourne CBD. Residents of the City come from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, with a very high percentage of residents born in other countries, particularly Macedonia, Italy, and Greece. Demographically, over half of the residents are from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Initiative
The Senior Citizens Liaison Program provides high level support to each of the 52 local Senior Citizens' Clubs in the City of Whittlesea. This includes providing members with advice and training about committee of management responsibilities, advice about how to resolve issues of conflict and advice on how to access local services.
The program has developed resources such as the Senior Citizens Multicultural Resource Kit in English, Italian, Macedonian and Greek which is a step-by-step guide to operating and maintaining an effective club.
It employs three bi-lingual support workers, from Greek, Italian and Macedonian backgrounds, as liaison officers for 20 hours a week.
The program administers Council's Senior Citizens Community Grants program which provides annual funding to enhance the activities that local clubs provide to their members.
It facilitates the Senior Citizens Liaison Network, the members of which meet every six weeks to participate in a forum for sharing of information and identifying and addressing issues of common concern.
The program also co-ordinates activities including a bi-annual Multicultural Senior Citizens Expo and the Let Everyone Actively Participate (LEAP) Program, in which people aged 55 years and older participate in passive and active recreational, social and educational activities on a regular basis.
Achievements
The establishment of the program is an acknowledgment of the crucial roles that cultural diversity and older residents play in the City of Whittlesea. The program has proven to be successful in addressing access and equity issues particularly for older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
Specific program benefits include:
- An established mechanism for linking older residents from CALD backgrounds with local and state government decision makers. For example, a delegation of Greek senior citizens spoke about psychosocial health concerns at a Victorian Government Community Cabinet meeting at the City of Whittlesea and a delegation of female senior citizens from CALD backgrounds participated in a Victorian Government Women's Forum.
- The integration of older residents into broader community activities through the development of skills, knowledge and confidence.
- The inclusion of a 'train the trainer' module for service delivery that is language and culture specific.
- A positive relationship has been nurtured between Council and the growing senior citizens community.
Council has also received a number of awards for the program including a National Awards for Local Government 2003 High Commendation Award and a City of Whittlesea Australia Day "Community Event of the Year" Award 2005 for the Multicultural Senior Citizens Expo.
Contact for further information
- Wayne Mitchell
- Aged Services Community Co-ordinator
- City of Whittlesea
- Locked Bag 1
- BUNDOORA MDC Vic 3083
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Phone: 03 9217 2220
Email: wayne.mitchell@whittlesea.vic.gov.au
