The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) marked National Carers Week last week (10-16 October) with the launch of a new campaign encouraging carers from multicultural communities to make the most of its services and support.
Announcing the campaign launch, Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services, Alister Henskens said DCJ’s It’s Caring campaign celebrated the State’s 850,000 carers and raised awareness about support available to them.
“Throughout the pandemic, the love and support of carers has been more important than ever and this week is an opportunity to say thank you,” Mr Henskens said.
“One in five carers in NSW come from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and this campaign is about making sure they know where to turn to access services and support,” he said.
Mr Henskens said carers provided unpaid help to people who needed support due to disability, mental illness, dementia, frail age or chronic illness.
Minister for Multiculturalism, Natalie Ward said the campaign would be rolled out in 10 different languages to reach as many of the State’s multicultural communities as possible.
“Multi-generational family households and shared caring duties can be common practice in some communities,” Mrs Ward said.
“Some people may not associate themselves as carers and may be reluctant to ask for or receive help.”
She said the DCJ campaign aimed to remove barriers to information, increase awareness about support available and send a message that “help is available to our wonderful carers across multicultural communities”.
