Cultural
Diversity
Plan
2016-2018
Introduction
Cultural diversity leads to a richer world where people can grow and thrive.
As a human rights organisation, the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) is strongly
committed to a just and inclusive society that respects and promotes the dignity and human
rights of all people.
OPA’s Cultural Diversity Plan 2016-2018 strengthens this commitment.
It seeks to enhance OPA’s service delivery and work environment by respecting and
promoting diversity, and by meeting the cultural, religious and linguistic needs of the people
OPA supports, as well as its employees and volunteers.
This plan is an expression of OPA’s vision, purpose and values, and an important element
of OPA’s strategic plan. It builds on OPA’s first Cultural Diversity Plan, published in 2011,
and past successes in promoting inclusion and cultural diversity.
Cultural Diversity Plan 2016-2018 provides a platform for the development of coordinated
approaches to improve OPA’s services, inclusion, employment and community
engagement. It is through these improvements that OPA aims to facilitate better outcomes
for people with diverse cultural, religious and linguistic needs.
By reviewing cultural competence strengths and weaknesses, OPA will have the
opportunity to learn from the results and develop the foundation for further improvements in
2016-2018 and beyond.
Colleen Pearce
Public Advocate
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Strategic priorities
Inclusion
Embracing cultural diversity as a mainspring of a
just and thriving society
Service improvement
Putting in place measures that enable access and
participation
Employment
Ensuring people from diverse backgrounds can get
and keep jobs with OPA
Community engagement
Engaging with communities and their
representatives
Legislation
UNESCO Convention on the Protection and
Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
2005
Cultural diversity creates a rich and varied world,
which increases the range of choices and nurtures
human capacities and values, and, therefore,
is a mainspring for sustainable development for
communities, people and nations.
Equal Opportunity Act 2010
OPA has a positive duty as an employer and
as a service provider to take reasonable and
proportionate measures to eliminate racial
discrimination as far as possible.
Cultural Diversity Plan 2016-2018
About OPA
Our vision
A just and inclusive society that
respects and promotes the dignity
and human rights of all people.
Our purpose
Safeguarding the rights and interests
of people with disability and working
to eliminate abuse, neglect and
exploitation.
Our values
Respect
We treat all people with respect.
We value difference and individual
worth.
Inclusiveness
We seek to empower people with
disability to contribute and participate
in society.
Integrity
We act honestly and transparently,
and take responsibility for our
actions.
Independence
We promote the rights of people with
disability and act independently of
other interests.
Compassion
We care about the individual and
their circumstances. We recognise
and respond to the particular
difficulties faced by people with
disability.
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Inclusion
Embracing cultural diversity as a mainspring of a just and thriving society
What will we do?
What will success look like?
Responsibility
Timeline
Develop terms of reference for an
OPA Cultural Diversity Planning
Committee.
Terms of reference for the
committee are developed.
Director of Strategy
May
2016
Seek nominations for the committee
from staff and volunteers in all
program areas.
The committee has members
from all staff and volunteer
programs, and holds its first
meeting in May 2016.
Committee members will participate
in cultural competency training as
soon after nomination as possible.
All committee members
have participated in cultural
competency training.
Director of Strategy
November
2016
The committee will facilitate
a Cultural Competence
Organisational Review and
monitor recommendations and
implementation during 2016-2018.
A Cultural Competence
Organisational Review is
conducted by December 2016.
Cultural Diversity
Planning Committee
December
2016
Make Cultural Diversity Week in
March 2017 and 2018 an important
part of OPA’s organisational
life through a range of different
activities in all program areas.
A range of activities are
planned for Cultural Diversity
Week which increase OPA’s
cultural competence.
Public Advocate
and Leadership
Team
March
2017
Explore partnership opportunities
with the Victorian Equal Opportunity
and Human Rights Commission and
other organisations.
Partnership opportunities are
explored.
Public Advocate
and Leadership
Team
Make Refugee Week in June 2016,
2017 and 2018 an important part
of OPA’s organisational life through
a range of different activities in all
program areas.
A range of activities are
planned for Refugee Week
which increase OPA’s cultural
competence.
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Cultural Diversity
Planning Committee
March
2018
Ongoing
Cultural Diversity
Planning Committee
Public Advocate
and Leadership
Group
Cultural Diversity
Planning Committee
June
2016
June
2017
June
2018
Service improvement
Putting in place measures that enable access and participation
What will we do?
What will success look like?
Responsibility
Timeline
Undertake a Cultural Competence
Organisational Review using
the tools developed by Merri
Community Health Services,
University of Melbourne and the
Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and
Health.
Established tools are
used to conduct a Cultural
Competence Organisational
Review of OPA.
Public Advocate
and Leadership
Team
December
2016
The OPA Cultural Diversity Planning
Committee will facilitate the review
process, seeking assistance if
necessary from the Centre for
Culture, Ethnicity and Health or
another suitable body.
The committee has facilitated
all aspects of the review
by December 2016, and
has sought assistance
from a suitable body where
necessary.
Cultural Diversity
Planning Committee
December
2016
The committee will oversee:
The staff survey and
document audit inform cultural
competence strategies that:
Cultural Diversity
Planning Committee
December
2016
•
•
•
cultural competence staff survey
cultural competence document
audit (policies and systems)
selection of cultural competence
strategies.
The committee will develop an
interim action plan for 2017-2018,
leading to a full new strategic plan
for 2019-2021.
Cultural Diversity Plan 2016-2018
•
can be implemented
without significant
resource demands or
resistance from significant
barriers during 2017 –
2018, which also generate
further momentum for
change
•
need to be implemented
in stages due to expected
difficulties and complexity
over a longer time frame
through a 2019 – 2021
strategic plan.
OPA has an interim action
plan for 2017-2018 from which
to develop a strategic plan for
2019-2021.
December
2018
Cultural Diversity
Planning Committee
December
2016
December
2018
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What will we do?
What will success look like?
Responsibility
Timeline
Improve the collection of data on
the number of people using OPA’s
services who have diverse cultural,
religious and linguistic needs.
OPA has accurate data on the
diverse cultural, religious and
linguistic needs of the people
it assists.
Director of Strategy
July 2016
Ensure existing Resolve fields for
‘country of origin’, ‘main language’
and ‘interpreter required’ are
accurately completed for people
receiving guardianship or advocacy
support.
Relevant fields are always
completed for new cases
and there is continuing
improvement for existing
guardianship and advocacy
cases.
Director of Strategy
July 2016
Refine the system for surveying
contact with OPA’s Advice Service
to establish baseline data and
trends relating to country of origin
and main language of people
making contact, and the people who
are the subject of their enquiry.
OPA’s Advice Service has an
effective system for surveying
the country of origin and main
language of people making
contact, and the people
who are the subject of their
enquiries.
Director of Strategy
Manager, Advocacy
and Guardianship
Program
July 2016
Manager, Corporate
Services
Data from these enquiries is
analysed to identify trends.
Use existing and newly developed
data collection systems to
inform the Cultural Competence
Organisational Review.
Data systems are developed
and implemented to inform
the Cultural Competence
Organisational Review.
Director of Strategy
July 2016
Cultural Diversity
Planning Committee
Community Engagement
Engaging with communities and their representatives
What will we do?
What will success look like?
Responsibility
Timeline
Develop working relationships
with peak bodies and ethnospecific communities, services and
organisations through programs
and activities, including community
education and the Cultural
Competence Organisational Review
OPA has working relationships
with peak bodies and ethnospecific communities, services
and organisations.
Director of Strategy
November
2016
Use the outcomes of the Cultural
Competence Organisational Review
to develop a strategy for community
engagement.
OPA’s community engagement
strategy is developed and
implemented progressively.
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Community education
sessions are delivered to
these groups.
Ongoing
Public Advocate
and Leadership
Team
Ongoing
Employment
Ensuring people from diverse backgrounds can get and keep jobs with us
What will we do?
What will success look
like?
Responsibility
Timeline
Include a statement on OPA’s
position descriptions that
encourages applications
from people with diverse
cultural, religious and linguistic
backgrounds.
Applications from people with
diverse cultural, religious and
linguistic needs are regularly
received for advertised
positions.
Manager,
Corporate Services
July
2016
Ensure recruitment campaigns for
volunteers include avenues that
can attract people from diverse
backgrounds, such as newspapers,
community forums and meetings
with a particular linguistic or cultural
group focus.
The numbers and proportion
of volunteers with diverse
cultural, religious and
linguistic needs increases
over time.
Manager, Volunteer
Programs
Ongoing
The Cultural Competence
Organisational Review will examine
equal access to employment
opportunities and related issues.
Further specific strategies
are implemented in 20172018 and planned for 20192021.
Public Advocate
and Leadership
Team
December
2018
The Cultural Diversity Planning
Committee will promote an
inclusive work environment that
respects and promotes diversity
and meets the diverse cultural,
religious and linguistic needs of
employees.
OPA’s staff value cultural
diversity highly and report
positive attitudes in the
cultural competence staff
survey.
Public Advocate
and Leadership
Team
November
2016
Consider strategic and timely
placement of advertisements in
newspapers or other forums with a
particular linguistic or cultural group
focus.
Cultural Diversity Plan 2016-2018
Follow-up surveys show an
increase in positive attitudes.
Cultural Diversity
Planning
Committee
Ongoing
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Office of the Public Advocate
Level 1, 204 Lygon Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053
Phone: 1300 309 337 Fax: 1300 787 510
TTY: 1300 305 612 NRS: 133 677
www.publicadvocate.vic.gov.au