Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights (AMWCHR)
This project investigated the perceived impact and the ideological and political drivers motivating a shift in service delivery from community-specific to mainstream organisations – often termed in the literature as the mainstreaming of services.
Mainstream organisations are being increasingly characterised as best placed to cater to the needs of migrant communities, and community-specific service providers are seen as economically inefficient and a barrier to social integration.
The research explored how mainstreaming experienced by Australian migrant communities, the key ideological and political drivers of mainstreaming of social services, and the perceived impact of mainstreaming on multicultural Australia.
Project findings
Amongst a complex range of findings, the project revealed that there is no clear separation between ‘ethno-specific’ and ‘mainstream’ service providers in Australia – the distinction between them is complex and dynamic, and sometimes blurred in lived experiences.
Different service-provision modes are often equated with different needs at different junctures along the migrant settlement journey. More often, ethno-specific services are provided to newly arrived individuals and communities.
The project found that mainstream and community-specific approaches are not necessarily at odds with one another. Rather, there is a spectrum around ‘multicultural capacity’ among different service providers.
Mapping of services providers using project typology suggested that service providers with high multicultural capacity are working based on very insecure funding models. These service providers tend to be the ones that support new, emerging communities, especially those of intersectional identities (e.g. migrant women or international students from refugee backgrounds). The sectors that are currently more securely funded are aged-care provision and settlement services. Some mainstream service providers also have strong multicultural capacity to cater to a diverse community.
Project recommendations
Key recommendations include:
- Diversity and inclusion policies and their effective implementation need to be a key dimension of the social service sector, on a policy level, and through a whole-of-government approach
- A hybrid model of service provision – that encompasses ethno-specific, multicultural and mainstream service provision to support diverse communities and their needs – is critical
- While there are strong support systems in place for diverse communities, there is room to improve on securing support for more vulnerable cohorts
- Funding bodies need to consider hybrid needs in the sector to ensure equity and access
- Government – as a major funder of the social service sector – has an important role to play in improving the multicultural capacity of the social service sector to support an increasingly diverse Australia. Research evidence shows that service providers with stronger multicultural capacity are more effective for diverse communities
- Funding bodies at local, state and federal levels need to be adaptive, flexible and more transparent so that they can meet the needs of diverse communities.
Project impact
This research gathered and documented critical evidence which amplifies and validates the realities and observations of ethno-specific and community-based organisations such as AMWCHR. The over-reliance of government on larger mainstream organisations to support service delivery to multicultural communities results in communities not receiving or having reduced access to the services they require. This can lead to communities becoming more isolated, and having a reduced sense of inclusion and belonging. Ethno-specific services then become the conduit for communities to navigate systems access, information and services that they are rarely funded to deliver.
This research highlights how the current system is counterproductive to the success of the entire service system. Under-recognised and under-funded organisations, largely made up of diverse workforces, carry the burden of community response and access – a necessary role, and one relied upon by mainstream services in a way that is unsustainable and inefficient.
The current reliance on mainstream services reinforces power imbalances, limiting the scope and growth of ethno-specific services, which effectively restricts access and limits the provision of culturally safe service and care for communities.
As a partner organisation, we were proud to have been a part of this research project. It has provided invaluable evidence to support our work and advocacy, including;
- strengthening advocacy efforts, amplifying and providing evidence to support the need, importance and value of investing in community-based, ethno-specific organisations as a complement to mainstream services
- highlighting that the social capital, cultural literacy and expertise contributed by community-based organisations is crucial in supporting multicultural communities to participate in social, civic and political life in ways that mainstream services cannot and should not replicate
- providing evidence to support partnerships where AMWCHR is valued for its expertise to complement and strengthen access pathways
Project team
Dr Enqi Weng (Research Fellow)
Project details
Project start date: 2019
Project end date: 2024
Funding body: Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project