The Social Policy Group - SPG

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The Social Policy Group - SPG

SPG is a national not-for-profit body with specialist expertise in social policy & program design

31/05/2026

The cost of pregnancy care in Australia varies a lot. It can be partly covered by both Medicare and private health insurance, depending on your circumstances.

SPG’s Healthy and Safe Pregnancy Information Project worked with community experts to co-design social media tiles that help pregnant mothers begin to understand and navigate these expenses.

The tiles are available in 11 community languages. Our resources are free to use and designed to be shared by community leaders, community members, and healthcare providers.

Head to healthyhorizons.org.au to find translated tiles and more.

28/05/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined yesterday’s National Virtual Community Services Roundtable.

We had a strong and thoughtful discussion with community service providers from across Australia about how services can better connect to support people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

Next week, we are continuing the conversation in person in Melbourne.

The Victorian Community Services Roundtable will help round out what we have heard nationally, with a focus on local experiences, referral pathways, and opportunities to strengthen coordination across services in Victoria.

If you work in health, housing, mental health, domestic and family violence, disability, education, legal, youth, LGBTIQA+, AOD, employment, or financial and hardship services, we warmly invite you to join us.

📍 Victorian Community Services Roundtable
Wednesday 3 June
12:30–2:30pm AEST
Melbourne City Library, Majorca Room
253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000

Registration link in the comments below.

Please share this with Victorian colleagues or tag a service that should be part of this conversation.

21/05/2026

Why does strengths-based practice matter in settlement work?

It is sometimes easy to slip into deficit framing in work with people who have experienced trauma, overcome tremendous hardships, and face barriers as they settle in a new country.

What is wrong? What are the needs? What are the barriers? Where are the gaps?

These questions matter, but they are not the whole picture.

Strengths-based practice recognises the inherent strengths of individuals, families, and communities, and the capacity, skills, knowledge, connections, and potential that people and communities already hold.

Our new Settlement Insights Special Edition: Strengths-based Practice brings together contributions from across Australia on shifting from “what is wrong?” to “what is strong?”

Read the full edition here:https://members.setscop.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SETSCOP-Special-Editions-Strengths-based-Practice-Vol-1-May-2026.pdf

17/05/2026

IDAHOBIT 2026: At the heart of democracy

On 17 May, IDAHOBIT 2026 highlights that strong democracies are built on equity and justice for all. Inclusion doesn’t happen by default. It is shaped by systems.

When these foundations are weakened, and the rights of minority groups are diminished, it creates conditions where other rights can also be weakened.

Restrictions on LGBTIQA+ rights can be used to justify limits on freedom of expression, civil society, and participation, reshaping who is included and who is not.

For many people from refugee and migrant backgrounds who identify as LGBTIQA+, or have diverse s*xual orientation, gender identity and expression, and s*x characteristics (SOGIESC), Australia should be a place of safety, belonging, and opportunity, and where people can participate fully as their whole selves.

IDAHOBIT calls us to take action to strengthen systems, address exclusion where it exists, and ensure rights are upheld in practice.

At The Social Policy Group (SPG), we are working with sector leaders to strengthen service capability to deliver safe and inclusive services for all communities.

We thank our partners STARTTS,Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma, Third Q***r Culture, Avesta Advisory, and Many Coloured Sky for their leadership and collaboration in this work.

12/05/2026

Domestic and family violence doesn’t look the same for everyone.

For many people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, there are added layers such as visa concerns, language barriers, isolation, and fear of systems.

Currently, many responses don’t fully account for this.

That’s why this eLearning course was created.

To help settlement staff recognise what DFV can look like in context, have safer conversations, and connect people to the right support.

✔ Self-paced (2.5–3 hours)
✔ Free for SETSCoP Members
👉 Start the course today and build your confidence in responding to DFV.

Access the course: https://elearning.socialpolicy.org.au

08/05/2026

What needs to change in pregnancy care in Australia?

What did we learn from speaking with women from refugee and migrant backgrounds about pregnancy care in Australia?

Join our free webinar with the Centre for Culture, Equity & Health (CEH) to learn about:
✨ Real experiences from women and communities
✨ Barriers to accessing care and information
✨ How we can make support more accessible

📅 Thursday 14 May 2026 | 12.00PM – 12.30PM (AEST)
🔗 Register via link in bio

06/05/2026

Do you work in health, housing, mental health, domestic and family violence, disability, education, legal, youth, LGBTIQA+, AOD, employment, or financial and hardship services?

You are likely already supporting people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

Many newcomers rely on both specialist settlement services and mainstream community services as they navigate life in Australia. How these services work together, through referrals, handovers, and coordination, can shape how people access the support they need.

The Social Policy Group is hosting two upcoming roundtables to bring community service providers together to share what this looks like in practice, and where coordination across services can be strengthened.

This is a space to share:
• How clients are presenting across services
• Where access or referrals could be improved
• What stronger coordination could look like

👉 Please share this with your networks or tag a service that should be part of this conversation.

05/05/2026

Let’s talk about pregnancy

What do women from refugee and migrant backgrounds say they need from pregnancy care in Australia?

We’re talking to the Centre for Culture, Equity & Health about we what we learnt from speaking directly with women and communities about:
• How to have safe and respectful conversations about pregnancy
• Barriers women face when accessing information and care
• What helps improve access to education and support

This is a great opportunity for community members, practitioners and organisations to learn and reflect together.

📅 Thursday 14 May 2026 | 12.00PM – 12.30PM (AEST)
🔗 Register: 34f74577-9d35-499d-ac8a-dc7f0e35d85c@944b39f6-ec6b-4535-aa9a-c4a5903bd06a" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/34f74577-9d35-499d-ac8a-dc7f0e35d85c@944b39f6-ec6b-4535-aa9a-c4a5903bd06a

Please share with your networks

16/04/2026

Are you expecting a baby or supporting someone who is?

We invite you to join our free online workshop to learn about labour, birth, and health after your baby arrives in Australia.

This session will be co-facilitated by Dr Glenys Frank, an experienced midwife who has worked closely with women and families from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

Workshop 3: Labour, Birth, and Health After Birth
Wednesday 29 April
6.00–7.30PM AEST (online)

In this workshop, we will talk about:
• Preparing for labour and birth
• What happens in the birthing suite
• Staying in hospital and recovery
• Adjusting to life as a new parent

Free to attend
Safe and welcoming space
Ask questions and get helpful information

This workshop is designed for women and families from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

Please share this with your family, friends, or community networks who may find it helpful.

👉 Register now: https://events.humanitix.com/pregnancy-in-australia-workshop-3-labour-birth-and-health-after-birth

14/04/2026

Last week, we brought together settlement providers and partners from across NSW and the ACT for the SETSCoP State and Territory Forum.

It was a valuable opportunity to connect, share insights, and strengthen collaboration across settlement, education, and community services to support positive outcomes for people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

A key focus was education, from early childhood through to higher education, and the important role it plays in building belonging, confidence, and long-term participation. We know that when children and young people disengage from education, it is extremely challenging to re-engage, but also other domains such as employment, community, and civic life. When settlement providers and education work well together, it helps refugees thrive.

We thank our guest speakers from Education Australia, Vincent de Paul Society, , Department of Education, Hubs Australia, and representatives from the Department of Home Affairs.

Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to the discussion.

A special thank you to Ethnic Communities' Council of NSW for hosting, and The Welcome Table for catering.

Next stop: Queensland and Northern Territory.

👉 Subscribe to our fortnightly SETSCoP Newsletter at the link in bio to stay up to date with the outcomes of this series of meetings.

Address

46 Jardine Street
Canberra, ACT
2604

Telephone

+61261620361

Website

https://socialpolicy.org.au/

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