Harmony Week Webinar – Engaging Young People from Multicultural Communities and Their Families and Carers in Mental Health Service Provision

Join Mental Health Carers NSW (MHCN), Transcultural Mental Health Centre (TMHC) and UNSW for a webinar that examines research on the experiences of young people (18 – 25 years old) using mental health services, their families and carers.

Hear presentations about:

• Enabling transcultural mental health practice with young people and their families – Dr Abner Poon, Associate Professor, UNSW
• Supporting the engagement of young people and their families in mental health service provision – Armie Farooqui, Policy Engagement Officer, MHCN
• Culturally safe family engagement in mental health service provision – Maria Cassaniti, Manager of the Transcultural Mental Health Centre
• Q&A – Research with multicultural communities – Facilitated by Jonathan Harms, CEO of MHCN

Facilitator:

Jonathan Harms – Jonathan Harms studied arts and law at UWA and began his career in the WA Health Department’s Mental Health Division. He has since worked across government, law, community organisations and private corporations. Joining Mental Health Carers NSW in 2009, he became CEO in 2012, leading organisational reforms, accreditation, and new engagement initiatives such as the Carer Advocacy Network and regular state-wide forums. Under his leadership, MHCN secured systemic advocacy responsibilities for psychosocial disability in 2022 through the Disability Advocacy Futures Program. Jonathan has served on the MHCC board since 2012, joined the Mental Health Carers Australia board in 2025, and currently chairs the NSW Mental Health Alliance.

Presenters:

Dr Abner Poon – Dr Abner Poon is Associate Professor of Social Work at the School of Social Sciences, UNSW. Abner has experience as a social worker in mental health. His research focuses on social work practice in mental health, impact of mental illness on families and caregivers, family intervention in mental health, children of parents with mental illness, health and wellbeing of migrants facing mental health problems, recovery and community mental health teams. He has published articles in high-ranking journals focusing on Assertive Community Treatment Program, caregivers of people with psychosis, carers of people with mental illness from ethnic minority groups and parents with mental illness.

Armie Farooqui – Armie Farooqui is a Policy Engagement Officer at Mental Health Carers NSW, where he works closely with families and carers to inform mental health policy, advocacy, and system reform. Armie has a medical background, has supported consultations, and serves as Secretariat for the Carers of Forensic and Corrections Patients Network (CFCPN). He has published research on the role of digital health tools in improving maternal and adolescent mental health services in low-resource settings.

Maria Cassaniti – Maria Cassaniti is a social worker with qualifications in Social Work and Public Health and more than 25 years’ experience in mental health, with a particular focus on transcultural and multicultural practice. Across her career she has worked in direct clinical service delivery, strategic planning and policy development, education and workforce training, research, and the design and implementation of innovative programs and services. As Manager of the Transcultural Mental Health Centre, a NSW Health statewide service, Maria provides leadership in culturally responsive mental health care and system reform for people, families and carers from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Recently published Open Access studies:

• Poon AWC; Cassaniti M; Katz I; Karan P; Zwi A, 2025, ‘Mental Health Workers’ Perceptions of Transcultural Practice with Young People and Families’, Australian Social Work, 79, pp. 126 – 139 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0312407X.2024.2435858
• Poon AWC; Karan P; Cassaniti M; Zwi AB; Katz I, 2025, ‘A Scoping Review of Access and Engagement With Mental Health Services by Young People From Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities in Australia’, Australian Journal of Social Issues, 60, pp. 1107 – 1118
  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajs4.70026

Event Details:
Date: Thursday 19 March 2026
Time:  12.00 – 1.00pm
Venue:  Online on Microsoft Teams
Facilitator: Jonathan Harms, CEO MHCN

Who is this event for?
Anyone interested in learning more about engaging young people from multicultural communities and their families and carers in mental health service provision.

Interested?
If you are interested in attending, register via Humanitixhere: https://events.humanitix.com/engaging-young-people-from-multicultural-communities-and-their-families-and-carers-in-mental-health-service-provision

Questions
Contact MHCN at: mhcnadmin@mentalhealthcarersnsw.org
02 9332 0777