How we work

Many of the key drivers of health and wellbeing are due to our everyday living and working conditions - the circumstances in which we grow up, live, work and age. These social determinants of health include factors such as income, education, employment and social support. They are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels.

Understanding and addressing the underlying determinants of health is difficult because they are complex and dynamic. It requires focused action across sectors and at all levels of government both within Australia and overseas. Better health and its fair distribution should be adopted as shared goals.

The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities. These are the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between different countries.

Using the social determinants of health as a framework, we seek to:

Create collaboration and drive change towards a more just and inclusive society
To alleviate social inequality
To enable better healthcare for those that are vulnerable within Australia

sdoh

Source: NACCHO

We believe collaboration is the best way to drive change towards a more just and inclusive society, to alleviate social inequality and to enable better healthcare for people who are vulnerable. We do this by raising awareness through thought leadership and advocacy, service provision, supporting the social justice interests of our staff, project partnerships, our grants program and leveraging expertise from Cabrini Health.

In 2015, we adopted six principles – that reflect Catholic social teaching and embody Cabrini’s values – to guide the development of Cabrini Outreach’s programs. The six principles are:

Mutual respect and trust are the foundation of good partnerships. Mutuality involves listening to one another, transparency, probity, flexibility, joint planning and accountability, and working through potential conflict situations.
Projects must be people-centred with empowerment at their heart.
We give priority to projects that involve collaboration with all relevant sectors of the community to promote the common good.
Stakeholders in the community must be involved in consultation, planning, implementation and evaluation of projects.
A commitment to long-term engagement and sustainability is preferred.
Collaboration with others, including all levels of government and social institutions, must be based on a shared unified vision