Submission to Foundation House Discussion Paper - Exploring barriers and facilitators to the use of qualified interpreters in health

This document is a submission made in 2012 by the APS in response to a Foundation House Discussion Paper exploring the barriers and facilitators to the use of qualified interpreters in health settings.

In this detailed submission, the APS highlights that most psychologists can expect to work at some stage with people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, and if the English language skills of the client are limited, they may require the use of interpreters.

The APS concurs with Foundation House's conclusion that the absence of Commonwealth funding for qualified interpreters for allied health practitioners in private practice is a barrier to the take-up of interpreter services.

The submission also emphasises the importance of face-to-face (onsite) interpreting, particularly for clients of psychological services, and calls for Foundation House to develop recommendations which make face-to-face services more accessible and viable for psychologists, health and mental health services and their clients.

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