The Bridging Model in Action

SUMMARY The Multicultural Family Centre was created to demonstrate an alternative approach for delivering social services to people from different cultures: the bridging model. This new model links mainstream agencies and vulnerable cultural communities, educates both sides about the culture or sub-culture of the other, and generates ideas, projects and resources that enable the mainstream organizations to provide culturally sensitive services to the ethnic communities they serve. This paper will present the process of implementation and describe the achievements of the Multicultural Family Centre after one year of operation. A comparison between the concepts of the bridging model and what has been accomplished will be the basis for evaluating the development in practice of the bridging model and for determining what changes of direction, if any, are needed.