Meet CAHS Community Ambassador Padmini Saxena

For over two decades, Padmini Saxena has worked in Western Australian schools as a teacher, supporting children and families from a wide range of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

This grounding and her own lived experience fuel her goal to ensure families from all cultural backgrounds feel informed, empowered and supported when navigating the health system.

This also drove Padmini to become a CAHS Cultural Ambassador.

“I am committed to amplifying underrepresented voices and fostering meaningful collaboration between communities and healthcare providers,” Padmini said.

“My goal is to ensure lessons from the past lead to tangible improvements in culturally responsive care to that preventable harm is never repeated.”

As an active leader in her community, Padmini participates in multilingual storytelling forums, sharing cultural narratives that foster understanding and belonging.

She also runs parenting workshops for immigrant families and facilitates ‘kitchen-table’ conversations to help families navigate the health and parenting services available in Western Australia.

She sees her role as a CAHS Ambassador as an extension of this community engagement.

“As Ambassador, I serve as a vital bridge between my community and the healthcare system,” she said.

She is excited to be part of creating a more inclusive health service, where every child, young person and family is treated with dignity, empathy and cultural understanding.

“By strengthening communication, building trust and sharing knowledge both ways, the CAHS Ambassador program has the power to transform service delivery and improve outcomes for children across Western Australia.”

Learn more about the CAHS Community Ambassador program and subscribe to the Engage network if you’d like to hear of other opportunities to share your feedback with our health service.