The Interagency provides a forum for service providers to build relationships and work collaboratively to improve outcomes for the Shellharbour, Kiama, Wollongong and Shoalhaven communities.
Lifeline South Coast is holding an information and Q&A session for people interested in joining the 13 YARN and 13 11 14 crisis support lines.
This information session is for our training course which will be held 16th to 26th May in Nowra.
Scholarships are available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for this training course, and there is an opportunity for pathway to paid employment on 13 YARN, the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis support service.
To fully understand the significant challenges the Community Services sector (Illawarra/Shoalhaven/Southern NSW) is currently facing, Community Industry Groupis conducting a ‘Temperature Check’ (key issue survey) to find out what issues are most concerning to you/your organisation/community and what supports may be needed.
Community Industry Group in partnership with Bradley Foxlewin will be holding a 1-day training session in March focusing on providing participants with an understanding of Trauma Informed Recovery Practice for Social & Emotional Wellbeing and how to apply principles and skills when supporting those with mental health challenges and/or problematic substance abuse.
Outcomes: Participants will be able to:
Build on previous knowledge of impacts for people living with and experiencing the aftermath of complex trauma.
Articulate the core principles of a relational approach to trauma that supports trust, connection, and the centrality of relationship in recovery and self-determination.
Understand the impact of age-related trauma, including developmental trauma, to navigate effective and strategic alliances with survivors and minimise retraumatisation.
Build skills in creating safe situations utilising regulation and co-regulation strategies to help survivors narrate their current experiences more effectively.
Critique historical approaches to working with survivors to ensure greater understanding of their experiences and their expressed needs.
Discuss the spirit and processes of intersubjective guidance as an effective approach to guiding change.
Recognize the impact of verbal and non-verbal communication and have strategies to monitor these in relation to retraumatisation.
Have greater understanding of self and team care.
Understand and utilise strategies for supporting people in raising awareness of change possibilities.
Develop knowledge of and articulate how coping strategies are understood in the context of surviving trauma.
Describe the importance of centering lived experience in the processes of recovery.
Describe how trauma informed recovery practice and approaches hold therapeutic value outside the context of conducting therapy.
Initially this workshop will focus on the principles underpinning the ‘relational turn’ in trauma informed and recovery-oriented practice, TIRP. TIRP principles parallel the move towards person-centred practice in the mental health and disabilities contexts and a range of other contexts including intellectual and learning disabilities, forensic mental health, AOD and acquired brain injury.
Secondly, the workshop will focus on the use of intersubjective strategies that align with the co-creation of safe environments that support self-determination and recovery decisions. All strategies have a good fit with intersubjective and neuroscientific approaches and draw from this evidence-base whilst not engaging in therapy.
Ultimately the purpose of this workshop is to focus on approaches, strategies, and skills for effectively supporting people to make recovery choices, to navigate the process of change and to break the cycle of unnecessary involvement with acute mental health, homelessness services, justice systems and problematic substance use. There is a growing body of work that supports the use of these strategies when working with people living with the impact of cognitive impairment.
Limited spots available so please register using the link below….
The Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC) at the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) is conducting a study about gambling trends in Australia. The study is called the National Gambling Reporting System (NGRS) and McNair yellowSquares is our fieldwork partner.
The aim of the NGRS is to monitor trends in gambling participation (e.g., the types of products people gamble on, how often people gamble and how much people spend) and impacts on health and wellbeing. Findings from the study will help to inform the development and implementation of evidence-based policy and practice responses to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm.
What does the survey involve?
This is a confidential online survey that will ask you about:
your gambling behaviours
your most recent session of online betting on sports or racing
your alcohol and tobacco consumption, and
your general health and wellbeing.
It should take around 15-20 minutes to complete.
Your time is valuable. To thank you for participating, you may choose to enter a randomly selected draw for one of five $200 gift vouchers.
The survey will be open until September 2022.
Who can participate?
You are eligible to take part in the online survey if you:
live in Australia
are aged 18 years or over, and
have bet/wagered online on sports/races regularly (at least fortnightly) in the past three months.
What if I change my mind?
Participating in this survey is voluntary and you can choose to stop participating at any time by clicking on the ‘Exit’ button. The data you provided will then be deleted.
Who will have access to my survey responses?
All responses are confidential. Only individuals named on the research team will have access to the survey data. No information that could identify you will be contained in our reports or shared with any person or organisation.
What support is available during or after the survey?
Sometimes people feel upset when they are involved in research. If you would like to talk to someone for support with your gambling or other personal issues, please call the following support services. Each of these services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We take your privacy seriously. Survey responses are confidential and anonymous. If you choose to provide contact details to go in the gift voucher draw (e.g., first name, mobile number, email address), your contact information will be kept in a separate password-protected database (from your survey responses) to maintain your confidentiality. This contact information will not be shared with anyone else and will be securely deleted once the draw is completed. If you express a wish to withdraw from participation in the survey before identifying information is removed, all data relating to you will be securely destroyed.
The de-identified survey data will be stored securely for a minimum of seven years in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) research guidelines. All files will be stored on a highly secured server. The results of this project may appear in reports, presentations at conferences, and in journal articles, but as grouped data only (no individual responses will be identifiable). If you have any further queries relating to our Privacy Policy, please contact us at aifs-privacy@aifs.gov.au.
Who is running the survey and what if I have a complaint about it?
The AGRC at AIFS is funding the study and McNair yellowSquares is our fieldwork partner. The study has received ethics approval from the AIFS Human Research Ethics Committee (Project 2020/06).
If you would like to make a complaint about this research, please contact the AIFS ethics secretariat via telephone
If you would like further information about the project, please contact Caroline Johnston at McNair yellowSquares at: OnlineBet@mcnair.com.au or call on 1800 669 133. Visit www.mcnair.com.au.
To speak with someone at AIFS, please contact the Principal Researcher, Dr Rebecca Jenkinson, at gamblingtrends@aifs.gov.au
This is for family members/carers of those who have issues with drugs or alcohol.
It aims to identify the preferred policy approaches and reforms of families affected by a family members’ drug and alcohol problems.
The survey takes as little as 5 minutes to complete and we encourage you to forward onto others that may be interested in participating and having their say.
Its handy to know that you have a specialist service available if you have a client who presents with a gambling addiction. Problematic gambling often comes wrapped up in a whole range of issues.
A useful screening question is “Have you or anyone close to you ever been impacted by problem gambling?”. The light touch approach seems to work best as there is so much shame and stigma surrounding problem gambling. Shame often acts as a barrier to those seeking help. Our service is highly accessible and there is no cost involved.
From 1 July 2021, GambleAware is the new gambling support and treatment service in NSW. Like Gambling Help, GambleAware will provide support groups and counselling for individuals and their families and much more.
Later this year, you will be able to refer or book appointments for your clients through the digital platform at gambleaware.nsw.gov.au.
Alternatively, for other regions call GambleAware on 1800 858 858.
GambleAware is funded through the NSW Government’s Office of Responsible Gambling. GambleAware’s purpose is to work towards zero gambling-related harm in NSW through research, education and support for individuals and communities.
If you have a moment please watch this short (1 minute) video.
From 1 July 2021, GambleAware is the new gambling support and treatment service in NSW. Like Gambling Help, GambleAware will provide support groups and counselling for individuals and their families and much more.
Later this year, you will be able to refer or book appointments for your clients through the digital platform at gambleaware.nsw.gov.au.
Alternatively, for other regions call GambleAware on 1800 858 858.
GambleAware is funded through the NSW Government’s Office of Responsible Gambling. GambleAware’s purpose is to work towards zero gambling-related harm in NSW through research, education and support for individuals and communities.
If you have a moment please watch this short (1 minute) video.
The Illawarra Shoalhaven Health Promotion Service invites local community service organisations to join the fourth online seminar in our Protecting Mental Health mini-series.
Wesley Mission is pleased to advise that we have funding to deliver Wesley Missions, in Charge of My Money Program to prevent gambling harm by providing early intervention awareness.
We have Wesley In Charge of My Money contextualised to Youth, Domestic Violence Clients, Clients experience Drug & Alcohol Addiction (to The Energy Literacy component) shows clients how to read energy bills, reduce costs, avoid bill shock, and where to get financial assistance and support if they can’t pay their bills.
Wesley Mission’s in Charge of My Money Program is an interactive Financial Literacy program designed to provide knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary to make informed and effective money management decisions. This course is useful in providing information about good money management and encourages participants to take charge of their money, the program will also assist participants in how they think about money by giving them the tools to achieve financial objectivity and to create good money habits for the future.
Facilitators will also discuss debt traps such as payday loans, credit cards, and where people can get safe support. We discuss wrap around services such as Wesley Financial Counseling & Emergency Relief Funding.
We can hold this on site at any community location within Sydney, Illawarra Central Coast and Newcastle and Hunter .
The session runs in the following session times:
3 x 1 hour over 3 weeks
2 x 1.5 hours over 2 weeks
1 x 3 hours
If your organisation is interested in having Wesley Mission deliver this program, please contact: Tammy Lobb – tammy.lobb@wesleymission.org.au
Illawarra’s CALD Local Drug Action Team
Illawarra’s CALD Local Drug Action Team are hosting a free interactive event, Alcohol and Drugs: One Family’s Story. A panel of experts will discuss the impacts of alcohol and drugs through a cultural lens, what families can do and what support is available for culturally and linguistically diverse families. The event is held without judgement or stigma and everyone is welcome to attend, including community members, organisations and health services. Different experts will talk about:
Impacts of alcohol and drugs
Thinking about alcohol and drugs through a cultural lens
Cultural concerns about getting help
How to get help
Hear from one panel member who has overcome their challenges with alcohol and drugs
The event will be held on Wednesday 5 May at Wollongong Town Hall from 10.30am to 1.30pm (the event is free and includes lunch). Registrations are through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/146501855995
Illawarra Interagency 