Thanks to everyone who was able to attend the Joint Meeting on 27th October 2020, of the Connecting Care Roundtable and Doors to Mentors Working Group (Collective ed. Central Coast). The engagement and input from everyone was incredible and we are very excited about the next steps – our first Community Leadership Roundtable Meeting for December 2020!
The main outcomes from this meeting include:
Clear understanding of where we have been, where we are and where we are going.
Introduction of the Interim Chair of the Community Leadership Roundtable.
Workshopping the role of the Community Leadership Roundtable and Action Groups.
Refining membership categories.
Commitment from groups/organisation and/or individuals in attendance to join the Community Leadership Roundtable and/or Action Groups.
Progress towards a name for the Central Coast Community Wellbeing Governance model.
Connecting Care Central Coast provided feedback to the local community about outcomes from the 18-month Anticipatory Care Project at a lunchtime community forum held in the Gnomon Room, Ulverstone Wharf precinct on Tuesday 25 August. Thank you to those who came.
We are pleased to be able to share videos from the forum which can be found on the Connecting Care Portal www.connectingcaretas.com.au or via Facebook.
We proudly showcased the lasting legacy the Project leaves to the Central Coast Community in the form of the Connecting Care Portal (including the Local Resource Directory) and an innovative Community Wellbeing Governance Model developed locally for Central Coast in partnership with Collective ed Ulverstone and Central Coast Council.
If you haven’t checked out the Portal recently – please do! We continue to improve functionality and content and work will begin soon on incorporating additional enhancements to ensure sustainability of the Local Resource Directory and Portal once they are gifted to Central Coast Council at the end of the year.
Please encourage your organisation and other local service providers, community groups and other relevant organisations to list on this FREE Directory. Without your help we can’t provide the community with the means to connect to support when and where it’s needed.
The Collective ed Ulverstone and Connecting Care partnership is driving the transition to this new community-driven governance model. Maree Gleeson and Judi Walker are working with Collective ed to manage this smoothly and ensure that it works collaboratively with groups and organisation across Central Coast. A joint meeting of the Connecting Care Roundtable and the Collective ed working group will be held on 27 October to move this forward. Check out the short videos on the Portal and Facebook page.
Lifeline Tasmania has set up a new service for Tasmanians, specifically to deal with unprecedented demand for information, advice and support because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The State Government is backing the new service with $875,000 in funding for the next 12 months.
It has also given substantial in-kind support by providing space in a State Government building where there was a fully fitted out area for the call centre, and IT expertise.
The University of Tasmania has assisted in the recruitment of social work, psychology and counselling students to staff the call centre, creating new jobs for over 25 Tasmanians. The new staff will be professionally trained and will deliver the same quality of support that Lifeline Tasmania is respected for.
Lifeline’s 13 11 14 crisis line continues to be available for those with significant and ongoing mental health issues, including those having suicidal thoughts.
The new line will deal with the many issues around what is called psychological stress.
The Mental Health Council of Tasmania stresses that psychological distress is not a mental illness. It is a normal human response to a situation that is frightening, confusing or upsetting.
Research studies indicate that most people will experience some level of psychological distress during a pandemic. For most people this will ease over time and does not lead to mental illness.
Being in ‘psychological distress’ means that a person feels unhappy, anxious, worried, angry, sad, scared or grief-stricken.
For many Tasmanians 1800 98 44 34 – A Tasmanian lifeline is a service they might never have contemplated having to access in normal times.
These are not normal times. Many Tasmanians experiencing stress, anxiety, worry, fear and a sense of helplessness because of the pandemic are strongly encouraged to seek assistance by calling this new Lifeline Tasmania service.
The new Lifeline Tasmania service will provide information on the resources available to support those impacted by the unprecedented changes in the way Tasmanians go about their daily lives, including social isolation, loss of employment, the impact on mental health, the financial challenges and, in the case of health professionals, working in a high-risk environment.
The new phone line will offer three types of support:
Call in: Tasmanians will receive psychosocial support from a trained support worker to discuss concerns and be redirected where appropriate to a referral service.
Call out: Contact socially isolated older Tasmanians identified through existing services, family and friends who are concerned or by other health professionals.
Reach out: Through partnership with those industries significantly impacted, such as tourism, hospitality, retail identify at-risk members and reach out for psychosocial support, counselling or employee assistance programs.
A Tasmanian Lifeline will be staffed from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.
If you are in the North West and you are experiencing flu like symptoms you must quarantine and call your GP or the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738. You may need to be tested for COVID-19