A new program in Kempsey and Bellingen is responding to the needs of people at risk of suicide.
The not-for-profit organisation, Social Futures, is delivering Care Connect to support people who have recently attempted suicide, self-harmed or had suicidal ideas.
Care Connect’s program manager Jason Timperley said Care Connect links people to supports to help with challenges in areas including family relationships, housing and finance.
“We can also link people with clinical supports, including psychologists and psychiatrists,” Mr Timperley said.
“The assistance we give is all encompassing, we support the individual, their family and/or their caregivers after the person has been discharged from hospital or received other care.
“Our program workers assess the individual, identifying their personal challenges and needs, and then develops a personal plan around those. That means meeting regularly with the program worker and putting the person in touch with the care required to improve emotional and social wellbeing.”
Mr Timperley said research has found that some groups in the community have a higher suicide risk including:
- young people
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
- LGBTIQAP+ people
- people with a disability
- older people
- people in financial crisis
“We always seek to find culturally appropriate supports for the people we are working with,” Mr Timperley said.
To contact CareConnect phone 1800 718 873.
CareConnect is funded by Healthy North Coast.
Social Futures is a community service organisation with 46 years’ experience working to create positive social change in regional Australia. We work directly with individuals, families, communities, organisations and governments across our focus areas of homelessness and housing, youth and family, wellbeing, community inclusivity and programs that promote genuine participation for people with disability, to support communities to thrive and people to live well.