Healthy North Coast has provided Social Futures with funding to deliver a support and treatment service for people who are at risk of suicide or self-harm.
The Care Connect Service is available to people living in the Kempsey and Bellingen local government areas.
Welcoming the collaboration, Healthy North Coast Chief Executive Julie Sturgess said improving access to aftercare services for people at risk of suicide was critical.
‘Working with Social Futures will improve access to effective, proven suicide prevention and aftercare services for these communities,’ Ms Sturgess said.
‘The service provides varying levels of community support, including holistic case management and after-hours and weekend triage for rapid follow up when it’s needed most.’
Care Connect Service staff include clinicians and program workers to ‘walk alongside’ people at risk, providing therapeutic supports and help with navigating services in the community.
Social Future’s CEO Tony Davies said the service was designed to work collaboratively with the participant and their support network, including family and carers, offering support with safety planning and links to recovery-oriented supports.
‘We know that providing aftercare support to people at risk is an effective strategy for suicide prevention,’ said Mr Davies. ‘This service will work with hospital and health services to provide continuity of care and connection to supports.
‘Care coordinators will link participants to services for support with challenges such as housing, finances and relationships.’
The Member for Cowper, Pat Conaghan, said the service was ‘a fantastic step towards reducing the negative impact of mental health issues on our community’.
‘We owe it to our families, to our friends, but most of all to ourselves to reach out for help when we need it,’ Mr Conaghan said. ‘Poor mental health does not discriminate. It affects the young, old, men and women. To our community I say, “Don’t go it alone”.’
For more information about the Care Connect Service, contact Social Futures on (02) 6620 1800 or email contact@socialfutures.org.au.
