World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Workshop 2010

The following was received from COTA Victoria:

Seniors Rights Victoria is pleased to announce the opening of Expressions of Interest for the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Workshop 2010, which will be held on Tuesday June 15th.

Based on feedback from last year's workshop, this year will provide greater opportunity for discussion and input from attendees, making for a dynamic and interactive day.

Keynote speakers to date include Paul Sadler, Chief Executive Officer of Presbyterian Aged Care Services (NSW and ACT), Jeni Lee, Principal Lawyer, Seniors Rights Victoria, the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria and the Victorian Office of Senior Victorians.

As last year's workshop filled quickly, we urge you to book your place early. The full workshop program will be available in mid-May.

For more information, please click here.

Igniting Leadership - Leadership Victoria - Workshops Series

The following was received from Leadership Victoria:

Igniting Leadership - The Ideal Introduction to the Leadership Landscape

Are you on the cusp of something bigger? Igniting Leadership is designed to foster the next generation of leaders.

Featuring an exciting mix of seminars, scenario-based learning and other activities, this 5-day intensive program will shift your focus from ‘internal leadership’ to a broader, richer understanding of leadership – as practised personally and professionally, globally and locally, and across sectors and generations.

You’ll learn about leadership in terms of contemporary considerations that are vital to how leadership is practiced today, including globalisation, organisational culture, corporate social responsibility, generational styles of leadership and much more.

Participants

Individuals who have been identified as emerging leaders within their organisations. This program is especially suitable for:

• talented staff who demonstrate natural leadership skills but may not necessarily be in leadership roles;
• leaders in the first year of their first leadership role;
• high-performing team members, who will learn techniques to help them move from personal management to leadership; and
• junior-level functional managers, who will learn the difference between managing and leading.

Duration

5 days (run over 3 weeks)

2010 Dates

Series 2: 29-30 July, 5-6 August, 19 August

To Apply

Registrations close July 15 2010.

Places are strictly limited.

Please contact Simone Carrodus on 96516542 or simone@leadershipvictoria.org for more information or to register

Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework

The following was received from the Victorian Department of Health - Mental Health, Drugs and Regions Division:

The Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework is a key aspect of the integrated family violence reforms. This simple tool is designed to help professional and practitioners working in a range of fields (community services, courts, health sector) to identify risk factors associated with family violence and respond appropriately to people experiencing family violence.

The framework was developed in extensive consultation with specialists in the field and builds upon international and national evidence. An initial statewide training program on the framework was delivered throughout 2009 and it is now being utilised by family violence services and a wide range of agencies and service sectors including housing and homelessness, Maternal Child and Health Nurses, court registrars, police officers, Child Protection and disability workers.

The Victorian Government is providing a second program of fully funded training sessions to all regions across the state throughout May and June 2010. These sessions are for agencies and sectors that may not have accessed the previous training, and to meet some of the existing demand in sectors already using the framework.

The training session on Preliminary Risk Assessment is designed for professionals who work in mainstream services and may encounter and work with people experiencing family violence. The session covers:

• a shared understanding of family violence (including its impact);
• how to use the risk assessment tool to assess for presence of evidence-based risk factors;
• the safety planning process; and
• information sharing and effective referral within the integrated family violence system.

The training is being delivered by Swinburne University and the Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria in partnership with No To Violence. Together these organisations have extensive specialist knowledge and understanding, a high level of training expertise and are key stakeholders in the family violence reforms in Victoria.

Further information on the training sessions, the training schedule and enrolment procedures, can be found here.

Limited training sessions are being offered for a two month period from the end of April to the end of June 2010. Given the high level of demand we encourage you to visit the website and, if you wish to attend training, to enrol as soon as possible. Further information on regional sessions can be obtained from the organisations listed on the training website.

Mood Memos Study - Orygen Youth Health

The following was received from Mental Health First Aid:

A new study by Orygen Youth Health Research Centre at the University of Melbourne is investigating the potential of the internet to help prevent depression. The Mood Memos study is an email-based mental health promotion campaign targeting people suffering some depression symptoms, who are at great risk of worsening into full depression.

Mood memos are emails delivered every few days over a period of 6 weeks, bringing expert coping advice and information about depression directly to email inboxes. The aim is to improve depression symptoms and help prevent the descent into major depressive disorder.

The Mood Memos study is open to participants around the world until November 2010. The study is ideal for those who want to know more about how to help themselves feel better or want more information about depression. Participation is free and all data is confidential. Recruitment to the study is managed online, so those interested in taking part should visit the website to sign up, or email info@moodmemos.com.

The study is funded by the NHMRC and the Sidney Myer Fund, and has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at The University of Melbourne.

PILCH Walk For Justice

The following was received from PILCH:

Only ten days to join PILCH and our patron, the Honourable Chris Maxwell, President of the Court of Appeal, in our third annual Walk for Justice!

The 2010 Walk for Justice will mark the commencement of Law Week and will celebrate the pro bono ethic and work of the legal profession, and its commitment to the practice of law in the public interest.

WHEN

7:30 am

17 May 2010

WHERE

The steps of Parliament House to the forecourt of the County Court

HOW

If you have not already, click here to register or go to www.pilch.org.au/walk/

$15.00 per person, $130.00 per group of 10

(email: tj.riddell@pilch.org.au; tel: 8636 4400; fax: 8636 4455)

Sunshine Coast Mental Health Summit - 24-25 June 2010

The following was received from ConNetica Consulting:

The University of the Sunshine Coast, the Sunshine Coast Division of General Practice and ConNetica Consulting have combined to host the first Sunshine Coast Mental Health Summit on 24-25 June 2010. The Summit is sponsored by these organisations and the Mental Health Council of Australia and beyondblue.

The Summit will be led by the Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry and includes many of Australia’s leading mental health advocates, consumers, researchers and practitioners. A copy of the program is attached and this will be regularly updated as session presenters are finalised in coming weeks.

The Summit will develop a Statement for Action on Mental Health which will provide a blueprint for action on a regional basis to address the mental health needs of communities. The Summit is been held In the wake of the recent health reforms announced by the Council of Australian Governments.

Further details on the Summit and Registrations can be made by visiting www.focushealth.com.au or by phoning Brenda Leather at Focus Health on 07 5443 2100.

VCOSS Community Careers Stand at the National Careers and Employment Expo

VCOSS is seeking assistance from the sector to promote the Community Careers stand at The National Careers & Employment Expo - Melbourne to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 May. Last year’s event attracted nearly 30,000 visitors, the majority of whom were looking for employment options or a career change. More thatn 600 people visited the VCOSS ‘Community Careers’ stand seeking information and advice on community sector careers.

Participating organisations are asked to spend a two hour period on either the Friday (between 9:00am – 4:00pm) or the Saturday (between 10:00am – 4:00pm) talking to people interested in working in the community sector.

Participating organisations are welcome to hand out business cards or small flyers promoting their organisation. In addition VCOSS can provide a link to the organisation via the community careers website. This website will be the central source of information for the duration of the exhibition and will be included on all promotional material.

If you are able to help out please email marina.henley@vcoss.org.au or phone on 9654 5050.

Employment Opportunity - ARAFEMI - Greater Dandenong - Multiple Positions

ARAFEMI is growing; help us shape the future of support and the wellbeing of homeless people living with mental illness in the Greater Dandenong region.

ARAFEMI is a highly reputable community support service, promoting and improving the wellbeing of people affected by mental illness. We are recruiting for our new PHaMs Program, which will be based in Dandenong. Opportunities within our new team include:

1 x Team Leader

3 x Outreach Support Workers

1 x Peer Support Worker (0.5 EFT job share option available)

Do you have?

• Relevant and or, extensive related experience
• An understanding and belief in strength based, recovery orientated models of service
• The capacity to engage with, and empower people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to achieve their own goals within a structured individual recovery plan
• An ability to work collaboratively with a team, carers and other agencies, such as clinical mental health and community support services

Working within a supportive, diverse and growing community organisation, successful candidates can expect: above award rates; attractive salary packaging; opportunities for ongoing professional development; and access to a wide range of flexible employment benefits. Fulltime employees may negotiate private usage of a motor vehicle.

ARAFEMI is an equal opportunity employer who encourages culturally and linguistically diverse persons to apply for these positions. Applications must address the selection criteria, which are outlined in the Position Description on our website www.arafemi.org.au.

Successful applicants must complete a police check, and hold a valid a Working with Children check card or be willing to apply for one. Closing date for applications May 21st 2010

Enquiries: sarah.rosenberg@arafemi.org.au

Turning Point - Alcohol and Other Drug Studies

Graduate Diploma in Alcohol and Other Drug Studies

+

Graduate Certificate in Alcohol and Other Drug Studies

Applications now being accepted for study in second semester.

The course handbook and the application form are available on the Turning Point website, or from Student Administration. Phone Caroline Clark on 03 8413 8708.

The closing date for applications for second semester 2010 is 4th June 2010.

Professional Development - Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre

Background

Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre has been contracted by the Drugs Services and Policy Branch, Department of Health (DH) to provide a number of professional development training courses. These are provided to DH funded AOD workers at no cost and are a supplement to the competency based training and assessment courses provided as part of the Minimum Qualification Strategy. Places are available for the following courses.

Psychostimulants

The from GO to WHOA training package incorporates an interactive training session on psychostimulants. It was commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and developed by Turning Point with substantial input from a number of specialist clinicians, researchers and educators from across Australia. The Department of Health has funded the Victorian dissemination of this resource to assist in increasing skills and knowledge on psychostimulants which will enhance the capacity of a range of workers to provide appropriate interventions to psychostimulants users.

FITZROY

Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre

54 Gertrude St, Fitzroy

Tuesday 8th June

9.00am to 5.00pm

Pharmacotherapies

The pharmacotherapies training is designed to provide alcohol and other drug workers a greater understanding of the pharmacotherapies available for the treatment of drug dependence in particular opioid/heroin dependence. It will update workers with the latest developments of pharmacotherapy treatment including new medications and guidelines.

SHEPPARTON

Alex Rigg Room, Eastbanks Centre

70 Welsford St, Shepparton

Thursday 10th June

9.30am – 4.30pm

Working With Groups

This two-day workshop is designed to introduce workers to the planning, coordinating and running of groups for clients across a range of settings. Areas to be covered include: the practicalities of running groups, the stages of group development, awareness of group dynamics and the roles of group members. The emphasis will be on psycho-educational groups utilising an experiential approach.

FITZROY

Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre

54 Gertrude St, Fitzroy

Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd of June

9:30am until 4:30pm

Registration process

This training is free to DH funded AOD workers. Lunch, including a vegetarian selection is provided. Flyers and registration forms are available at www.turningpoint.org.au. Please complete the registration form and fax to Student Administration as soon as possible.

Government Media Release - 'Support for people with a mental illness and their carers'

The following is a joint media release from Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Hon. Jenny Macklin MP, and the Member for Ballarat, Ms Catherine King MP on the 21/04/2010:

Support for people with a mental illness and their carers

The Australian Government is delivering on its commitment to support people with a mental illness and their carers, with a $32.3 million funding extension for local services across Australia.

Carers of people with a mental illness will continue to have access to 54 respite services across the country, with a one year funding extension of $18.5m under the Mental Health Respite initiative.

As well, 44 local projects supporting people with mental illness, their families and carers across the country will receive a funding extension of $13.8m to continue for a further year as part of the Mental Health Community Based initiative.

These local projects support families, carers, children and young people aged between 16 and 24 years affected by mental illness. These projects provide a diverse range of activities tailored to meet the needs of individual communities and include:

• peer support groups for children with a parent who has a mental illness;
• family relationship counselling for families affected by mental illness; and
• education workshops for parents caring for a teenager with a mental illness.

The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, and the Member for Ballarat, Catherine King announced the one year funding extension during a visit to Ballarat Health Services today.

Ballarat Health Services are receiving around $209,000 under the Mental Health Respite initiative to provide a variety of flexible respite services tailored to meet the individual needs of people with a mental illness and their carers.

"Caring and living with a person with a mental illness can be challenging and demanding due to the episodic nature of the illness. With the right support, we know that carers and families are critical to assisting people with a mental illness to recover and live meaningful lives" Ms Macklin said.

"These projects do great work in our local communities bringing families and carers together to share their experiences and helping them learn the skills they need in their caring role.

"This additional funding for respite services is also critical to give carers some time out from their caring duties, which is essential to prevent social isolation.

"Carers of people with mental illness have diverse and changing needs and this flexible funding will continue to give carers much-needed support."

Ms King said the funding extension would provide security for local people with a mental illness and their carers.

"Ballarat Health Service is an essential service for local carers and provides people with respite tailored to suit their needs," Ms King said.

"This funding will allow a greater number of local families and carers to access much-needed respite services.

"It is also an acknowledgement of the important role played by local families and carers in assisting people with a mental illness."

Mental Health Respite Funding Stream

VIC

Alfred Health

Southern Metro (VIC)

$1,146,383

Ballarat Health Services

Grampians

$209,201

Barwon Health Service

Barwon / South West

$344,252

Bendigo Health Service

Loddon Mallee

$296,291

Carers Assoc of Vic

Western Metro (VIC)

$671,425

Latrobe Community Health Service

Gippsland

$240,907

Merri Community Health Service

Northern Metro (VIC)

$747,669

Uniting Care

Eastern Metro (VIC)

$966,155

Villa Maria

Hume

$254,458

For a full list of nation-wide funding, please click here.

Richmond Fellowship Tasmania - Asia Pacific Regional Conference AsPac 2010 - Call for Abstracts

The following was received from CDesign:

Richmond Fellowship Tasmania

Asia Pacific Regional Conference AsPac 2010

Hope – Recovery – Future

17-19 November, Wrest Point, Hobart, Tasmania

Call for Abstracts

Abstract Submission closes 01 June 2010

A Psychosocial Approach to Mental Health

The Conference organising Committee is pleased to invite you to attend the 2010 Asia Pacific Regional Conference hosted by Richmond Fellowship Tasmania and supported by beyondblue: the national depression initiative.

We invite submission of abstracts relevant to the conference themes. Priority will be given to papers that offer critical or reflective comment other than purely programme descriptive oral papers. The conference program calls for papers which advocate at all levels within service providers and government for policy and attitudinal change to assist Tasmania and Australia to lead the way in promoting best practice in the field of mental health and Recovery.

The theme for 2010 is Hope - Recovery - Future. This theme recognises that these words are intertwined and inter-dependent of each other; without one the other will fail to thrive. This is true of a person’s or community’s or nation’s health and well- being and we hope to explore these factors throughout the conference.

We welcome you to join us in exploring the future and what this may hold. Consumers, carers, service providers and policy makers are invited to attend and contribute to what will be a stimulating and thought provoking conference. We promise to ask many questions and ask you to assist with discovering some of the answers or options which are out there.

Keynote Speakers include:

Professor Patrick McGorry

Gregor Henderson

John McGrath

Brian Graetz

Therese Fitzpatrick

Kanthi Perera

For more information please visit the website at www.cdesign.com.au/aspac2010