Work is well underway at the Harcourt Street property. We’ve been popping in when we can to see the progress. As you can see, there has been quite a bit of work done and it won’t be long before we can start to see the full extent of the carer hub redevelopment taking place.
It’s very exciting to be able to see plans taking shape for our mental health carer hub! Previously the property at Harcourt Street, New Farm was used as an office for our staff members before they moved into the office at Merthyr Road, New Farm. Until recently the house has been the unofficial Arafmi storage facility, housing everything from filing cabinets to old monitors and desks.
Mental Health Support Workers Arafmi Ltd is a community organisation providing support for families, carers and people with mental health needs or psychosocial disability for more than 40 years. Due to increased demand, we have a number of exciting opportunities available for experienced Mental Health Support Workers, passionate about making a difference to the lives of these people and their families, within our Supported Independent Living, Short Term Accommodation and Community Access programs in all of our locations across the Greater Brisbane region. About the role Working as part of a supportive, passionate and person-centred team, you will be responsible for: providing quality practical and emotional support to our clients to enable them to meet their personal life goals and objectives, as outlined within their NDIS plan; Assisting clients to develop and/or expand their social relationships and networks in the local community; Providing assistance with activities of daily living, including household cleaning and meal preparation; Implementing and facilitating planned activities which promote independence; Maintaining client files and database as per the procedures; Actively participate in all staff meetings, training and Arafmi development activities. You will also have the opportunity to utilise your knowledge and skills in working with indigenous clients, vision
Hi, my name is Jessica and since moving into Supported Independent Living with Arafmi I have learnt so many new skills and have a really enjoyable social life. I have 4 wonderful Support Workers and my relationship with my Mum, Dad and the whole family (12 of us) has really improved. With the help of my Support Workers, I have been able to improve my independence and can now do so many more things for myself and am also supported out in the community, to join in activities and to participate in groups. I am now able to cook some of my own food and help with dinner every night, and sometimes I go out for lunch or dinner with my Support Workers. I love my life now – Jessica
We wanted to reach out and check how you are after the severe weather this weekend. Some of us may have escaped unscathed from Mother Nature, but know that some of you may not have been so lucky. Our carer support telephone line is available if you need to talk to somebody. You can reach us on 1300 554 660 or 3254 1881. Free counselling appointments for carers next week – At the moment we have increased our free counselling appointments for carers to assist people. Next week we have phone counselling appointments available on Mon 7/3/22 between 2-6pm and Thur 10/3/22 between 2 – 5pm. Please call our office to book. We are also here if you need any assistance connecting with information or supports in your area.Stay safe and please let us know if you need any assistance. Useful Resources: Mental health and wellbeing support Find mental health and wellbeing resources for businesses. Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 for phone and online counselling and support. Learn about personal and mental health support during and after a disaster. Arafmi Carer Support – Carer Finance Fact Sheet You may also consider… Visit the Community Recovery Grants portal to find personal and
In December 2021 Queensland Parliament established the Mental Health Select Committee to conduct an inquiry into the “opportunities to improve mental health outcomes for Queenslanders”. The committee invited Queenslanders and organisations to share their views and is now holding public briefings and hearings until March. The committee is then due to report back to the House by Tuesday 31 May 2022. Arafmi and Carers Qld developed a joint submission for the Mental Health Select Committee highlighting the needs of Mental Health Carers and opportunities to make significant changes. (Insert link to submission) On 18th February we were invited to formally attend a hearing to provide further details directly to the committee. This was an excellent opportunity to highlight the real needs of mental health carers. On behalf of Arafmi we thank Dr Alexis Wallace form the Arafmi Carer Advisory Committee for joining us on the panel and strengthening the voice of the carers for the committee. Details about all the submission and hearings can be found Committee Details | Queensland Parliament See the submission here
We are starting 2022 with our external surveillance audit. On 4 January 2022 Arafmi Carer Programs and Supports will be audited against the National Standards for Mental Health Services 2010. This audit includes reviewing policies, procedures and practices to ensure the standards are being met and any areas for development are identified. The focus will mainly be on Standard 7 – Carers and Standard 8 – Governance, Leadership and Management. We will be visited at head office by Beth Jooste, Lead Auditor for Sai Global and a client representative. The auditors will spend the day reviewing documentation, meeting with the Carer Support Team and Management staff and connecting with carers. If you would like to provide feedback to the auditors via the phone on the afternoon of Tuesday, 4 January 2022 please email your interest to alextyson@arafmi.com.au by Monday 20 December 2021. We can then make contact to provide further details in preparation for 4 January 2022.
We have moved! Last week we bid farewell to our office at Chermside Street, Teneriffe and moved into 6 Ambleside Street, West End. It’s a new suburb for us but it’s the same old team! Carer Support team activities including face- to-face counselling and workshops will now be provided from this space. As mentioned earlier, Arafmi is redeveloping the house on Harcourt Street, New Farm which will become the Carer Hub. Once the Carer Hub is completed, the carer support team will then move back to New Farm and be based at the Carer Hub. We don’t anticipate this happening until 2023.
As the end of the year draws to a close and Christmas is well and truly nigh, it seems a perfect time to review what financial supports are available to help you stretch your dollars further or recover from any unexpected costs that may have arisen. So, whether a person in your care needs assistance managing and saving their money or you need an immediate injection of food or funds to help make the season feel more festive, have a look through the following links to see if there’s a service that might bring you some added cheer: Christmas hampers/gift assistance The Salvation Army offers free hampers and gifts to eligible applicants. Call the general enquiry line for more information: 137258. Website: Food hamper and gift assistance | The Salvation Army Australia Wesley Mission Brisbane Relief Centre. Drop-In Support in Fortitude Valley: https://www.wmq.org.au/crisis-relief/brisbane-relief-hub St Vincent de Paul - As an unprecedented number of Queenslanders face a festive season filled with financial burden and stress rather than hope and joy, Vinnies’ Members and Volunteers across the state have been working overtime to gather and distribute hampers of goods, including food, vouchers and toys, for those doing it tough this Christmas. Those in need of support this Christmas are encouraged to reach out to Vinnies Helpline on 1800 846 643 The Smith Family are offering e-gift vouchers for children’s toys (in lieu of toy and book gift packs). Accessible to children who are part of the Learning for Life program. https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/donate/give/toy-and-book-appeal Free Christmas Lunch Saturday 25 Dec: The Hope
You may be new to Arafmi or have been connected with Arafmi in some way over a number of years. It is important for all carers that we take time to remind everyone about rights, expectations and how to give feedback to ensure safe and supportive services and programs are maintained. We ask you to take a couple of minutes to familiarise yourself with the following information. As a carer connecting with Arafmi you can expect Arafmi will: only collect and store personal information that is considered essential for effective operation of Arafmi and the services for carers e.g. contact details for membership database, contact details to send newsletters and reminders for events will maintain confidentiality within Arafmi at all times will only release or transmit your personal information if you give relevant consent or we are required to share this by law. e.g. if you would like to be referred to another service we would gain your consent before making the referral and sharing personal details to a third party ask for your consent prior to recording material in visual and/or audio format. This includes having your consent prior to including images in newsletters, flyers and promotions ensure when collecting information for statistical and planning purposes we will only collect what is needed for these purposes and de-identify information when personal details are not
Arafmi acknowledges Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Nations peoples of Australia and recognises their continuing connection to country, waters, kin, and communities. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and future and are committed to ensuring that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples voices are heard and respected across Queensland.
