In May we organised the Working Together event at Burleigh Heads which gave carers a chance to connect with each other and learn about available support services for themselves.
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
Last year, with Little Dreamers we commissioned Griffith University to complete research about young carers in Australia. The results were shared at our annual Carer Forum in October 2021.
The project explored:
caring roles of Young Carers
health and wellbeing, psycho-social disability and risk-taking behaviours of Young Carers
implications of caring responsibilities for educational and employment outcomes of Young Carers, and
support, barriers to support, and further support needs for Young Carers
National Carers Week and Queensland Mental Health Week was celebrated from 10 – 16 October 2021 and the Arafmi Team was busy all week with stalls at the West Moreton Mental Health Expo, Caring for Carers event at St John QLD, West End and the Brisbane Mental Health Expo. Arafmi was also a sponsor of the Carers Queensland, Carer Friendly Business Awards event on Tuesday, 12 October and we would like to congratulate all the winners – well done! Arafmi also hosted two events for our mental health carers – one was a collaboration with the Lovewell Foundation/Lovewell Café at Mt Gravatt Outlook and the other was our annual Carer Forum. Lovewell – Take Time to Connect It’s a beautiful morning up at the Mt Gravatt Outlook with our wonderful carers. lovewell 1 lovewell 2 lovewell 3 lovewell 4 We were very pleased to co-host an event with the team at Lovewell Foundation and the Lovewell Café up at Mt Gravatt Outlook. The event was possible thanks to the 2021 Queensland Mental Health Week Community Events Grant Program. The Lovewell café provided delicious treats for carers, and wellness activities were available including yoga and aromatherapy. Stallholders from organisations such as the Carer Gateway, Lives Lived Well, Stepping Stones and Carers Queensland were also onsite to help provide information to our carers. Despite the rain we had a very impressive turnout and as you can see from the photos – a good time was had by all! Carer Forum 20211013 ARAFMI Carers Forum 107 20211013
The Queensland Mental Health Commission has engaged Arafmi and Carers Queensland to undertake a recruitment of the National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum (NMHCCF) Queensland Carer Representative. The NMHCCF was established in 2002 by the then Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council Mental Health Standing Committee in recognition of the continued need for mental health consumer and carer involvement at the highest level of policy development. The carer representative role provides an opportunity for mental health consumers and carers to foster partnerships and to ensure input of consumers and carers into the activities of the mental health sector, including policy, service delivery and evaluation of reform in Australia. A full position description can be found here. A list of frequently asked questions is available at this link. To apply for the role, please complete the application below. If you would prefer the application be posted to you, or if you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact Alex Tyson at the Arafmi office at 3254 1881. Closing date for this role is 5pm Monday, 24 May 2021. Applications are now closed.
Arafmi would like to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s First People and Traditional Custodians. We value their cultures, identities, and continuing connection to country, waters, kin and community. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and are committed to making a positive contribution to the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
