About Lifeline South Western Victoria

Our Mission :

We are dedicated to providing free, twenty-four hour counselling, information and referral services to the southwest region of Victoria .We aspire to reliability, courtesy and efficiency in our service provision and are committed to the highest ethical standards. Our service, based on Christian values, is available to any person, any time, for any reason.
We will act at all times with integrity in providing the community with quality services.

Lifeline SWV delivers a range of health and community services within the rural municipalities of Glenelg, Southern Grampians , Moyne and Corangamite and the City of Warrnambool.

The population base for the area is approximately 130,000.

Our Structure

Lifeline South West (Vic) Inc. is one of 42 independent Lifeline Centres operating throughout Australia , linked and accredited through the national organisation of Lifeline Australia.

Lifeline SWV has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status and attracts broad based, community support for its range of services. With an active volunteer base of over 150 people, Lifeline SWV currently operates:

• A 24 hour-7 day, year round telephone crisis intervention, trauma response, counselling, information and referral service dealing with around 5,000 callers annually
• A Training facility, that provides a range of mental health education and early intervention programs to industry and the community, plus access to Certificate IV in Telephone Counselling
• A multipurpose Access & Resource Centre providing assessment & referral, face to face counselling, a service information hub, support groups and training;
• Six opportunity shops throughout the region that provide the community with low cost second hand goods and clothing;
• A sorting/ recycling Warehouse that processes all donations from the community for the funding of program delivery.

Serving rural communities

Since 1979, Lifeline SWV has delivered 24 hour telephone counselling and crisis support to consumers in the south west of Victoria. Known for its accessibility, Lifeline has good linkages within the human services sector. Able to provide after hours support to agencies that are not staffed on a 24-hour basis, Lifeline ensures that a range of diverse needs can be addressed, or triaged through the 24 hour, 13 11 14 Helpline.

Lifeline Australia's status as a Registered Training Organisation is an initiative that offers enhancement of the knowledge and skills base of rural residents, by providing accredited counselling training to the community at a local level.

In 2004 Lifeline SWV completed regional social research and analysis of community and provider needs. The outcomes of this project were shared to improve knowledge about communities and the services that support them, and to inform future service development.

Lifeline SWV is striving to enhance the sustainability of the rural communities by: 

• Addressing need at a community level in response to evidence-based planning,
• Participating in alliances between agencies and encouraging transparency and communication between service providers,
• Identifying opportunities for strengthening individual, family and community capacity.

How Can I Help?

FORM A COMMUNITY – BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP WITH LIFELINE

Many businesses do not know what a community-business partnership is, thinking the relationship might be too involved or costly to undertake. In fact a community-business partnership doesn't have to be complex.Here are some ideas.

• Placing a collection tin on the shop counter or business reception area to collect coins from passing trade for Lifeline .
• Holding a staff ‘gold coin’ morning tea, with the money raised going to a specific Lifeline project, such as Suicide Prevention Training.
• Providing corporate financial sponsorship for a specific Lifeline project.
• Offering to provide a percentage of your sales to Lifeline.
• Sending out mail for Lifeline through your business account, ensuring that you save us postage money. (Sending out 1000 letters could save $500).
• Having your staff members - particularly those with some expertise in finances or marketing, volunteer to sit on Lifeline ’s Board of Governance.
• Using your office/business area as a collection point for donations of goods for Lifeline ’s fundraising Op.shops.
• Thinking before throwing out unwanted equipment, such as fax, printer, photocopier, or cash registers when you change over. Many businesses throw them out but they can provide help for Lifeline .
• Establishing a scholarship or award that sponsors young employees to become trained and qualified as Lifeline volunteer telephone counsellors.
• Providing a major in-kind gift as a regular raffle prize or fundraiser.
• Sponsoring Lifeline memberships at $5.00 each, on behalf of your staff.
• Using your own marketing or media opportunities (website, newspaper, radio or TV ads, newsletters, emails) to promote Lifeline ’s activities.
• Undertaking to add your influence and contacts to lobby for government funding for Lifeline ’s programs.
• Encouraging your Board Directors to donate their Directors remuneration to Lifeline SW as a tax deductable gift.
• Introducing an ATO approved Workplace Giving Program, that allows your staff to make regular (before tax) donations to Lifeline SW, through their wages.

Donate to Lifeline

WORKPLACE GIVING PROGRAMS

The Australian Taxation Office has made changes to workplace giving programs making it easier for employees to donate to charities through their payroll system.

This legislative change helps charities registered as a Deductable Gift Recipient (DGR) such as Lifeline South West Vic., that rely on donations and support from the community to fund services.

Some of the important points about this program are:

• Employee donations are deducted before tax is calculated, giving employees a tax benefit every time they donate;
• The Workplace Giving Program is simple to implement using an existing payroll system;
• By participating in a Program and encouraging employees to become donors, your organisation demonstrates social responsibility.
• Under the legislation your employee’s preferred charity must be registered as a DGR, which means the charity is entitled to receive tax deductable donations.

If your organisation already has a Workplace Giving Program established, we encourage you to include Lifeline South West Vic. as a preferred recipient of your donation. As little as $2 per pay will make a big contribution to our future.

Further comprehensive information about Workplace Giving Programs can be obtained from www.ato.gov.au, click on ‘For Non Profit Organisations’ then ‘Gifts & Fundraising’ to access a guide to Workplace Giving.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
PHONE LIFELINE SOUTH WEST VIC.
ON 03) 5561 3758

Lifeline Services

FOCUS ON PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION

Lifeline SWV. has established a practice repertoire that includes:

• Primary Interventions that are health enhancing, educative and aimed at reducing risk and preventing harm to individuals and families
• Secondary Interventions that are directed to early intervention strategies
• Tertiary Interventions that support people who are experiencing personal or family crisis

FACE TO FACE COUNSELLING

Face to face counselling at Lifeline Access & Resource Centre (LARC) has been offered to the community since September 2003. During that time LARC counsellors have dealt with a range of issues such as: family violence, relationship counselling, behaviour change and anger management counselling. In addition, LARC counsellors see clients with anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.

Anger management and behaviour change counselling

Referrals are received from legal practitioners and community agencies. When referring agencies treat clients with multiple issues, including anger management, Lifeline is able to offer counselling to some of these clients allowing the referring agency to focus on the primary issue, eg alcohol/drug use.

Anger management and behaviour change counselling is not just confined to adults, LARC counsellors have also worked with secondary schools in the local area, where young people have behavioural problems. This counselling involves close consultation with teachers to develop coping strategies for the affected young people.

Not all counselling is done by appointment

Community members have traditionally relied on Lifeline’s telephone counselling service to be available when they are in crisis, and this ethic has been transferred to our face to face service.

People who are unable to access immediate assistance elsewhere in the community can present in person at LARC. Many serious situations have been attended to including clients actively considering suicide. People report that they have seen Lifeline’s sign and have walked through the door and requested help.

Recruitment

WHO ARE LIFELINE VOLUNTEER TELEPHONE COUNSELLORS?

Lifeline volunteer Telephone Counsellors (TC’s) can be your next door neighbour or your best friend. They are grocers, doctors, posties, librarians, mechanics, students, lawyers, builders, nurses, farmers or your children’s teacher.

Lifeline volunteer TC’s don’t talk about what they do, because maintaining anonymity is an important part of preserving Lifeline’s commitment to confidentiality.

A Lifeline South West Vic. Volunteer TC answers a call.

HOW DO YOU BECOME A VOLUNTEER TC?

We have two intakes of recruits per year. Prior to each course an information evening is held and application forms are available on the night or can be posted to applicants on request. Applicants are then interviewed for selection as trainees.

The training course is for 16 weeks, one night per week plus two full Saturdays. Attendance at all training sessions is expected. Training as a TC is a journey of self discovery, a process that is challenging, exciting and fun.

Phone (03) 5561 3758 for more information, it could be a life changing decision. 

Business Services

Funds raised from recycling and retail sale of donated goods support the provision of counselling and other related services at Lifeline South West Vic. The business operation employs a small staff of paid workers and many volunteers, who work in the recycling warehouse and in Lifeline’s retail shops.

WHAT HAPPENS TO DONATED GOODS

All donations from the South West Victorian region are collected and sorted in our centrally located warehouse. These include clothing, books, bric-a-brac, shoes, toys and small items of furniture. Almost all the goods are recyclable in some capacity, however a percentage of goods donated are not saleable, and have to become landfill. The cost of tipping is a constant concern and we are always looking for new ways to reduce this financial burden.

Most of the goods that are donated from southwest Victoria, and sorted in the warehouse by our capable staff and volunteers, are returned around the region through our six shops.

CUT COTTON WIPERS

A valuable source of income comes from cotton garments that are not suitable for sale in the shops. These are cut into rags and sold to local businesses, such as mechanics and industrial companies to be used as cleaning cloths. These T-shirt wipers are one of our big sellers, and we therefore appreciate lots of donations of old and no longer wearable cotton garments.

BOOKS

A valuable source of income is through book sales. Donations of clean, undamaged used books are very welcome. Each shop has a good supply of books.

WHERE TO PUT DONATIONS

Donations to Lifeline South West are always gratefully accepted, and may be placed in any of the large blue bins located around the region. Alternatively, our retail shops also accept donations, which are returned to the Warrnambool warehouse for sorting, before the A-grade quality clothing is re-distributed to the shops for sale.

THE ROLE OF LIFELINE SHOPS

The public face of Lifeline South West fundraising business is through our 6 retail shops located in Warrnambool, Portland, Port Fairy, Hamilton, Terang and Camperdown. These businesses provide a number of services in their communities:

• they are important sources of funds for Lifeline
• they offer people access to low cost, quality goods and clothing
• they provide work experience and retail training in each community
• they harness community involvement through volunteering
• they provide support networks in small towns

STAFFING OUR SHOPS

Each shop is staffed by rosters of dedicated volunteers and a Coordinator who oversees the day to day running of the store. Twice a year the shop Coordinators and some of their volunteers, have a training day with the managers to share ideas, receive support and develop direction in their roles and for each shop.

Training includes guest speakers and often gives the volunteers insight and relevance to Lifeline’s primary role in the community. These meetings are important for the sense of kinship they provide, and to show the volunteers that they are valued members of the Lifeline community.

THANK YOU

Thanks to all our volunteers in the warehouse and shops, for your great generosity and for demonstrating the importance of voluntary work to the social fabric of our society. Those often hard earned dollars contribute immensely to the wellbeing of our community, through providing Lifeline’s range of primary health services.

Links

Lifeline's services related websites

Resources for individuals, professionals, families and communities.

Lifeline International
Lifeline provides a mantle of compassion, linking people with people and country with country.

Lifeline Service Finder
A comprehensive database of low cost or free health and community services offered throughout Australia.

Living Works / Suicide Prevention
A suicide prevention scheme, auspiced by Lifeline Australia.

Other Useful Websites

Attention Deficit Disorder, Parenting South Australia
Helping parents be their best.

Auseinet
Australian network for promotion, prevention and early intervention for mental health.

Beyond Blue
An Australia site with information on depression.

BluePages Information on Depression
Information about depression for consumers, produced by the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University, CSIRO Mathematical & Information Sciences with the assistance of an advisory board.

Carers Australia
Supporting information for carers including parents, families, teachers, friends, and professional carers of people with disacility and mental illness.

Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression
A group of researchers and clinicians concerned with anxiety and depression. The website provides self help information and facts about mental illness such as depression, panic attacks and anxiety.

Headroom
Formerly known as Partnership with Young People Project (PYPP), a South Australian mental health promotion project managed by the Division of Mental Health, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide. This website aims to inform young people, their caregivers and service providers about positive mental health.

Health Insite
A portal to mental health issues.

Kids Helpline
A national telephone counselling service for young people aged between 5-18 years. Free call - 1800 55 1800.

LivingWorks Education, Inc (Canada)

MoodGYM
Training programs about cognitive behaviour therapy for preventing depression.

Multicultural Mental Health Australia
Multicultural Mental Health Australia provides national leadership in mental health and suicide prevention for Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and works to promotr better mental health and well-being for a diverse community.

Reach Out!
An initiative of the Inspire Foundation for young people to help themselves and get involved in their community through difficult times

SANE Australia
A national charity helping people affected by mental illness. SANE Australia Helpline Free call - 1800 18 SANE (7263).

The Australian Governmment Department of Health and Aging

The Mental Health Council of Australia
An independent, non-government sector peak body established under the National Mental Health Strategy to represent and promote the interests of the mental health sector and advise on mental health in Australia.

The World Federal of Mental Health
Founded in 1948 to advance, among all people and nationa, the prevention of mental and emotional disorders, the proper treatment and care of thos with such disorders, and the promotion of mental health.