PROJECTS AND PARTNERSHIP NEWS
Lifeline aligns with footy and fashion
Lifeline Australia is pleased to announce two new partnerships which are helping to raise both awareness and funds for Lifeline. The National Rugby League and Westfield have both come on board to support Lifeline in two very different ways. The NRL – as part of their One Community Program - have chosen to support Lifeline throughout the 2007 rugby league season. This partnership is testament to the NRL’s commitment towards community issues such as health and social welfare.
Westfield will also be supporting Lifeline by donating the profits from their new designer tote bags. These bags have been designed by three prominent Australian fashion designers and are available from selected Westfield Shopping Centres around the country.
Lifeline Australia would like to thank the NRL and Westfield for their support in 2007. For more information about these and other partnerships, please visit: www.lifeline.org.au/partner
SUICIDE PREVENTION
Lifeline's Suicide Bereavement Support Group Best Practice Project
Around 20,000 people in Australia each year are impacted by the loss of a friend or loved one by suicide. These figures highlight the importance of providing access to bereavement support services.
There are currently a number of diverse suicide bereavement support (SBS) groups operating around Australia, providing much needed support to people bereaved by the tragic loss of suicide. These groups provide the support and information to help people live with their grief and facilitate connections with others who have shared similar experiences.
Lifeline Australia has recently received Commonwealth funding to run the Suicide Bereavement Support Group Best Practice project. This project will address the shortfall in national standards and benchmarks for suicide bereavement support groups, operating in Australia, in an effort to create a model for best practice.
This project will build the capacity for providing effective support to those bereaved by suicide. In the first instance the program will be trialed within a number of Lifeline Centres. Once evaluated, resources will be made available to other organisations around Australia who are delivering suicide bereavement support groups.
TRAINING AND STANDARDS
In with the new - Improving on a time-honoured service with new technology
With a new call to Lifeline every minute, Lifeline is working to ensure that the 13 11 14 service is as effective as possible. Part of this process involves equipping Lifeline Volunteer Telephone Counsellors with the right tools, training and support networks. These volunteers are being supported through a new information system, which can be used for supervision and skill development and allows them to take notes. This system will mean that supervision of telephone counsellors across the Lifeline network will become more systematic and consistent.
Lifeline is embracing computer technology to enhance and compliment a service that has - in one form or another - been around for over 40 years. The introduction of a new database that is able to gather call data and information about callers, will work to increase Lifeline’s understanding of caller needs. Information is collected in a sensitive way and individual caller details remain confidential. Broader analysis of call themes and caller demographics will be used to improve planning for the 13 11 14 service, meet caller demand, and guide training and professional development. While there are many more changes ahead, Lifeline Australia is confident that the standards and systems which have been implemented will ensure a better service for anyone who needs it.
TELEPHONE COUNSELLING
Volunteers embrace new online training
In mid 2006 Lifeline Australia reported on a new online training tool (Lifeline Leanring) which was being developed to train volunteers for the positions of “on call duty supervisor”. Lifeline Australia is excited to report that this resource is now being used successfully in Lifeline Centres as part of an overall Lifeline training package.
Lifeline Learning provides the ability to offer consistent training nationwide, which is available and accessible at the convenience of the student. The online system can be accessed at any time of day, at home or elsewhere.
There are presently 15 Supervisors on Call undertaking training using the Lifeline Learning package and three have already completed the course. It is still early days but feedback so far has been positive with students commenting on how “great” the resource is and how it has made them feel much more prepared for the important role they play within Lifeline.
Supervisors on Call play a critical role in supporting Volunteer Telephone Counsellors while they are on a shift. Many of them are also volunteers. Accordingly, the provision of training through an e-learning medium is ideally suited to providing additional professional development for the Supervisors on Call.
Lifeline Australia is a Registered Training Organisation and is always looking to improve the training resources and methods available to staff and volunteers. To find our more about Lifeline training and volunteer opportunities visit the lifeline website at: www.lifeline.org.au
CEO Message
I would like to start this newsletter by thanking all of our supporters for their generosity and for a great start to 2007. We have a number of new corporate partnerships to report on in this issue and it is wonderful to see the corporate community getting behind Lifeline, whether it is through financial support or by providing us with opportunities to create awareness about our services.
It gives me a great sense of faith in our community to see the way in which individuals, corporate partners and government organisations all work together to support national and local charities such as Lifeline. As an organisation we strive to create inclusive communities where everyone can belong and contribute, and where participation at all levels fosters individual and community wellbeing.
Community and corporate support helps us to create awareness of mental health issues such as depression and suicide, whilst encouraging positive behaviours like self-help and helping others. It also ensures that we can continue to fund our vital services. However there is always more work to be done. In a country where around one in five people suffer from some sort of mental illness and approximately 2000 people die by suicide each year, Lifeline’s challenge is to keep providing support, information and compassion where it is needed. To do this we will continue to seek out partnership opportunities and encourage everyday Australians to give to Lifeline. The power to make real, lasting changes - in any society - comes in numbers. Once again, as supporters of Lifeline we thank you for your commitment to making a positive difference.
Suicide Prevention - Making a Difference
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has recently released a new report on suicide statistics from 2005. Figures suggest that reported suicide deaths in Australia have dropped 22% since the peak in 1997. However there is still much to be done. While suicide rates among adolescents have halved in recent years, they still account for one in five deaths in this age group. The rate of suicide of those in their mid-to-late forties remains virtually unchanged.
Suicide prevention and postvention services are helping to raise awareness of suicide and encourage help-seeking. The key is persistence. You can help Lifeline to continue providing suicide prevention programs by making a donation. Call 1800 800 768 or donate online at www.lifeline.org.au
LIFELINE
CENTRE IN PROFILE
Lifeline South East SA
Location: Mt Gambier, SA
Years in Operation: 23 years
Number of Staff: 12 EFT
Number of Volunteers: 400+
Services Offered: 24-hour telephone counselling (13 11 14), care ring for the isolated and elderly, break-even gambling services, low income support program, victim support services, welcome programs for migrants, prison peer support counselling training and volunteer referral service.
Website:
www.users.bigpond.com
/lifelinese
LIFELINE IN BRIEF
Calls taken on 13 11 14 in March 2007 : Approx 37,504
Total calls taken on 13 11 14 in 2007: Approx 108, 522
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