In this issue

COVID-19 and it’s effect on your service

To ensure that your service is receiving appropriate referrals please keep us updated with any changes to your service delivery or contact information. Keeping this information current is one of the key points of our Model Referral Process so email or call the Referral Coordination Service to keep in touch. We appreciate there will be challenges ahead as we respond to the COVID-19 virus and will be working business as usual until further advised. We wish everyone well over the coming months.

Beaucare

Beaucare feels it is certainly beneficial to our clients as it supports them in accessing our services as well as to link them to supports via our partnership agencies. Beaucare has Youth- and Family teams, Childcare support, Aged Care- Home Maintenance- and Disability Supports; men’s and women’s group programs, hubs in outlying areas (Kooralbyn, Canungra, Tamborine Mountain and Beechmont); Emergency Relief Funding as well as  ARIA – the Intake team which supports persons with information, advice and referrals to other Beaucare services or specialist agencies in the Scenic Rim, Logan or Gold Coast. We also have multiple partnership agreements with other agencies and can access those supports, for example the Beaudesert Domestic- and Family Violence Program via YFS or the Metro South Alcohol and Other Drugs program for parents with children between 0 and 8yo. We have had referrals where we identified multiple areas of Beaucare support available and can give case examples. However, our involvement is always voluntary and we have a clear conversation with persons on whether they choose to engage with us or not. We usually can offer more than the identified referral need and as Beaucare is a place-based community agency, we then are able to establish  relationships with local persons which helps when they have future support needs.

Beaucare and their engagement within communities

Referral 1:

A referral was made by QPS for emotional support/ counselling for Young person (YP) who was in the house for a home invasion where father was shot and died at the scene.

Beacare Engagement:

Beaucare case management received the referral for YP to access emotional counselling and receive support pre and post funeral. Outreach sessions were delivered as YP was relocated out of region due to safety concerns. Accommodation was arranged and paid for by Beaucare for YP, carer (family friend) and family of 7.

Liaison with Homicide detectives regarding emotional wellbeing of YP. Family case meeting regarding custody care of YP as temporary order was made for YP to live with family member- Aunty

Referrals to external agencies specialising in homicide trauma and PTSD

Liaison with family member when YP was placed in care of brother

Outcome:

YP experienced support having her own advocate

Strategies to support YP with expression and grief and funeral process

Support offered to multiple family members to further support YP

Referral 2:

Beaucare received a Policelink referral in relation to a 38-year-old male client earlier this year in relation to mental health concerns following the loss of employment and a previous suicide attempt.

Beacare Engagement:

Beaucare met with the client and his partner to complete a biopsychosocial assessment. Emergency Relief support was provided to the client to purchase food and fuel.

An urgent financial counselling appointment was scheduled for the client in order to address current financial distress and advocate for bill relief.

It was confirmed that the client had attended a GP and accessed a Mental Health Care Plan.  The client was encouraged to maintain his psychologist appointments.

The client and his partner were referred to the Beaucare Family Team for case management for relationship- and parenting support, support in assisting their 3 primary school aged children to cope with their father’s previous suicide attempt, and for support in assisting the client with the ongoing management of his mental health.

Outcome:

The client and his partner attended financial counselling and developed a budget and accessed advocacy in relation to outstanding bills, alleviating some of the financial stress they were experiencing.

The client and his partner actively engaged with the Beaucare Family Team for several months to access support.

Chris’s corner…

It feels like a broken record but 2020 is another year commencing at a hectic pace.  Whilst it has been another busy start, the unfortunate side of being this busy is that it has lead to us losing a number of very large service providers who can no longer afford to assist with accepting Police Referrals.  Unfortunately, this has lead to us no longer having the statewide service provider coverage for the central referral category of Mental Health.  This is a major concern for us as it means that we are no longer able to provide a true service provider response for anybody requiring Mental Health or non-emergent suicide prevention support not in a location with a local service provider.  The best we can offer, and purely as a means of keeping this as a referral category for those locations with a local service provider, is to offer an auto generated response advising people to contact their GP or other inbound call service providers.

The only way this situation can be addressed is through the inclusion of new service providers for these categories across the state.  Again, if you know of any services in your local networks who are not currently part of Police Referrals, please speak with them and encourage them to join us.  If they are interested in becoming part of the Police Referrals network then have them contact our Referral Coordination Management Service at admin@policereferrals.org.au.  Alternately, if you would feel more comfortable with us contacting other services direct to discuss with them the benefits of being part of Police Referrals then please e-mail the details of the service provider (and preferable with a contact person) to this same e-mail address.

Until next month, thank you for all of your support and working with the Queensland Police Service in helping to build safe, caring and connected communities.

A/Senior Sergeant Chris Stafford