Lifeline Gippsland

Lifeline webpage

24 hour Crisis Telephone Counselling, Information and Referral Service. (ongoing)
Lifeline Gippsland provides the only 24 hour telephone counselling service in the Gippsland region available to anyone, anytime anywhere at the cost of a local call.
Given that most health services’ hours are Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00 pm many agencies refer their clients to Lifeline for after-hours service. We work closely with other organisations to ensure support for all persons regardless of ethnicity, age or gender. This year, Lifeline volunteer telephone counsellors will answer almost 10,000 calls, proof that people of Gippsland do need someone to call anytime, anywhere. Calls include issues such as loneliness, depression, relationship or financial difficulties, drug and alcohol abuse, grief and loss, domestic and sexual abuse and the most difficult of calls- suicide.

Face to Face Recovery Support and Counselling (ongoing)
Lifeline Gippsland has trained counsellors who assist in recovery and provide support across the entire Gippsland region. Many have received additional training, such as Wildfire Training, in order that they can be deployed to affected communities within hours of a request being received.

24 hour Gippsland Crisis Line (commences 1st July 2007)
Funding from Emergency Management Australia, with support from the six Gippsland LGA’s and the DHS, has enabled Lifeline Gippsland to establish a 24-hour trauma support line available from the 1st July 2007. This line will be a first point of call for anyone involved in or witnessing a traumatic event (murder, suicide, natural or man made disaster or vehicle fatality accident) in the Gippsland region.

Gippsland Communities Working Together in Drought (2007/8)
Lifeline Gippsland has received funding from the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to run the Working Together in Drought – Local Answers program. This project will equip communities in Wellington and East Gippsland Shire to deal with issues arising from long term drought by increasing community capacity to deal more effectively with the stress, trauma and emotional burden of years of extreme drought conditions. Gippsland communities working together in drought will train key community members in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) so that, within communities themselves, there is the capacity to identify, manage and raise awareness of mental health issues such as depression, suicide and general stress. An important component of the project will be to promote general acceptance and discussion of mental health issues which will encourage the implementation of early intervention strategies.

Suicide Crisis Support Program (SCSP) (ongoing)
Lifeline Gippsland was the only rural Centre chosen to pilot the SCSP program which is designed to support individuals who are in a current suicidal crisis (or supporting someone who is), by providing regular telephone counselling with a Support Counsellor, for a period up to 8 weeks. The SCSP trial concluded in February. The program has obtained excellent results and, as a result of our fundraising activities Lifeline Gippsland has committed to fund this program.

Victims of Crime Assistance Program (ongoing)
Lifeline Gippsland is the after hours service for the Gippsland region. Working in conjunction with Anglicare, Quantum Support Services and Gippsland Centre Against Sexual Assault, Lifeline Telephone Counsellors give crisis support, information and referral to any Gippslanders who have suffered or been affected by crimes such as sexual assault, domestic violence etc.

Recovery Response Team (deployed as needed)
Lifeline Gippsland have a number of recovery counsellors trained by the Department of Human Services who, in the event of an emergency, are available for community support at relief centres, call centres, at a designated venue or on site whenever there is a traumatic event in a community.

ASIST Workshops - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ongoing)
Lifeline Gippsland is an accredited ASIST training provider. ASIST training develops skills in how to recognise and respond to a person at risk of suicide, linking them to further help. The course is designed to enable caregivers (family, friends, counsellors, teachers and ministers) to help those at risk of suicide.

Community Support and Development (ongoing)
Lifeline Gippsland is a currently a sponsor organisation for two Work for the Dole Programs (WFD) within its Business Operations Division. The 22 WFD participants, who are long term unemployed, receive specialist training over a 6 month period with the objective of reintegrating them into the workforce and increasing their chances of finding future paid employment.
Lifeline Gippsland hosts the largest number of Correctional Services (CORE) participants within Gippsland.
Lifeline Gippsland runs informal programs with several service providers in order to provide volunteering opportunities to individuals who are suffering with mental health issues or disabilities. The objective is to enable people who are often isolated an opportunity to increase their social and networking skills and reconnect with their communities.
Our retail charity shops provide an important recycling function within the community and offer low income earners a range of good quality used clothes and goods.

External Training (ongoing)
Lifeline Gippsland offers workshops and short course training designed to meet specific community, local agency or local businesses needs. Recent courses provided include – Dealing with Aggressive Callers (front of house staff for a local health service provider), Depression in the Workplace (local Council) Suicide Intervention (Paramedics) and Grief and Loss (Indigenous) The training provided is tailored to the needs of the client and ranges from a three hour workshop to a 2 or 3 day course.

Examples Lifeline Gippsland’s Recovery/Crisis Response Activity
Although best known for our telephone counselling services, behind the scenes LLG responds to Gippslanders who require material aid, face to face counselling and support at times when no other agency is able or available to help them. As a Gippsland community owned and operated service we believe that we have a responsibility to respond when help is needed – during Bushfires, drought and floods or when people are stressed, depressed or suicidal. The following are some examples of our activities in this area.

Gippsland Bushfires & Floods 2006/7
Lifeline Gippsland provided support to fire and flood impacted communities during the recent Gippsland Bushfires:

Placement Details
Evaluation projects
Lifeline Gippsland has several programs (see below) that would benefit from a detailed evaluation on their effectiveness, health promotion objectives, accessibility, networking with other agencies and client outcomes.
All 4 programs are relatively new and it would be extremely beneficial to our organisation if they were evaluated and depending on the evaluation outcome could enable Lifeline to look at how to increase usage and access, design brochures, increase marketing etc

As is the case with the development and provision of the training modules, Lifeline Gippsland’s existing evaluation mechanisms need to be appropriately adapted to fit each training program/module. In 2007/08 Lifeline Gippsland will be providing training specifically designed to assist the indigenous community in dealing with trauma and grief. This training aims to strengthen the capacity of Indigenous elders, leaders and community workers individually and as they work to meet the health and wellbeing of their community.
The Evaluation for this project will include (i) reporting against the overall objectives of the project and (ii) assessing the subjective impact and success of the project with respect to the individual course participants. It is envisaged that a mix of ‘tools’ will be utilised including written and oral documentation.

It would be therefore be extremely beneficial if Monash University students, as part of the evaluation process, could design a generic evaluation tool kit for all Lifeline programs that can be easily adapted for any program or project.

Gippsland Communities Working Together in Drought
Face to Face Recovery Support and Counselling
External Training
Suicide Crisis Support Program
Following on/or as part of the evaluation projects Monash students could also design new health promotion literature.
Placement Parameters
Expectations Lifeline Gippsland will expect that the students take the initiative and work independently with limited supervision, however they will be based at the Lifeline building and will have access to Lifeline staff at all times. We will be hoping that the students will be able to look objectively at all programs, consult widely and bring an independent view to the project.

The students will have an opportunity to network with a wide range of agencies, individuals and the general public enabling them to enhance their communication skills, Students will also gain a wider understanding of the needs of the community, the barriers faced in accessing services and the effects on the community with the lack of service availability.

Students will also develop an appreciation of the responsiveness of Lifeline Gippsland, a significant community and volunteer organisation, our funding obligations and how and why Lifeline provides its current programs.

Hours of placement. One day per week 9am -5pm with half an hour lunch break. (hours are negotiable)

Selection Criteria
Students will require listening and communication skills so that they are able to liaise with staff members.

A non-judgemental attitude to the issues and needs of the disadvantaged in order to understand the mission and work of the agency and its clientele.

Agreement to keep to Lifeline ethical guidelines, as far as anonymity and confidentiality of volunteers is concerned.
Any knowledge of counselling and its skills and techniques would be deemed an asset.

The agency works within a team environment with each member contributing their particular expertise, thus the ability to work effectively as part of a team is also required.

Students would also be required to present a valid police check at the commencement of their placement.

Location: 2 Fleming Street, Morwell VIC 3840
Contact Person: Patricia Nalder
Phone: (03) 5136 3500
Places Filled: 0/2