Grief and Bereavement Organisations and useful Websites
Grief and Bereavement Organisations
These organisations can provide bereavement support:
Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement
www.grief.org.au
Bereavement Information and Referral Service - For the general public seeking assistance
Telephone Toll Free - 1300 664 786
Practitioner Consultancy Service - For those providing bereavement support
Telephone Toll Free - 1300 858 113
The Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement is the Department of Human Services funded Statewide Specialist Bereavement Service
The Compassionate Friends
www.compassionatefriendsvictoria.org.au
Support following the death of a son or daughter at any age
Telephone Freecall - 1800 641 091
Mercy Grief Services
http://www.mercy.com.au/html/s08_contact/default.asp?
Mercy Grief Services (MWGS) offers bereavement counselling services for people living in the western region of Melbourne.
Telephone (03) 9364 9838
Sids and Kids
www.sidsandkids.org
Offers bereavement information and counselling support to parents, grandparents and other family members, friends and any member of the community affected by the death of a child.
Toll Free - 1300 308 307
TELEPHONE SUPPORT SERVICES
Lifeline and NURSE-ON-CALL telephone services are the Victorian Government funded 24-hour telephone counselling services:
Lifeline
www.lifeline.org.au
Lifelineâ#€#™#s 13 11 14 service is staffed by trained volunteer telephone counsellors who are ready to take calls 24-hour a day, any day of the week from anywhere in Australia. These volunteers operate from Lifeline Centres in every State and Territory around Australia. Lifeline answers around 450,000 calls per year from people needing emotional support.
NURSE-ON-CALL
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/nurseoncall/
The NURSE-ON-CALL Bushfire Health and Counselling Line provides 24-hour support and counselling to anyone either directly, or indirectly, affected. This includes emergency workers, volunteers and service providers.
Toll Free - 1300 60 60 24
COMPASSION AND BEREAVEMENT PAYMENT
http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/bushfireappeal
The Victorian Bushfire Appeals Advisory Committee has agreed to the provision of a Compassion and Bereavement Payment to assist families of individuals who have died in the 2009 Victorian Bushfires. The purpose of the Compassion and Bereavement Payment is to provide immediate support to those families that have lost loved ones in the 2009 Victorian bushfires. The payment provides assistance to families to help meet any immediate needs, including funeral and travel related costs.
GENERAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Community Health Directory
This page provides a list of Community Health Services and other Community Health Program funded services in Victoria. You can search this database on the basis of suburb, street name or centre name:
Victorian Government Community health directory
GENERAL PUBLIC RESOURCES:
The Victorian Government Department of Health and the Department of Human Services has information for the bushfire season available here.
Victorian Bushfire Support Information
There are a range of support services which offer personal, emotional, psychological and financial help to those affected by February's bushfires.
These include details on Accommodation and clean-up assistance; Community Service Hubs; Financial assistance for individuals; Additional support and services; Emotional support and Health and safety information
Details of these services can be accessed here.
Lifeline publication titled: Helping your children cope with the after effects of the bush fire disaster can be downloaded here.
The Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief Network. Documents written for parents and carers:
http://www.earlytraumagrief.anu.edu.au/information_resources/community_information/
The Australian Red Cross has a publication titled Coping with a major personal crisis and is available for download here:
http://www.redcross.org.au/ourservices_acrossaustralia_disasteremergencyservices_recover_coping.htm
This leaflet, written by staff at the Traumatic Stress Clinic, Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, is designed to help you understand how children and young people might react to frightening events, and to give you some ideas of what might help:
After the event: Supporting children after a frightening event
PRACTITIONER RESOURCES:
Department of Human Services Emergency Management Resources
http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/emergency/current-events/bushfire
ABC Radio Bush Telegraph - Interview with Prof. Beverley Raphael on How to cope with trauma
Program 1136
How to cope with trauma
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bushtelegraph/
Emergency Management Australia
Psychological Services in the Disaster Context Guidelines for Psychological Services Practice - Final Draft http://www.ema.gov.au/agd/ema/emaInternet.nsf/AllDocs/RWP624132D4B80AF55ECA256CB3008301BF?OpenDocument
Australian Guidelines for the Treatment of Adults with Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
The guidelines, as well as summary versions for practitioners and people affected by trauma, are available for free download at www.acpmh.unimelb.edu.au.
Counselling must hit the right targets (The Age, 10 February 2009)
By Professor Mark Creamer, Director of the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health
www.theage.com.au/opinion/counselling-must-hit-the-right-targets-20090209-8287.html
The Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief Network.
There are number of useful documents here including a research report on the Canberra bushfires: http://www.earlytraumagrief.anu.edu.au/information_resources/professional_resources/disaster/
The Australian Psychological Society. A briefing was held on Tuesday, 3 March, for psychologists and other allied health professionals interested in the Victorian bushfire disaster response. The briefing was presented by members of the APS Disaster Preparedness and Response Reference Group, and other experts in disaster response and psychological recovery.
http://www.psychology.org.au/bushfire/briefing/
Beyondblue: The National Depression Initiative
Beyondblue is working closely with communities, government and health agencies to respond to the psychological impact of the devastating Victorian bushfires in February 2009 and has developed training and resources for community members in impacted Victorian communities.
Details of these programs can be accessed here.
Australian Guidelines for the Treatment of Adults with Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
The Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health at the University of Melbourne undertakes world class trauma related research, policy advice, service development and education.
Download full Guidelines for the Treatment of Adults with Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
USEFUL WEBSITES
Department of Human Services Victoria - Statewide Bushfire Assistance
ABC Melbourne Bushfire Help
Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss & Grief Network - Bushfire and Flood Resources
