The Hills Mental Health Interagency Meeting

The Hills Mental Health Interagency Meeting

Date:Tuesday 9 May 2017; 0930am– 1130am

Venue:Hills Shire Council, 3 Columbia Ct, Baulkham Hills

Chaired by:Kerrie Sheaves

Minutes:Sharon Clifford

1. Welcome from chair and apologies:

Kerrie Sheaves opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. Kerrie then gave overview of the meeting and advised that today we had 3 guest speakers. Kerrie also reminded everyone that if you had some information or a flyer you wanted sent out for everyone to see – please send a JPEG file to Kerrie who can then put it on our Facebook page.

Apologies were received from a number of people prior to the meeting:

2. Introductions around the room

All attendees introduced themselves, with a 60second spiel about their organisation and role.

2. Information Sharesreceived from the following:

Family Worker Training & Development Program Inc

Training Calender – May issue now available at

Noffs Foundation

-New free counselling service for young people (ages 12-25) in Western Sydney including Hills District.

-Service can be provided at the Street University at Mt Druitt or on an outreach capacity. We are able to engage with young people at schools, other services or at home if suitable.

-Alcohol and other drug counselling as well as general counselling

-Own AOD use or impact of others AOD use

-We can provide work development orders (WDOs) and can attend youth justice conferences

-Contact Dijana on 0418 822 655 or Katherine 0429 017 548

Health & Wellness Coaching & Exercise for Youth with Depression

As a Life Coach I have knowledge in:

-Health and wellness

-Mental Health – Anxiety and Depression (getting kids out of their dark bedrooms and in to their backyards or outdoor to exercise to feel better)

-My business name is : Apricot Seed Life Coaching

-Started another business: Movement & Motivation (working with a rehabilitation personal trainer to assist kids up to 18 years of age and their parents to support not only the child but also parents/carers who feel stressed and sometimes lost). We go to people’s homes because most of the time kids who suffer from depression won’t leave the house to exercise.

The Official Top Ten Night (upcoming event) - Alastair Taylor

-Now: Filmmakers Festival “Get reel” with Grand Final on 18th June

-09.06.17: Songwriters Festival “Listen Up Australia” opens for submissions. Semi Finals and Grand Final in Oct/Nov.

-09.09.17: “Hope on the Harbour” memorial event for those loved ones lost to suicide.

-04.11.17: “Finish Fast” Assault Course Challenge Day

Ongoing:

-Weekly Radio Show on Alive 90.5fm on Wednesdays @ 10am entitled “Top Ten at 10”.

-Various speaking engagements share “My Lived Experience Story”

National Disability Co-ordination Officer Program

Post School Expo for People with Disability in Chatswood Concourse

Date: 17 May 2017 from 11.00am to 6.00pm

Headspace – Melinda Um

Headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation providing early intervention mental health services for 12-25 year olds. The service is designed to make it as easy as possible for a young person and their family to access the help they need for problems affecting their wellbeing. This covers 4 core areas:

-Mental health

-Physical health

-Work and study support

-Alcohol and other drug services

Cost:Services are either free or have a low cost.

Local centres: Castle Hill, Parramatta, Penrith and Mount Druitt

Appointment: Ring or email your local centre.

3. Updates/ actions arising from previous meeting

Nil

4.What networking, activities or events have been done/ are upcoming this month? Follow HMHI on Facebook and have events advertised there.

CRN Distribution:

If you have any information that you would distributed, please forward to – please send through any attachments in PDF.

HMHI Facebook Page/LinkedIn Group:

A reminder to all members that we have a HMHI Facebook page which you should like and can use to promote activities you want others in the community to know about.

And we also have a new Hills Mental Health Interagency LinkedIn Group – please join it if you’re on LinkedIn and add relevant discussions and articles – this is good way to connect to other Mental Health service providers:

5. Housekeeping

a. Subcommittee Updates- Nil

b.Young Healthy Minds Forum

Sharon Clifford gave update advising that the Forum was on 17 May and to date we had 154 students registered to attend.

c. Youth Festival

Youth Festival was cancelled due to wet weather.

d. Grants

Kerrie spoke on behalf of Raquel and advised that Clubgrants close on the 19th May and are available for projects that may include community welfare and social services, community development etc.

e. Billy Cart Derby Day

Held on 22 April. Very popular event however, didn’t have big response from group here with invitation to put brochures in the 200 show bags.

5. Presentations

Rebecca Deane – Creating Change Psychology and Counselling

Please see full presentation attached

P: 8883 3185

Gailsusan Moore - Community Foundation of North Western Sydney

The Community Foundation of North Western Sydney works Hills but does have the ability to work outside this. Grants currently available:

- Youth Sport and Recreational Assistance which provides money to ensure the children from financially disadvantaged familiescan engage in team sport and other activities. Open to any child Under 18. $350 per child per year.

- No Interest Community Loan Schemewhich provides loans to disadvantaged community members to pay foressential equipment and services.

- Essential Equipment Program, which provides essential equipment or services free of charge when we evaluate that the clientdoes not have sufficient income to repay a loan.

- Disadvantaged Youth Education & Training

Money does not go to family it goes to service provider. NFP’s can apply. Also Auspice for NFP.

Ned – Rap for Change

Rap 4 Change vision is to help education young people in the importance of education and dealing with issues of bullying, peer pressure, racism and more through rap music.

They have no office, Rap 4 Change is an Outreach Service. They work with kids that are disengaged, kids with mental health issues, kids that are suicidal, homeless kids, kids through dv, and is open to any age.

The aim is to educate young people in the awareness of current social concerns through rap music, motivational speaking and interactive audience participation. Different workshops include:

RCP – Rapid Change Productions – mentoring through rapping, recording and then giving the kids their cd so that they can do whatever they want with it

Western Sydney’s Got Talent – lots of celebrities and judges

Tag for Trust - Tag footy with Emergency Services to build trust.

Swish for Trust – Basketball

Workshops include music, rap and street art. All services are free and they do not receive funding. Rap 4 Change spoke on the 3 things that kids love – music, their sport and their friends so Rap 4 Change created this service to cover all of these.

Kerrie gave thanks to the 3 presenters at today’s meeting and gave a call out for 3 speakers for next meeting.

General

Kerrie gave an overview on Statistics in the Hills area and what to look at when planning:

160,000 residents in the Hills

80,000 of these are men – If you are not providing services to 80,000 men you are missing the mark. One thing to remember is that men will not come to 8 week workshops.

Stats just as high for Domestic Violence for men as they are for women. 2 DV Houses for women – none for men

30,000 businesses - 4 out of 5 are small businesses and 1 in 5 fail in first 2 years – no services to refer these people to who have had lost their business. Not aware of any service to refer to. Try thinking of services that can support people in small businesses.

50% divorce rate in the Hills district. Issues – 2 adults under stress – not enough counselling services. Most of these have children – what services support children and how to adjust to parents divorce. Because it costs so much to live in the Hills 90% of people have to work.

4suicides a month in the Hills district in the male 25-45 age and that is not those with mental health issues – callout to get more pro-active in that space.

1/3 of all home sales in Hills district are mortgagee sales. No furniture behind the doors (can’t afford to furnish homes). $800K average mortgage in this area - $1.1 million average cost of home

Example given that it cost her whilst working fulltime to go to work for 1 day - $140just to cover childcare and tolls and parking/transport

Lot of ex-pats coming into area – suggestions for a service group for mums who are ex-pats (eg South African, UK, American) with husbands working in the coporates like Resmed, Woolworths etc.

Grandparents are now babysitting their grandkids so their kids can go to work. Can’t enjoy retirement need more support

6. Close

The last half hour of the meeting is deliberately dedicated to networking and Kerrie encouraged everyone to stay and chat with someone they don’t know.

Kerrie closed official part of meeting and theMeeting turned into networking time.

Next meeting date: Tuesday 4 July 2017at The Hills Shire Council from 9.30-11.30am.

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