Family & Individual Support

The Family and Individual Support focus area is one of four focus areas within the Pine Rivers Neighbourhood Centre. Our goal is to provide a range of supports that strengthen the overall functioning and well being of families and individuals. The focus area provides several key services, supported by a team of dedicated volunteers and staff members.

Family Support

This is a free service for families with children from birth to 16 years living in the Pine Rivers Shire. The aim of family support is to develop trusting relationships to support and strengthen families.We do this by working together to enhance the ability of parents to provide a safe, nurturing environment for their children. Family Support assists families experiencing increased stress or disruption to family life due to physical or mental health issues, loneliness, isolation or a breakdown in family relationships. We focus on helping families to cope with the demands of children, parenting and managing home and family life.

The Family Support team consists of:

Family Support Workers: qualified to support you in reaching your goals as a parent.

Life Skills Workers: to support you with home management skills such as budgetting, shopping and attending appointments.

Family Support Visitors: friendly, caring volunteers selected for their personal qualities and experience of family life. Family Support Visitors receive training so that they are better able to support parents and children at times when they need it most.

Family Support Visitors are not “Home Help” but they are people who:

• Listen to you and offer support and reassurance.
• Share in home and family activities.
• Know about and make sense of children’s development and behaviour.
• Know about other services and how to use them.
• Are willing to work through issues with you.

Home visits are generally for about 2 hours weekly, though can be more or less often according to needs. This is reviewed on a quarterly basis which helps us to plan and develop goals together with families.

Counselling

We offer a generalist counselling service available by appointment to individuals, children and couples who want help to explore personal issues. This can involve dealing with a stressful situation, relationship or family difficulties, or working through life’s challenges. Qualified and experienced counsellors provide this service.

Whilst we do not specialise in the areas of substance abuse, sexual assault or crisis counselling, we are able to provide details of other organisations as needed.

What to expect from counselling: Professional counselling provides an opportunity to be listened to in ways that may help you to understand and address problems, make decisions and explore what is happening for you. At all times we maintain a supportive and non-judgemental environment that enables the counsellor and you to work together with participants to develop some possible options and goals. As counselling is a team effort we ask that you make a commitment to attend all scheduled appointments.

Fees: The initial counselling session is free of charge. Each subsequent session is charged at a rate of $10, or as negotiated. A cancellation fee of $10 applies if you cancel with less than 24 hours notice.

Family Therapy

Pine Rivers Neighbourhood Centre is a Family Relationship Service Provider.

Specialist Counselling for families and couples is available by appointment during business hours and on Saturday mornings. This service is delivered by a qualified, accredited and experienced Family Therapist.

Some examples where Counselling might be helpful include:

Pre-marriage; Establishing a relationship; Relationship enhancement/maintenance; Relationship breakdown; Post separation parenting plans; Re-partnering; Step-parenting; Family formation; Family maintenance/enhancement; Family separation.

Professional counselling offers an opportunity for individuals, couples and families to work in a collaborative, supportive, non-judgemental environment, to sort through some of life’s challenges.

The Pine Rivers Neighbourhood Centre’s Confidentiality Policy and Counselling Fee Structure applies to this service.

Homelessness Early Intervention Service

The Homelessness Early Intervention Service is a free service for individuals and families who may be at risk of becoming homeless. This service is aimed at those people living within the Pine Rivers Shire who have independent accommodation, but who, due to individual circumstances and issues, may be struggling to keep their tenancy.

The aim is to provide short-term support to assist people to:

• Maintain their independent accommodation
• Increase their capacity to access support services
• Enhance their capacity to address issues that put them at risk of homelessness.

Key features of the work undertaken by the Homelessness Early Intervention Worker include accessibility, flexibility, case management, direct support and collaboration.

Kid’s Friends

This program is free for kids aged 6-16 living in the Pine Rivers area. It links volunteer ‘friends’ with kids who, for various reasons, lack a special adult companion to share problems, interests and some good times. Young people on the program may have lost a parent through death or separation, may come from families who are experiencing considerable stress or may be children with other needs.

Friends are volunteers over the age of twenty who are reliable, patient and understanding people who make a commitment to visiting a young person on a weekly basis for a minimum of 1 year. A ‘kid’ and a ‘friend’ are matched according to their personalities, interests and cultural backgrounds. Matches are agreed to and approved by the child’s parents. A support worker supervises and supports friends in their relationships with the young people on the program.

The friendship will provide a child with a trustworthy adult to have some fun with, though who will not act as a substitute parent. It may help the child develop confidence, personal skills and a more positive attitude to life. Children and sometimes their families will be invited to attend group activities as arranged from time to time by volunteers and staff.

Confidentiality

The Family and Individual Support focus area keeps information about those who access our services and the support they receive confidential. The Centre’s Confidentiality and Privacy policies comply with Federal Government Legislation and are available to view at your request.

No information will be released to others without your/your guardians written consent, except in the case of a legal subpoena or if there is significant risk of harm to self or others.

Funding

This focus area acknowledges the Department of Communities, Barnardos and HSBC Bank for their financial support.

For more information on any of these services please contact the Neighbourhood Centre.