The document summarizes the Resilient Places initiative, which aims to establish and deliver a mental health community coordination project and mental health resource hub in communities affected by natural disasters. It provides an overview of the goals of promoting social inclusion, recovery-focused mental health services, and easy access to information. It also describes activities conducted including consulting local services, establishing coordinators in different regions, providing training and microgrants to community groups, and the plans to continue enhancing mental health hubs and resources.

1. Resilient Places
What we do
Where we fit in the bigger picture
How we can work together
www.qldalliance.org.au

2. What does QLD Alliance do ?
• Represents and supports community
organisations;
• Promotes human rights for persons
with a mental illness;
• Influences governments to invest
more in services supporting
community recovery;
• Advocates for community wellbeing.

3. Our Goals are:
• Social inclusion and community
wellbeing;
• A mental health system focused on
people‟s recovery in their own homes
and communities; and
• Easy access to information and
strategies that promote mental health

4. Resilient Places
• Funded until 30 June 2013, through the MHDRP,
to establish and deliver:
– Mental Health Community Coordination Project, and
– Mental Health Resource Hub.
• Mental Health Disaster Recovery Package
(MHDRP) is a joint initiative of the Australian and
Queensland Governments under the Natural
Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements.

5. Resilient Places
Mental Health Community Coordinators
• Atherton Tablelands – Jo Abbatangelo
• Innisfail – Pam Maher
• Tully/Cardwell – Jenny Boyge
• Ingham – Michelle Dyck
• Lockyer Valley/ Toowoomba/
Chinchilla/Roma – Rod Saal

6. What has Resilient
Places Done?
To start, we
consulted with
service networks
• Why ?
• How ?
• Intentional
approach about
how to enter a
community

7. What was learnt from the consultation ?
The importance of Linkages
• New and existing resources to support
disaster recovery
• Councils and role in improving well-being
• CDO‟s as collaborators
• Improve the way services in the mental
health field are delivered through linkages

8. What was learnt from the consultation ?
• Co-locate if possible;
• Follow service networks, QH boundaries;
• Project workers map „real‟ area;
• Base MHCC in the target town, if not regular
outreach;
• Communicate what days where;
• Resource or build networks.

9. What is the
Mental Health Sector ?
Who does what?
Who ya gonna call?

10. Simple
Version.

11. Service
Integration
Coordinator
(SIC)
Resilience
& Recovery
Teams
Resilient Places
Initiative

12. What has Resilient Places done?
• Implement QA vision in local areas;
through practical approach;
• Building mental health hubs;
• Sector development using community
development principles.

13. For example
Training and professional development
calendar collated
 Free training sourced for sector
Need for teacher support identified –
collaborative submission for program
Active with Recovery networks
Role in Anniversary events

14. For example
• Micro-grant program $200, 000 over 2
years completing June 2013.
• See
http://www.qldalliance.org.au/successful-
micro-grants-announced
• 43 received – 22 funded
• Projects like...

15. Micro-grant Projects
Healthier Great Green Way Hinchinbrook Community
iFocus: A project using Support Centre will create a
photography and narrative with
“hub” providing volunteer
primary schools to enable
community service groups in the
students to describe, explain
Hinchinbrook district with access
and experience those
moments, relationships, places to information and resources to
or things which helped them enhance their contribution to
feel safe, hopeful and positive community resiliency in the event
during and post Cyclone Yasi. of natural disaster.

16. Micro-grant Projects
Women That Fish Barra Classic
2012
A creative collaboration Uniting Care Community
between the Women that Fish Funding to run suicide
Committee, Relationships awareness and prevention
Australia and Women‟s Health workshops, Safe TALK in
Centre to link services and Goodna, Ipswich, Fernvale, Es
emotional health and well k/Toogoolwah
being information to angling
women and their families.

17. Australasian Centre for Rural and
Blue Care Lockyer Valley
Provide staff and volunteers with Remote Mental Health ( ACRRMH)
training to develop strategies for “It‟ll Be Alright in the Long Run‟ Mini Road
dealing with post traumatic Show developed by ACRRMH will hold
stress and grief for themselves, shows with broad range community
clients and the broader group support and service providers
community presence at Kingaroy, Tara, Dalby,
Clifton. This grant will pay for the
entertainers skilled at communicating
mental health and well being messages

18. What‟s next for Resilient Places?
• Co-ordination work by MHCC‟s;
• Enhance or create mental health hubs;
• Respond to what CDEI/CDO‟s need;
• Create suite of resources to support
building mentally health communities.

20. What‟s next for Resilient Places?
• Build relationship with QH Recovery and
Resilience teams and pathways to sector;
• Concentrate of practice mindful of
sustainability goal;
• Small is beautiful!;
• Communication and information locally to
support hubs.

21. Atherton Tablelands: Ipswich:
Jo Abbatangelo Katie Petrie
Email: Email: kpetrie@qldalliance.org.au
jabbatangelo@qldalliance.org.au Mobile: 0419 191 745
Mobile: 0409 753 979
Contact us !
Tully and Cardwell: Innisfail:
Jenny Boyge Pam Maher
Email: jboyge@qldalliance.org.au Email: pmaher@qldalliance.org.au
Mobile: 0427 072 322 Mobile: 0408 676855
Lockyer Valley, Toowoomba,
Ingham: Dalby, Chinchilla, Roma:
Michelle Dyck
Email: mdyck@qldalliance.org.au Rod Saal
Mobile: 0407 953 480 Email: rodsaal@bigpond.com
Mobile: 0400 917077

22. Community Engagement Co-ordinator
Margie Benson
mbenson@qldalliance.org.au
Ph :3252 9411
Resilient Places Manager
Pauline Coffey
pcoffey@qldalliance.org.au
Ph: 3252 9411

23. Resilient Places
Here’s a Take-home Message:
IT’S OKAY TO ASK FOR HELP.
CALL 13-HEALTH
www.qldalliance.org.au