Partners in Recovery (PIR) is a program that aims to improve coordination of services and support for people with severe and persistent mental illness. PIR support facilitators assess clients' needs, develop care plans, and help connect clients to existing services across sectors like mental health, housing, employment and drug treatment. Referrals to PIR can be made by health professionals through a form on the Southern Adelaide-Fleurieu-Kangaroo Island Medicare Local website. The PIR coordinator will then contact the referrer within two days to discuss whether the client meets eligibility criteria and next steps. PIR is a free service coordinated by Medicare Local that helps connect mentally ill individuals with complex needs to appropriate existing community services and supports

1. What is Partners in
Recovery (PIR) / Who
should I refer?
PIR aims to improve the system
response to, and outcomes for, people
with severe and persistent mental illness
by facilitating individually tailored ‘wrap
around care’. If you know someone who
could benefit from assistance to access
new services, or to connect or improve
their existing services, PIR might be
the answer.
The PIR initiative focuses on people
who have severe and persistent mental
illness with complex support needs
that therefore require a response from
multiple agencies across different
sectors. These individuals have
persistent symptoms, significant
functional impairment and psychosocial
disability, and may have become
disconnected from social or family
support networks or clinical and
community supports.
What is different about
PIR / What can I expect?
PIR is not a clinical service, it has a
support facilitation role. PIR is not
intended to offer a new ‘service’ in
the traditional sense. Rather, it assists
in finding and/or better coordinating
existing services and supports. It also
has a broader reform agenda to improve
overall regional service provision, care
coordination and systemic advocacy
through stronger cross-sectoral
partnerships.
PIR brings together a range of agencies
across the mental health, general health,
housing, employment and training, and
drug and alcohol sectors. The initiative is
the mechanism that will glue together all
of the services and supports within the
region that an individual may require.
What are support
facilitators/coordinators
and what will they do?
The PIR team is staffed with appropriately
skilled and experienced individuals whose
role is to better link and coordinate
services for PIR clients. They will assess
individual care needs, develop action
plans and build pathways and networks
of services and supports. They will
also work closely with PIR clients, their
families and carers as well as existing
care providers.
How do I refer someone
to the initiative?
GPs, health professionals and support
workers can phone a PIR Coordinator
on 08 8374 7000 for further advice
or discussion.
Referral to the PIR initiative is through
a single referral form which can be
accessed from the Southern Adelaide-
Fleurieu-Kangaroo Island Medicare Local
website www.safkiml.com.au.
Once recieved, PIR will acknowledge
receipt of the referral and a PIR
Coordinator will then follow up within
two business days.
PIR staff are available to meet with
the referrer and consumer to establish
individual needs and goals. They will
assist in accessing existing services
to address these needs and goals, or
will make a plan to broker these where
services are non-existent or exhausted.
Main office
Street: Level 1,
Mitsubishi Administration Building
1284 South Road (Tonsley)
Clovelly Park SA 5042
Postal: PO Box 209
Melrose Park DC SA 5039
Ph: 08 8374 7000 Fax: 08 8299 0362
Email: safkiml@safkiml.com.au
Rural office
Street: 2 McKinlay Street
Postal: PO Box 853
Victor Harbor SA 5211
Ph: 08 8552 7981 Fax: 08 8552 9243
Contact us to hear more about
the services provided by SAFKI
Medicare Local.
Phone: 08 8374 7000
Email: safkiml@safkiml.com.au
www.safkiml.com.au @safkiml
Medicare Locals gratefully acknowledge the
financial and other support from the Australian
Government Department of Health.
Partners in
Recovery (PIR)
Referrer Information Brochure
www.safkiml.com.au

2. What does the PIR
referral process involve?
Is there an inclusion criteria
for the PIR initiative?
A person may be eligible for PIR if they meet
the following criteria:
1. The person appears to have a severe
and persistent mental illness. Following
acceptance of the referral, the PIR
Support Facilitator will need to verify a
diagnosis or arrange for a diagnosis to
be made (as per the inclusion criteria).
This would usually be undertaken as a
component of the Needs Assessment.
2. The person has complex needs that
require services from multiple agencies.
3. The person requires substantial support
and assistance to engage with the
various services to meet their needs.
4. There are no existing coordination
arrangements in place to assist the
person in accessing the necessary
services, or where they are in place,
those arrangements have failed, have
contributed to the problems experienced
by the client, and are likely to be
addressed by acceptance into PIR.
5. The person or their legal guardian has
indicated their willingness to participate
in the PIR initiative.
6. The PIR Program Guidelines identify
that people in the PIR target group are
generally expected to be in their mid-
twenties and older. Other programs
are available for younger people. For
more information about these programs
contact SAFKI Medicare Local.
Who coordinates PIR and
is there a cost?
PIR is a free service, funded by the
Australian Government. It is coordinated
by SAFKI Medicare Local in partnership
with other service providers across primary
care (health and mental health), State
specialist mental health, the mental health
and broader non government sector, carer
supports, alcohol and other drug treatment
services, income support services as well
as education employment and housing
support sectors.
SAFKI Medicare Local works to improve the
delivery, coordination and access to primary
health care services within the southern
Adelaide, Fleurieu, Kangaroo Island region.
The SAFKI Medicare Local PIR initiative will be implemented by a consortium of: SAFKI Medicare Local, Junction
Australia, Mind Australia, Workskil Australia, Life Without Barriers, Country Health SA Local Health Network (CHSALHN),
Country Health SA - Mental Health, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network - Mental Health, Primary Health and
Transition Services (SALHN), Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology and Drug and
Alcohol Services South Australia.
For more information about the Partners in Recovery initiative, visit www.safkiml.com.au, the Australian Government
Department of Health and Ageing website www.health.gov.au/mentalhealth, or the PIR initiative website
www.pirinitiative.com.au.
This is an initiative of the Australian Government.
Identify the PIR initiative
is suitable for the individual
PIR will acknowledge the fax
with a receipt of the referral.
A PIR Coordinator will make
contact within two business
days to discuss the referral.
Consult with individual about
the next steps as indicated
by the PIR Coordinator.
If the individual meets the
selection criteria:
Phone a PIR Coordinator
on 08 8374 7000 for advice
or discussion if needed.
Complete the referral
form accessed from
SAFKI Medicare Local at
www.safkiml.com.au.
Fax the referral to
08 8277 9813.