Residents to receive R U OK Resources
Published on 23 March 2022
Federation Council and the Federation Primary Prevention Team cares about the health and wellbeing of our community. They acknowledge that many communities have been doing it tough after extreme weather events and the ongoing impacts of COVID.
In an aim to assist people and provide them with supporting resources, Council and the Federation Primary Prevention Team have partnered on the ‘Our Council Cares Card’ initiative.
The ‘Our Council Cares Card’ includes a list of some of the State, National and local services that people can get in touch to talk about how they are feeling or determine what assistance is available. These services are also there as a sounding board for people to talk through how you may be supporting someone else who is under mental distress. Every household across the Federation LGA should expect one in their mail boxes starting from March 28.
Federation Council Mayor, Cr Pat Bourke said the last two years has been a very difficult time for everybody, with prolonged restrictions on our daily lives and mounting social and economic impacts.
“Council has and will continue to play a crucial role in supporting community wellbeing and providing connections to services,” he said.
“The Our Council Cares Cards are designed to assist residents who may be struggling with the many stressful and isolating issues to be able to connect with services and get help.”
The Federation Primary Prevention Team in supporting this initiative, recognise that most of us at some stage need support to cope with what life inevitably throws our way.
“Services are there to help us in times of need. They provide a voice on the other end of the phone or someone to talk to face-to-face, who understands and is trained to support the wide range of issues we encounter,” said the Federation Primary Prevention Team.
“The Our Council Cares cards provide a snapshot of some of the services and professionals available for people through web chat, online or face-to-face counselling, and phone services.”
In conjunction with the cards, customer facing staff across Council Offices will be provided with the Our Council Care Conversation Resource. A written resource to assist staff to support community members they encounter in their roles who may be feeling mental health distress.
Mayor Bourke said it is really important that staff are equipped with the tools to, not only support the community but also to be able to recognise when they might need to put their hand up for help themselves.
“Sometimes we need a hand on managing life’s ups and downs,” he said.
“You’re not in this alone - it’s important to recognise when problems are too big for you to solve and when to reach out and seek assistance.”
The Federation Primary Prevention Team (Alcohol & Drugs) is made up of local service providers with an active interest in the health and wellbeing of the Federation community, and to work collaboratively towards the prevention and harm minimisation from alcohol and drug use.
The Our Council Cares Card and Conversation Resource have been co-developed by NSW Council staff in customer facing roles. In collaboration with the Mental Health Commission of NSW and R U OK? The distribution of Our Council Cares Cards was funded through the NSW Governments Partnerships: Local Councils Program – Stage 2.
Extensive mental health resources including self-help and online counselling support can be accessed on the Commonwealth Government's Head to Health website. For local services MapMyRecovery features an online interactive map of mental health and drug and alcohol services available across the Murrumbidgee region, making it easy to locate appropriate services.
If you or somebody you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1800 512 348 or the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511.