'Unconditional' shines a light on the lives of Australia's carers The film 'Unconditional' officially made its debut in late March, providing a glimpse into the often unrecognised and unknown impact of carers in our community.
This unique piece, brought to life by the talented filmmaker and primary carer, Dalanglin Dkhar, shines a light on the resilience and dedication of four unique carers from the ACT. Carers ACT, in partnership with Charles Stuart University, was pleased to have the opportunity to support this project's creation and launch.
Unconditional is a poignant glimpse into the often unseen world of caring; serving as a call for greater recognition and support for carers. Keep your eye out on the Carers ACT events portal for upcoming screenings. Disability Royal Commission progress update The Australian government has released a progress update on its consideration of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability final report. The update provides an overview of what processes and consultations the government is undertaking before formally responding to the Royal Commission’s final report by mid-2024.
You can read more about the Ministers joint statement addressing the need for a coordinated national effort here. Increase in Carer Payment after indexation From the 20th of March, recipients of several social security payments will see in increase following indexation. This includes the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment which will receive an increase of $19.60 a fortnight for singles and $29.40 a fortnight
for couples combined.
The complete list of payments increasing on 20 March 2024, including income and asset limits, can be found on the Department of Social Services website. Advocating for carer financial security On Tuesday 26 March, Carers ACT CEO and the new Carers Australia CEO were joined by CEOs from state and territory carer organisations in a visit to Parliament House. This meeting aimed to boost awareness about unpaid carers and start discussions about improved financial security for carers through superannuation.
This pivotal meeting is part of a more extensive campaign. If you've recently been to Canberra Airport, you might have noticed some striking billboards. These are part of our drive to get the federal government to acknowledge and act for carers sooner rather than later.
The 'Caring Costs Us' report revealed that primary carers lose an average of $392,500 in lifetime earnings by the age of 67, including $175,000 in superannuation. A key proposal stemming from this report is to introduce a superannuation guarantee contribution on the Carer Payment, which could significantly benefit over 300,000 Australians and decrease their future reliance on the Aged Pension.
Stay tuned for more updates about the campaign.
The extent and nature of poverty in AustraliaThe Senate Community Affairs References Committee has released a new report delving into the multifaceted aspects of poverty in Australia, its structural causes, and the groups most at risk. The Committee advocates for urgent government action to alleviate poverty, including reassessing the sufficiency and effectiveness of the income support system. It also recommends a review of all the Department of Social Services and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations employment services programs to ensure they adopt a strengths-based, person-centred approach.
Read the full report and the committee recommendations here.
Mental health and wellbeing interventions for care-experienced childrenA systematic review of what supports the implementation of mental health and wellbeing interventions for children with experience in out-of-home care has found that key barriers included practitioners experiencing heavy workloads, carer’s experiences of feeling under-valued and young people feeling disempowered when their perspectives aren’t considered. Enablers to implementation included young people finding meaningful relationships within interventions, and service systems that support interprofessional relationships.
Find out more by visiting Everymind’s summary of the study via this link.
Waiting list interventions for children and young people using child and adolescent mental health servicesWaiting lists for child and adolescent mental health services are growing worldwide. Of a total 18 studies, this report explored the evidence base for Australian interventions for children and young people on waiting lists for mental health services, the effectiveness of these interventions on child mental health outcomes and parent and carer outcomes, and factors that support implementation. Most waiting list interventions were aimed at the parent and included psychoeducation; other components included parental support, recommending books and literature and coaching. The study found that there is limited research exploring waiting list interventions, however findings from small-scale studies are promising for improved child behaviour and mental health symptoms, as well as parent’s and carer’s ratings of acceptability, satisfaction and feasibility of the interventions.
Read more about the report here.
Inquiry into unpaid workThe Standing Committee on Economy and Gender and Economic Equality has announced an inquiry into unpaid work in the ACT. This inquiry will explore the economic and wellbeing-related impacts of unpaid work, including unpaid caring work. We know the tremendous value you bring to our community at significant personal cost.
Last year, many of you participated in the consultation process for the Inquiry into the Recognition of Unpaid Carers in Australia, sharing your experiences and insights. We included your valuable input in our submission and will direct the committee to our work and its resulting recommendations. Now, with the focus on the ACT and our Territory election fast approaching, it's more vital than ever for your voices to be heard.
This is a unique opportunity for us to advise the ACT government on how to best support carers like you in our community. We are particularly keen to share your local stories and experiences, which will add invaluable depth to our advice.
We encourage you to make a submission to the inquiry by the 17th of May. You can do this directly via the inquiry's webpage, or you can share your feedback with us at carer.advocacy@carersact.org.au, and we will include it in our submission.
Don't hesitate to reach out if you need assistance in making your own submission. There is strength in numbers, and together, we can make a real impact in the supports carers receive.
Be part of designing ACT’s newest safe spaceAre you a mental health carer looking for an opportunity to get involved in service planning? ACT Health currently has an open position for a lived experience carer representative on the ACT Safe Haven Expansion Project.
As a carer representative, you will play a vital role in providing oversight and leadership in the design, development, and implementation of the project. Your expertise and experience will contribute to establishing the Canberra Hospital Safe Haven and assessing the need for future expansions.
If you're interested in this work, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out to us at mhcarers@carersact.org.au by Friday, May 3rd. Applicants with experience of the Safe Haven in Belconnen are particularly welcome.
Carer Wellbeing Survey still open!The Carer Wellbeing Survey is still open current and past carers to tell us about your experiences.
In 2024, we are asking carers to tell us about their lives in the Carer Wellbeing Survey. As well as asking about wellbeing and the impacts of rising living costs for carers, the survey asks about experiences with accessing respite care and dementia resources.
It is voluntary, confidential and participants have a chance of winning one of 13 prizes worth a total of $5,000. Fill out the survey now to help shape the course of carer advocacy and policy setting. The survey closes on 15th April 2024 and can be accessed here.
Improving emergency department care for suicidal teens and their familiesA joint project between Deakin University and Monash Health is seeking to develop a new intervention to support young people who present to the emergency department at risk of suicide and their parents and carers.
One part of the intervention will be a series of text messages to support young people and their parents in the days and weeks after they are discharged from the ED. To do this, researchers are seeking input via surveys from:
- Young people currently aged 16-24 who experienced suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide while aged 12-18
- Parents/carers of a teen who experienced suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide
- Clinicians with at least one year experience in working with young people at risk of suicide.
Participants will also have the opportunity to participate in an interview. If you are in one of these groups, or know others in these groups, you can complete the survey here.
TheMHS Conference in Canberra 2024 - Bursaries open! The Mental Health Services (TheMHS) Conference is going to be held in Canberra this year. We are proud to be hosting the Carer Forum day and supporting TheMHS in organising the conference. If you would like to attend the forum and/or conference and require financial support, bursary applications for people with lived experience are now open!
When: 27 - 30 August 2024
Applications close: 12 April 2024! How: Apply via this link We also want to flag that: - TheMHS Awards nominations are now open and are closing 11 April 2024
- Early Bird registrations close 31 May 2024
- TheMHS have volunteer opportunities for students which applications are open now too and close 31 May 2024
For more information on the conference, including how to apply for a bursary follow this link.
Free Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention training The Wesley Lifeforce Suicide Prevention training is a First Nations focused opportunity to learn about suicide, challenging attitudes, teaching basic engagement and suicide intervention
skills.
Attendees will learn skills to gain increased confidence in your ability to identify people who may be at risk of suicide, communicate appropriately, ask a person if they are considering suicide and conduct a suicide intervention.
Date: Wednesday, 17 April 2024 Time: 9:30AM - 4:00PM Location:Weston Community Hub Cost: Free
Book your place now.
New Lifeline toolkit: building social connections Lifeline has developed an online toolkit for supporting social connection, including tips for making new friends or reaching out to old networks.
The toolkit includes information about the importance of social connections, as well as a range of tips and suggestions for connecting or reconnecting with others. You can visit the online toolkit via this link.
Carer Knowledge Exchange by Carers NSWThe Carer Knowledge Exchange (CKE) is a partnership project delivered by Carers NSW and the Institute for Public Policy and Governance at the University of Technology Sydney, and funded by the NSW Government. It brings together carers, researchers, policy makers and practitioners to share their knowledge and learn from each other, to improve outcomes for carers across Australia.
The recent CKE Interactive webinar, ‘Empowering carers when systems are complex’, featured a range of carer and researcher perspectives to help inform the development of a more integrated service environment that better streamlines access to information and support for carers.
Access the webinar recording along with other CKE event recordings and a searchable database of reliable Australian research about carers by visiting the Carer Knowledge Exchange webpage, and stay up to date on project activities by signing up for email updates.
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