Upper Mid North Coast
A major highlight of the year was the establishment, recruitment and development of the Mid
North Coast Family Mental Health Support Service, also known as Connect. In May, we were
thrilled to begin operating the Connect Service for the combined regions of Coffs Harbour and
Kempsey-Nambucca. Covering the areas from Red Rock in the North, Crescent Head in the South
and to Lower Creek and Ebor in the West, the Connect service operates from our Coffs Harbour
office and includes outlet locations around the Kempsey/Macleay Valley, Dorrigo Plateau,
Nambucca and Bellingen Shires and surrounding townships. This free early-intervention service
provides assistance for families where a child or young person’s mental health and wellbeing are
at risk. No formal diagnosis is required. The Connect service team assist by connecting children/
young people with appropriate assistance through home visits, school liaison, assistance to access
services, short-term support and long-term family action plan-based support (6-12 months). The
flexibility and access to support that this service offers will provide a very real support for children
and young people affected by or at risk of mental illness. The new team have been received
enthusiastically by families, schools, referral agencies and also by internal staff referring clients
to receive additional support for children and young people impacted by family separation and
associated stressors.
This year, the office in Coffs Harbour went through a site upgrade to enhance our service delivery.
The redistribution of rooms and the introduction of an amalgamated practitioner workstation
have enabled a centralised single reception area, a mid-building waiting area, an additional desk
and phone area and two additional client rooms. This has resulted in total of 12 client rooms, two
group rooms and the Children’s Contact Centre Play room.
The Connect Team
Front: Judy Mills, Darlene Daley
Back: Emily Howell, Beck Hammill, Katherine Miller
New layout of Coffs Harbour Office
The Upper Mid North Coast region assisted
2,591 this year.
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