Community Kitchens

Community Kitchens provide an opportunity to address the barriers which may prevent community members from accessing a healthy diet and engages those who may be socially isolated.  Participants meet on a weekly or fortnightly basis and prepare a nutritious meal, then come together as a group and eat the meal that has been cooked.  A key objective of the program is to increase knowledge, skills and access to nutritious food for those living in small and remote communities, particularly those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.   In short, a Community Kitchen is a group of people who come together on a regular basis to socialise and cook affordable, healthy and delicious meals.

Rosedale Community Kitchen Flyer Term 1 2012

Sale Neighbourhood House Community Kitchen Flyer Term 1 2012

Wellington Best Start (UnitingCare Gippsland)

Best Start is a Victorian Government Early Years Initiative. It supports families, caregivers and communities to provide the best possible environment, experiences and care for young children in the important years from pregnancy to school. Best Start aims to improve the health, development, learning and wellbeing of all Victorian children (0-8 years). It supports communities, parents and service providers to improve universal early years services so they are responsive to local needs. Best Start has a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

The health and wellbeing of children during early developmental years can play a critical role in establishing good health and the skills necessary to achieve optimum health throughout life. Some of the factors that may influence a child’s physical health, emotional and mental wellbeing are the socioeconomic environment of the child’s family, community, physical environment, and access to services.

Best Start is focused on achieving significant improvements in outcomes for all children. Positive impacts will be felt throughout a child’s life into adulthood and across generations as today’s children become parents in the future.

The Best Start Indicators are grouped under the domains of health and wellbeing, learning and development, and safety. The report below presents data on the 15 Best Start indicators.

• Wellington Best Start Data Report Nov 2010

Elder Abuse Prevention Community Awareness Grants Program

Wellington Primary Care Partnership has been funded by the Office of Senior Victorians to implement the Elder Abuse Prevention Community Awareness Program which is a component of the Victorian Government’s Elder Abuse Prevention Strategy.

The Elder Abuse Prevention Community Awareness Program aims to prevent and address elder abuse by:

• empowering older people and their families by enhancing their understanding of older people’s rights;
• promoting the communities’ awareness of services available to support older people, in particular the free and confidential helpline provided by Seniors Rights Victoria; and
• developing the capacity of local agencies to respond appropriately to suspected cases of elder abuse through the development of local policies and protocols.

The Wellington PCP is being funded to deliver:

Community Awareness Information Sessions

Wellington PCP is required to coordinate the delivery of ten Elder Abuse Prevention Strategy community based information forums and six world café workshops over two years (2009/10 and 2010/11) in the Gippsland region. 

The forums will convey key messages about elder abuse awareness and prevention, including the Victorian Government’s Elder Abuse Prevention Strategy and services available at Seniors Rights Victoria and local community support organisations providing services for older people. PCPs will be required to engage with older people, families, carers, seniors peak and representative organisations and regional stakeholders to promote participation in the information sessions and world cafés to be held across the region.

Policies, Procedures & Inter-agency Protocols

A key component of the EAPS Strategy is the Primary Care Partnerships Community Awareness Grants Program, which aims to empower senior Victorians and ensure the development of a collaborative response across government departments, service and support sectors, older people and their families to prevent and address elder abuse.

An element of the Community Awareness Grants Program is to support the development of agency policies and procedures to respond and act on suspicion of elder abuse and to develop and review interagency protocols that enable cooperation in responding to elder abuse. 

The Victorian Government’s strategic response to elder abuse affirms that Victoria’s existing services, and the networks that bind them at a local level, are appropriately placed to manage suspected and actual incidents of abuse. 

To assist agencies to develop policies, procedures and inter-agency protocols, three sample documents have been created which are being used across the state. The three documents are reflective of the ‘With respect to age – 2009: Victorian Government practice guidelines for health services and community agencies for the prevention of elder abuse’.

1. Sample Elder Abuse Prevention Policy

2. Elder Abuse Prevention Guide (PDF) 

3. Interagency Response Framework with examples extracted from ‘With respect to age – 2009’

The documents, which have been approved by the Office of Senior Victorians, provide practical guidance for health and community service workers to develop agency policies and procedures and to support the development of interagency protocols.  It is intended that organisations use and adapt the documents to meet their own needs.

Please note that this project is not concerned with situations of abuse in consumer-based circumstances, professional misconduct, harassment and criminal acts by strangers, self-neglect or mistreatment, or Residential Aged Care Services (RACS).

Additional Resources

Office of Senior Victorians

http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/seniors/elder-abuse-prevention

‘With respect to age – 2009’ Guidelines

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has released With respect to age – 2009, the Victorian Government practice guidelines for health services and community agencies for the prevention of elder abuse.

The guide is available in PDF format at http://www.health.vic.gov.au/agedcare/policy/index.htm

Hard copies of With respect to age – 2009 Victorian Government practice guidelines for health services and community agencies for the prevention of elder abuse may be ordered at any time from the Department of Human Services appointed distribution centre, Warehousing Fulfilment Distribution Solutions (WFDS).

Seniors Rights Victoria

Seniors Rights Victoria (SRV) is a free service that has been established to help prevent elder abuse and safeguard the rights, dignity and independence of older Victorians.  It provides:

• telephone information and referral;
• advocacy and support;
• legal services; and
• community education.

People who are concerned about abuse or neglect that is affecting them or someone they know can call Seniors Rights Victoria on 1300 36 8821.

For further information go to www.seniorsrights.org.au

Professional Education Program- Victoria University

Victoria University in partnership with the Office of Senior Victorians will be offering a series of free workshops aimed at strengthening the capacity of professionals working with older people to respond appropriately to incidents of suspected elder abuse.  If you have an interest in attending one of these workshops, would like to host a workshop in your workplace or community, please contact Betty Presilska – betty.presilska@vu.edu.au.

Problem Gambling

Rather than focus on gambling as a stand alone issue, WPCP is looking to address community resilience through the three priority areas of mental wellbeing, active communities and accessible and nutritious food.

The service coordination aspect of the project is overseen by the Gippsland Service Coordination and Integrated Chronic Disease Management Task Group.

Go for your Life

‘Go for your life’ is a Victorian Government initiative which aims to promote healthy eating and increase levels of physical activity.  Go For your life 

Kids – ‘Go for your life’

Kids – ‘Go for your life’ is a healthy eating and physical activity program for Victorian children aged 0-12 years who attend early childhood services and primary schools.  Kids – ‘Go for your life’

Smiles 4 Miles

Smiles 4 Miles is a state wide oral health promotion program for preschool aged children.  The program works closely with both health and education sectors.  Dental Health Services Victoria works in partnership with local organisations to improve the oral health of the youngest children in the community.  Children considered at high risk of oral disease are the primary focus of the program.   Smiles 4 Miles

GippSport

GippSport aims to improve people’s health and well-being through their participation in sport and active recreation.   GippSport