Sometimes all it takes is a conversation.
A new project in Yamba and MacLean aims to talk with community members about their mental health and help link them with wellbeing services in their area.
With the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters still affecting Australians, the Assisting Communities through Direct Connection (ACDC) Project is going door-to-door to check in with locals.
The ACDC Project, run by Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA), is visiting over 20 sites in Australia to improve community wellbeing and collect important data.
“Unfortunately for many reasons people do not want to talk about or even think about their mental health,” says CEO of CMHA, Bill Gye.
“People may prefer to tough it out, hide it from others, or avoid the stigma. The ACDC Project is going directly to households in Australia to engage them in conversation about these important issues.”
CMHA is working with local service provider, Wellways Australia, to doorknock in the Clarence Valley from April to August 2022.
The ACDC Project are not typical door knockers. They make contact via friendly ‘People Connectors’ who let people know about the free services available and deliver an information pack with a fridge magnet and brochures.
ACDC Project Line Manager, Tanya Harris, hopes this unique approach will make lasting change in the community.
“Door knocking to talk about mental health and wellbeing is something that has never been done before. Encouraging people to openly discuss mental health will hopefully start removing the stigma that can be attached to it.”
The other aim of the ACDC Project is to gather feedback on any service gaps so that improvements can be made by local, state, and federal governments.
For each of the communities visited throughout Australia, the ACDC Project will generate data and information about the reasons why people do not access support from local services.
“We see how hard it can be for people living in regional areas to access support when there are limited services in the area. The ACDC project will give us the opportunity to engage with the entire community, hear what they have to say, and learn what the locals want and need in their community,” says Tanya.
“The more people that engage with the People Connectors, the more evidence we will gather for future funding and services in the Clarence Valley. The People Connectors will also have plenty of resources on hand about current groups and services in the area, that people may not know about.”
The findings of the ACDC Project evaluation report will contribute to discussions about funding for community managed mental health services in Australia, and how the mental health support needs of people in communities are delivered.
It will also evaluate how effective a proactive approach is in reaching, engaging, and resourcing people to connect with services.
“The ACDC Project aims to address a serious problem with mental health services in Australia. Often, people only look for or receive support when they are in crisis. We must be much more proactive connecting and communicating with people about the importance of wellbeing. Prevention and early intervention are far more effective than dealing with people in crisis,” says Bill Gye.
The ACDC project provides this important information to householders of all educational, cultural and language backgrounds to promote access to mental health, social and emotional wellbeing support.
If the householder is not home a card is left in their letterbox with contact details so they can ask the People Connectors to come back.
For more information about the ACDC Project go to www.acdc.org.au
The ACDC Project is funded by the Department of Social Services.
