One Family’s Journey
Parents in Lismore made contact though the Family Referral Service. They had three children aged
nine, seven and four. At the time of engaging services, the couple had been separated for six months.
The mother had a history of mental health issues and there had been emotional and physical violence
in the relationship. Safety plans were developed for the mother and children, who resided with her.
The mother was referred to the Personal Helpers and Mentors Service (PHaMs) who subsequently
referred her to the Family Relationship Centre (FRC).
Both parents engaged in Family Dispute Resolution at the FRC, which was lawyer assisted. A PHaMs
case-worker assisted the mother during the mediation process and an interim Parenting Plan was
developed. As part of the Parenting Plan, supervised contact was agreed and this was facilitated by
the Children’s Contact Service.
Both parents were referred to the Post-Separation Co-operative Parenting Program, which included
group attendance and individual interviews. The parents agreed to meet with a counsellor and for
their children to be seen by a Child Consultant. Both parents were encouraged to adopt a focus
on their children and were provided with feedback from their children’s sessions with the Child
Consultant.
Other referrals for the children continue to be under consideration and the parents will return to the
FRC to update their Parenting Plan in the near future.
Employee Assistance Program
This year, Interrelate was engaged as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider by 19
organisations and provided 97 occasions of support to these organisation’s staff and/or family
members.
Interrelate provides the EAP to other non-profit organisations such as local councils, hospitals,
churches, disability organisations and employment services. The EAP is a work-based intervention
program designed to enhance the emotional, mental and psychological wellbeing of staff and their
immediate family members. Employers recognise that when their staff experience work-related or
personal problems, it can affect their work performance as well as their quality of life and wellbeing.
The aim of the EAP is to provide proactive interventions, identification and/or resolution of work
related and personal issues, that may adversely affect an individual’s performance and wellbeing.
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