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Disability Royal Commission Engagement Project

RA Tas’ Disability Royal Commission (DRC) service provides a free counselling service for anyone affected by the DRC.

To compliment a gradual increase in demand for these services, our DRC team identified an opportunity to proactively target members of Tasmania’s disability, CALD, LGBTQIA+ and geographically isolated communities. Through this opportunity, a number of projects were identified, with the intention to strengthen connections, build engagement, and increase access to frontline counselling for the target cohorts.

Project Manager Anna Holliday was employed to co-ordinate and manage the deliverables of each project, which were all linked to the strategic objectives of the DRC Frontline Counselling Service. Projects included:

  • Roll out of non-talking evidenced-based therapeutic programs for the above identified target groups, including Drumbeat and Art Therapy
  • Delivery of Mental Health First Aid training to carers of people living with disability
  • Implementing a recommendation of the 2020 RA Tas CALD Engagement Project – the MRC North Taster Day
  • A focused LGBTQIA+ engagement project
  • Engagement with geographically-isolated regions of Flinders and King Island through intensive community engagement and scoping to identify local needs and develop agile responses that RA Tas can deliver
  • Health literacy promotion

As part of this project, RA Tas also developed a strategic framework to developing outreach services. Still under construction, this new framework aligns to RA Tas values, resources, and principles of community development to build internal capacity to co-design and deliver successful outreach initiatives in future.

As part of this project, RA Tas also developed a strategic framework to developing outreach services.

All the key objectives of the project were achieved, and some outcomes included:

  • RA Tas providing in-person outreach services to residents of King and Flinders Islands. We are almost a third of the way into the six-month pilot, and a range of services have been successfully delivered on Flinders Island including DRC, Aboriginal Cultural Connections, Family Relationship Services and Reconnect. RA Tas is committed to continuing the service whist there is sufficient need and engagement from locals
  • An LGBTQIA+ online learning module to support staff to understand the needs of people living with disability who also identify as LGBTQIA+. This is available as a complement to the core competency for LGBTQIA+
  • The voice of lived experience for each of the target cohorts have contributed to a range of service improvements, including social media engagement, new easy read referral forms and consent forms available online
  • Training and professional development for the DRC team
  • RA Tas has revived our representation at the RA National CALD Community of Practice
  • A DRC practitioner is now located on site at MRC North each week to maintain connections and help us appropriately tailor our services

This project has closed, but the activities and relationships it has generated are being nurtured by the DRC team (and other portfolios) to sustain impact and strengthen pathways into the future.