Our appeal is to help us fund our Case management service, to assist clients who are financially and socially disadvantaged.

Case management is offered to clients with complex needs. Case workers support clients to plan, facilitate and advocate options to meet an individual's holistic needs. To date 100% of these clients have been in severe financial difficulty and have accessed this service at no charge. We assist an average of 10 clients per month in case work.

We work with individuals and families with mental health issues, addictions, financial hardship, unemployment, homelessness or a combination of layered and complex issues.

The main target group for case management is: Clients, and or families, with mental health issues, addictions, financial hardship, unemployment, homelessness or chaotic lifestyles.

The aims and objectives of case management are to:

• Support the client holistically.
• Support those who are socially isolated or in financial difficulty by linking them in with appropriate assistance services.
• Re-engage clients back into the community.
• Intervene and try to break the crisis cycle.
• Support alternate life style choices.
• Empower clients to maintain stability in their lives after case management is completed.
• Assess client lifestyles and work towards positive future change.
• Work with other community organisations to provide the best outcome for clients.
• Build and maintain a referral database of local services.

Historically case management has been offered in our communities nearly as long as counselling and psychotherapy. It is not offered however by many private practices or welfare organisations in our local area as it is an expensive program to run with little or no financial return. Typically case management is funded by state or federal governments but usually under the restrictions of their own programs. On examination of our client and community needs and research on counselling completed by Barry Duncan and Scott Miller (2008), it suggests that being directed by the client and following their lead is the best way to bring about effective and lasting change. Case management is a client directed program where some clients can see swift change in their circumstances if they choose. SCW's qualified case manager has experience in the mental health area for over ten years.

Who are Southern Community Welfare:

We are a community based, non-profit, harm prevention organisation. We are not government funded and continually seek grants and donations to run our service. Since 1995 we have provided professional, innovative, therapeutic services to families and individuals. We have a particular focus on serving the community in the areas of risk, resilience and early intervention. We provide services to the local community that include: Counselling, Psychology, Case Management, Support Groups and Community Education. We offer subsidised rates to clients based on income and in severe financial difficulty we waive the fees.

Our Support Groups are based on identified community need such as depression, bi polar and grief and loss. These groups include: REACH depression and Bi polar support group for adults; Support after Suicide group for anyone in the local community that has been affected by the suicide of a loved one; Seasons for Growth support for children and young people who are experiencing transition and change due to death, divorce or separation of parents.