Category Archives: Support

Connecting Carers Grant October 2025-30 June 2026

Dear Inner South Family and Friends   ( CCC202500072 )

We are delighted to inform you that your project,  : Carer Resilience: Culturally Responsive Mental Health Support Initiative, has been awarded funding through the Victorian Government’s Connecting Carers in their Community Small Grant Program 2025/26.

Project Title:  : Carer Resilience: Culturally Responsive Mental Health Support Initiative 

Grant Amount Awarded:  $24,000.00 

Grant Period: October 2025 to 30 June 2026

For more details email Judi Burstyner at Judi.burstyner@gmail.com

Alfred Health Carer Services eNews November 2025

Welcome to our November edition of eNews

This month you will find lots of useful information and activities available for carers.

Click on the headings below to jump to a section:

Alfred Health Carer Services News
Our Upcoming Events
Male Carers
Carer Stories
Around Our Region: Services & Programs
Library Spotlight
Carer Support Group Spotlight
Podcasts
Taking Care Of Yourself
Staff Q&A

Inner South Family and Friends Meetings and Events for 2026

Dates to Diarise for 2026

We are in the throes of planning our 2026 programme.

Monthly Meetings, second Tuesday of the month, commencing in February:

10 February

10 March

14 April

12 May

9 June

14 July

11 August

15 September

13 October

10 November

Social functions being considered are:

  • a day at Peninsula Hot Springs
  • lunches,
  • cinema,
  • day outing / special walk / regional gallery visit

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS – email isfaf@alfred.org.au

Inner South Family and Friends End of Year Christmas Dinner

2025  END-OF-YEAR CHRISTMAS DINNER 6PM TUESDAY 9 DECEMBER AT CUSINA 130 ERSKINE STREET MIDDLE PARK

Bookings close 5pm Wednesday 3 December

Free parking is available in Erskine Street

TO BOOK

  1. Deposit $5 for pensioners or $10 for non-pensioners to ISFAF Community Account,  BSB 033169   A/c No:  258307  to reach ISFAF account by Wednesday 3 December

Please ensure that your deposit shows your name and names of any others in your booking.

  1. Email confirmation to Penny Lewisohn pmal@catullus.com.au or isfaf@alfred.org.au

      In your email, include

  • Name, phone number and email of each individual attending (preferably mobile phone number)
  • Choice of main course for each person and their special dietary needs if any

Cusina is a gourmet restaurant with a highly regarded chef. We have held our end of year dinner here for the previous two years as members seem to enjoy the outdoor ambience, let’s hope it is fine! Food will be cooked specifically for us on the night. We are a big group. To assist the chef, we must advise the restaurant of our main courses by the previous Wednesday night. PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE YOUR MIND ON THE NIGHT It causes chaos for everyone!

Accordingly, please let us know in your email which ONE of the following main courses you wish to have:

 – any ONE pizza shown on the menu. The list of pizzas is on on the Cusina website:  https://www.opentable.com.au/r/cusina-middle-park

 – or one of the following pasta dishes:

  • beef ragu pappardelle (pappardelle pasta with slow cooked beef brisket in red wine and paprika sauce)
  • spaghetti with prawns in lobster bisque
  • gnocchi with pumpkin and gorgonzola
  • or chicken cacciatore : boned chicken thighs with roasted capsicum olives and onion with a touch of Napoli sauce served w roasted potatoes  (GF)
  • or fish of the day: wild caught barramundi fillet roasted tomatoes ,potatoes ,olives and caramelised red onion (GF)

If anyone in your booking has special dietary needs you MUST let us know the specific needs in your email.

All of the above pastas and pizzas can be made GF if you advise ahead.

Please note that the meal is highly subsidised by AMAH.  Drinks other than tap water are not included in the above cost. Any drinks other than tap water are to be ordered and paid for individually at the bar upon order.

Confirmation of booking will be emailed to individuals whose deposits show up in the above account AND who have emailed isfaf@alfred.org.au.  with their choice of main course (and any special dietary needs)

WE THANK THE VICTORIAN STATE GOVERNMENT, CARERS VIC AUSTRALIA AND AMAH FOR THEIR GENEROSITY IN SUBSIDISING THIS AMAZING DINNER FOR US TO ENJOY

image001.jpg

Mental Health Australia Weekly Update 16 October 2025

 

  • Media release: Funding boost to improve headspace services The Albanese Labor Government is investing an extra $72.7 million to boost headspace services across the nation, giving young Australians quicker access to the free mental health support they need. This investment will support initiatives to reduce wait times and improve access to free mental health care for young people across 85 headspace services, including additional staff to meet high demand for services, and activities to provide more inclusive support for young people from First Nations communities, LGBTIQA+ individuals, and those from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds.

  • Media release: Data shows more private mental health hospital beds are being added to the system Data on private hospital licenses and expansions shows Australia’s private mental health sector is continuing to expand. The publicly available data shows more mental health beds have opened in new private mental health hospitals over the past five years than were lost in standalone mental health hospital closures. Several hospitals have also been redeveloped to include extra private mental health beds, and two new mental health hospitals are currently under construction.

  • Media release: New YouTube mental health and wellbeing tools – built just for teens For more than a decade, YouTube has built specific age-appropriate experiences for younger users. Today, we are announcing our newest offering which will start rolling out for teens in Australia in the coming weeks: mental health and wellbeing content in a dedicated surface built just for teens. We are proud to partner with leading mental health organisations Black Dog Institute and ReachOut, to provide this local, teen-centric content.

Inner South Family and Friends Monthly Support Group Meeting

ISFAF MONTHLY MEETING  7pm for 7.30pm TUESDAY 14 OCTOBER 2025

VENUE      LEVEL 1, 607 ST KILDA ROAD, MELBOURNE

  • a little to the St Kilda side of Wesley College. Lots of free parking in the centre lanes of St Kilda Road, with many trams stopping at the door. If you are having trouble with transport, seek further information or just need a chat, about ISFAF, the ‘mental health world’ and/or issues you are facing please phone Judi on 0425 723 746 or Eleni on 0412 018 722

Please come early to chat and to enjoy delicious snacks which will be available from 7.05 pm

For security, we are required to pay a concierge at the door of the building. Latecomers may not be able to enter.

GUEST SPEAKERS    Moses Abbatangelo, the Head of Residential Services at Windana

TOPIC   Windana’s Approach to Wellbeing and Recovery

 We are very fortunate that the Head of Residential Services has accepted our invitation. As the website shows, Windana provided many services, including Residential and Home based Recovery Programmes.

There will be something of interest for all of us at our meeting on the 14 October 

https://windana.org.au/services-category/aod/