For Referring Agencies

Waiting Times

The Specialist Homelessness Team (all ages) is in high demand and prioritises referrals. We will always see urgent Domestic Violence referrals on the referral business day or next business day after weekend/public holiday.

The  Domestic and Family Violence Team will contact referrals within 48 hours. This team will also see urgent Domestic Violence referrals on the referral business day or next business day after weekend/public holiday.

Emergency Financial Relief Program – The best time for clients to ring for an appointment is 9am. However, we can often take appointments at different times depending on daily capacity. If you are a worker referring and the matter is urgent please ring 49871331 and ask to speak to the ERF Manager.

Men’s Family Safety Worker – Referrals to the Men’s Family Safety Worker are assessed based on caseload capacity and priorities.

The Child and Family Program (families with children 0-11) prioritises referrals. This means that families with lower risk will, unfortunately, due to demand and available resources, have to be referred elsewhere or placed on a waiting list. However, clients can attend Playtime Plus sessions (staffed by social workers and early childhood specialists and regular visiting services e.g. speech pathologists, occupational therapists) where assessments and initial referrals and supports can be put in place while the family waits to be allocated. If the referral is for a school aged child, we will, where possible, offer a group program in the interim.

The Youth Program (young people 12-18 and their families) prioritises referrals. This means that young people and their families with lower risk will, unfortunately, due to demand and available resources, have to be referred elsewhere or placed on a waiting list; however, we have youth counsellors in the 3 high schools in Port Stephens, so the young person can usually meet with a worker there quite quickly on an interim basis. Young people can also access drop in at The Deck (our Youth Centre) while waiting.  We also have Headspace extra on site at our Jacaranda Avenue Centre. Headspace extra support young people between the ages of 12-25 years who may be experiencing more chronic and episodic moderate to severe mental illness and other psychosocial stressors impacting on a young person and their families’ level of functioning. It specifically targets young people with more complex needs, in particular Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.

The Early Childhood Team facilitates our Playtime Plus program and Young Parents’ Program. This team is structured so they can generally take on time sensitive referrals immediately; for example, a young child due to start school who has had no early learning experiences and where there are concerns around what’s happening at home and the child’s behaviour or development (e.g. speech and language). This team holds expertise around trauma and resultant behaviours and can also do one off sessions to support other service providers to support a family with children’s behaviours.

Our Parenting Programs (Tuning into Kids, Tuning into Teens, Circle of Security, Bringing up Great Kids) take names year round. Programs are run each term. We endeavor to put on extra groups if numbers are high. If you are unsure which group would be most suitable for your client please ring and discuss with a facilitator. Parents can either have their children in their care, be working towards restoration or have access – supervised or other – with their children. The programs are inclusive of varying contexts.