At Lifeline Ballarat, we know that anyone can be faced with a crisis - their own or someone else's. Sometimes this is in the workplace where staff are supporting clients in crisis; sometimes it is in the community or in our personal lives. Having the skills to support others, and to know how to seek help is the key to promoting strong, effective, and resilient workplaces and communities. At Lifeline Ballarat, our Workplace and Community Training has helped people develop these key skills in businesses and government departments, sporting and community groups, and in education and health settings.
We also recognise that workplaces in our community are not immune from the impact of mental health issues and suicide. Research has shown that it is essential to offer health and wellbeing programs in the workplace to:
- Increase staff engagement and job satisfaction
- Improve work performance and productivity
- Reduce costs associated with underperformance, absenteeism, and workers’ compensation
- Improve organisational culture and staff retention
- Demonstrate corporate social responsibility
(Worksafe.qld.gov.au)
Find out more about our suite of Workplace and Community Training programs below:
Interactions with people who are distressed, in crisis or angry can be one of the most difficult parts of someone’s role in the workplace. This can equally apply to external customers and clients, or colleagues and employees.
Providing training to people likely to be exposed to difficult interactions, to enable them to better understand what is behind the behaviour and how to safely intervene or de-escalate the situation is important for the wellbeing of those on both sides of the interaction.
This workshop is designed for frontline workers including but not limited to retail, call centre, collections, customer services, complaints handling and escalations staff, case managers or anyone exposed to difficult interactions in the workplace.
Delivery:
- 4 hour interactive, facilitator-led session
Outcomes:
Using the 'CALM' framework (Clarify the situation, Adapt your response, Link to support, Me time - self care), participants will learn:
- Contextually what may be going on with a distressed person.
- How the brain reacts to stress.
- Communication skills to assist difficult or emotional conversation.
- What to do if callers/colleagues are at risk of suicide.
- Self-care strategies you can use during and after difficult calls.
ASIST is a LivingWorks product delivered by accredited LivingWorks trainers.
Developed in 1983 and regularly updated to reflect improvements in knowledge and practice, ASIST is the world’s leading evidence-based suicide intervention workshop. During the two-day interactive session, participants learn to intervene and help prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Over 2,000,000 people have taken the workshop, and studies have proven that the ASIST method helps reduce suicidal feelings for those at risk.
Delivery:
- 2 consecutive days of face-to-face training (15 hours in total) with 2 accredited ASIST trainers
Outcomes:
- Recognise when someone may be at risk of suicide.
- Learn how to explore and connect with a person in ways that help you to understand and clarify the risk, increase their immediate safety, and link them with further help.
- Learn to apply a suicide intervention model that includes a safety plan.
safeTALK is a LivingWorks product delivered by accredited LivingWorks trainers.
safeTALK is a suicide alertness workshop that prepares anyone over the age of 15, regardless of prior experience or training, to become a suicide alert helper. Participants learn to recognise the signs of when a person is considering suicide, how to respond accordingly, and how to link them in with further help.
The Ballarat and District Suicide Awareness Network partner with Lifeline Ballarat to deliver a number of suicide alert workshops each year, which are free to the Ballarat and District Community.
Since its development in 2006, safeTALK has been used in over 20 countries around the world. It can be tailored to meet the needs of different communities or organisations. safeTALK-trained helpers are an important part of suicide-safer communities, working alongside intervention resources to identify and avert suicide risks.
Delivery:
- Half day face-to-face training with 1 accredited safeTALK trainer, and 1 community support resource
Outcomes:
It is intended that safeTALK participants will be better prepared to:
- Recognise that invitations to help are often overlooked.
- Move beyond common tendencies to miss, dismiss, and avoid conversations around suicide.
- Notice and respond to situations in which thoughts of suicide may be present.
- Apply basic TALK steps (Tell, Ask, Listen and KeepSafe).
- Connect the person with thoughts of suicide to suicide first aid help and further community resources.
It’s natural for all of us to feel concerned about the people around us, but sometimes we don’t know what to do to help – especially if we’re worried that they might be thinking of suicide. CALL for Help© is an information session designed to support community members who may be concerned that someone they know is thinking about suicide.
Find out what you CAN do to help by attending a CALL for help session.
Delivery:
2-hour facilitator led session (including question and answer time)
Outcomes:
- How to recognise “calls for help” – signs that someone might be thinking about suicide
- How to ask someone if they are thinking of suicide
- The practical steps you can take to help keep the person safe from suicide
At every session delivered by Lifeline Ballarat there is at least one trained crisis supporter in the room to provide support to audience members and to answer any questions.
Our DV-alert training course can help participants to identify the different signs and forms of abuse that constitute domestic and family violence. It also educates participants on the "Cycle of Violence" and "Duluth wheels" – power and control, equality and empowerment. This training course is tailored to frontline workers or volunteers supporting the general community in the areas of heath, allied health, higher education and childcare.
Training is delivered on behalf of Lifeline Australia RTO 88036 (see our Compliance Manual here). As an accredited training program, DV-alert is mapped out against the unit of competency CHCDFV001: Recognise and respond appropriately to domestic and family violence. Entry requirements can be found on page 11 of the Pre-Enrolment Booklet. Participants who complete the training and assessment will receive a Statement of Attainment.
DV-alert is free for eligible frontline workers (funded by the Department of Social Services).
Delivery:
- 2 day face-to-face accredited workshop with 2 trainers
Outcomes:
- Encourages participants to reflect on and share what they can do if they know someone who is experiencing domestic and family violence.
- provides an opportunity to network with other individuals and receive helpful tools and references for domestic and family violence, support and referral.
Next Workshops:
Visit our What's On page to see when our next DV-alert workshops are scheduled.
Our DV-alert First Nations training course can help participants to identify the different signs and forms of abuse that constitute domestic and family violence. Our workshops provide a safe space for frontline workers to learn, connect and be empowered to recognise and respond confidently to those in crisis.
Training is delivered on behalf of Lifeline Australia RTO 88036 (see our Compliance Manual here). As an accredited training program, DV-alert is mapped out against the unit of competency CHCDFV001: Recognise and respond appropriately to domestic and family violence. Entry requirements can be found on page 11 of the Pre-Enrolment Booklet. Participants who complete the training and assessment will receive a Statement of Attainment.
DV-alert First Nations is free for eligible frontline workers (funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services). Financial support is also offered for staff backfill for attendance of the 2-day workshop, and help with travel and accommodation is available in some cases.
See our What's On page for the next scheduled DV-alert Indigenous workshop.
Delivery:
- 2 day face-to-face accredited workshop with 2 trainers
Outcomes:
- Learn how to recognise the signs of domestic and family violence and respond confidently.
- Know how to refer people to appropriate support services in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Do you want to understand the initial signs of domestic and family violence, and know how to respond appropriately and refer colleagues, friends and family members if necessary? This awareness session awareness sessions lays the foundations to understanding and responding to domestic and family violence issues.
DV-aware is free for participants (funded by the Department of Social Services) and there are no eligibility criteria - the awareness sessions are open to all members of the community over the age of 18.
Training is delivered on behalf of Lifeline Australia RTO 88036.
Delivery:
- 2 hour online session delivered by an experienced Lifeline trainer
Outcomes:
- Learn what domestic family violence is.
- Learn how to recognise the signs domestic family violence.