Counselling

Disability Family Services

Family Dispute Resolution

Solutions for Men

Services for Children & Young People

Children’s Contact Service

 

Being a Dad

Being a Grandparent

Building Connections

Creating positive relationships

Ideas for parenting teens

Making Choices/Anger Management

Parents Not Partners

Positive Parenting

Rebuilding

Self-esteem and Communication

Challenge of Discipling Children

Things are Different Now

 

Lismore

143 Laurel Ave.
Lismore
NSW 2480

02 6621 4970

Fax: 02 6622 0367

 

 

              front reception

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remembrance Day 2010
Julie Leete and CLC
Domestic Violence Worker
 

 
AG Robert McClelland,
Janelle Saffin (FM Lismore),
CLC workers and Julie
 

 

Interrelate Family Centres at Lismore has been an active member of the local community for over 20 years, providing services to assist families, partners and individuals to enhance their relationships.

Lismore is part of the rainbow region of Northern NSW and we provide services to a wide geographic location. We are proud to acknowledge that we are on Bunjulung land and pay our respects and give thanks to the Bunjulung community.

Our region extends northern to the Tweed and includes Ballina, Byron Bay and extends west to Casino and Kyogle.  Our region includes Mullumbimby, Nimbin and many hamlets in the region.  We offer outreach services to Ballina, Byron Bay, Tweed Heads, Murwillumbah, Mullumbimby, Casino and Kyogle.

The region has experienced huge growth in population with many tree changers and sea changers deserting the cities for a more relaxed lifestyle. Our population is very diverse with a large number of Indigenous families and a small Sudanese population.

We welcome you to our services and hope to see you soon!                                                               

Lismore Happenings...                            

Community events

■  Family Pathway Network ... The Lismore Pathways network is active.
Nicky Schor (Project coordinator) and Richard Hughes (CLC Community Legal Centre and FRC Family Relationship Centre  solicitor) will attend the Pathways conference in June. The committee is working on providing training in relation to self care across the sector. We are hoping to attract Robyn Moore and FM Keith Slack on the 24th June for an event at Ballina Beach Resort. We are also hoping to attract Judy Cashmere and Richard Chisholm and FM Mr Keith Slack for a conference later on in the year. We are hoping to extend our network to include the Tweed, Casino, and Kyolge.

■  Southern Cross University Research (SCU)
Lismore has engaged actively with SCU action research project in Lismore. We have two facilitation partners in Gillian Buttress – Grove and Carmen Haig- Besseling. There will be 3 action research projects running across the 2 centres. One is exploring parental capacity in FDR and exploring children’s participation when it is assessed that parents have limited parental capacity. The other project explores children’s participation in the context
of the CCS and counselling generally i.e. looking at
children's experience of the centre through their eyes.
Carmen has instilled a child focus through
various activities at the IFC e.g. games, lolly jars,
and posters which ask thought provoking questions.
A huge thank you to Lismore staff for embracing this research
and to Gillian and Carmen for their commitment
and passion for children.                                                                           Professor Anne Graham and
                                                                                                                                                     Dr Robyn Fitzgerald
■  Aboriginal Services
Mel Brown has been involved in:
■ Deadly Days 2010 in partnership with TAFE, Aboriginal Elders and other agencies.
   The day attracts more than 2000 Aboriginal young people, Elders and services.
   This year the guest performers will be Troy  Casser- Daley, Artie Beetson, George Rose
   and Alison Page (from the inventors TV show). The aim is to engage all aboriginal people in services
   and education to promote and sustain culture, identify and community education.
■ Aboriginal Womens workshops
■ Aboriginal woman’s healing circle documentary
■ Kyolge Aboriginal young woman’s group
■ Implementing the  'message stick program' . ‘This program aims to reconnect or to assist fathers in jail to keep connected with their children through the medium of reading. It involves the video taping/engaging of Aboriginal fathers in prison reading stories to their children. These sessions are taped and the DVDs will be sent to the children. This program recognizes the variant literacy levels of the fathers and we will offer a range of books including Interrelate publications  'Bidge's Mob' and 'The Listeners get Two Homes' or other appropriate reading material.
■ SNAICC children’s book publishing program

■  Remembrance Day in Lismore and Ballina on 5^th May
Jan Gillings attended the Remembrance Day in Ballina. Julie attended the Remembrance Day in Lismore and worked with the CLC, DV court support and the Lismore Woman Refuge and Aboriginal Woman’s Refuge.
Julie attended a night vigil in Lismore where candles were lit for every death related to FV. This was a very emotional and thought provoking evening. Many woman spoke of their experience and how they survived and thrived.

■  Meeting with the Attorney General and CLC in Lismore
Julie attended a meeting with the AG, local member, Janelle Saffin and CLC staff members. The AG noted the high level of collaboration in Lismore between the FM court, legal sector and the FRC/ Interrelate services. He was also interested in our pilot with the CLC / FRC solicitor and how that was proceeding.

■  FRC and CLC pilot to provide legal advice at the FRC
The solicitor employed to provide legal advice is Richard Hughes. Richard is providing legal advice and CLE to FRC clients and the project is progressing well. Many families have availed themselves of this free service. We have a close collaboration with Legal Aid to assist with conflict of interest issue as they arise. We have drafted an MOU (Memoranda of Understanding), service protocols and referrals forms to assist the process.

what’s on...programs for this term
Bookings: please phone the IFC 6621 4970