RAMHP QUARTERLY UPDATEJANUARY – MARCH 2019
RAMHP Quarterly Update Report, January – March 2019
RAMHP Quarterly Update Report: January – March 2019
This report is intended to provide an update for our key stakeholders on the work being undertaken by the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program
(RAMHP). It is intended that this report will be emailed to key stakeholders and also available on the Program’s website and that of the Centre for
Rural and Remote Mental Health. Please email comments or questions to: [email protected].
Table of Contents
Section Page Number
General RAMHP Program Updates 3
Data Considerations 13
RAMHP Updates by Program Component 14
LINK 14
TRAIN 19
INFORM 21
| 2
General RAMHP Program Updates
The Rural Adversity Mental Health Program – Tessa Caton
RAMHP Program Updates
• Supporting communities affected by the intensifying drought
remains a strong priority for RAMHP Coordinators. Support has
included:
• Planning and attending social event for families
• Extensively training Water NSW staff (27 courses to be
delivered)
• Attending various multi-agency roadshows
• Assisting with the integration of Drought Support Workers or
Farming Family Counsellors across Murrumbidgee, HNE and
Western LHDs
• Two fires in Tabulam and Tingha had a significant impact on those
communities. RAMHP Coordinators Steve Carrigg, Sam Osborne
and Letitia Cross all responded swiftly
• The last Baggy Blues & RAMHP Rural Mental Health Cricket Tour
was completed in Bega. An evaluation of the tour is currently
underway
• Piloting of Workplace Support Skills training for Rabobank continues.
This will inform the development of a tailored version of the course for
Rabobank, and potential nation-wide rollout
• RAMHP was able to welcome media personality, Gus Worland as
our first RAMHP Ambassador. Gus not only brings a high profile, but
a true passion for men’s mental health
• Dubbo RAMHP Coordinator, Camilla Kenny was recognised highly
for her leadership and contribution to her local community by being
nominated for NSW Young Woman of the Year
• All RAMHPs training resources were re-vamped with the latest
statistics and information about mental health
Recruitment Updates
• RAMHP welcomed a number of new Coordinators, including:
• Alison Tye based in Nowra
• Matt Milne based in Tamworth; and
• Sonia Cox based in Lithgow
• Nowra Position, advertised and interviews completed
• Interviews were also held for RAMHP Coordinator positions in
Mudgee and Orange
• A slight restructure of the CRRMH based RAMHP team has
occurred, with two new positions established:
• RAMHP Strategic Projects Manager
• RAMHP Communications Coordinator
Report 1 Highlights
• 450 People Linked to Care
between Jan – Mar 2019
• 66 Training Courses were
delivered to 1,432 participants
between Jan – Mar 2019
• 95 Community Events were
attended by RAMHP Coordinators
between Jan – Mar 2019
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
| 3
General RAMHP Program Updates
RAMHP Communication Highlights– Jocelyn Johnston
The Communications team hit the ground running in 2019 with the
development of some new resources and the roll out of some key
initiatives including a new Ambassador Program for RAMHP. Our first
Ambassador is television and radio personality Gus Worland. We will be
promoting this exciting announcement shortly across all our
communication channels.
RAMHP eNewsletters
RAMHP released one eNewsletter during this period. Our February
eNewsletter, 'Let's Talk' about seeing your GP was delivered to 489
recipients and had almost a 50% open rate. Click here to view.
New Video Resources
RAMHP released two new videos in February. "Managing Stress" was
designed for individuals and rural communities while "Understanding
Drought-related Stress" was designed for health professionals.
The videos are available on our website and YouTube, with a total of
157 views of our "Managing Stress" video and 90 views of our
"Understanding Drought-related Stress" videos on YouTube.
Click here to view our "Managing Stress" video and click here to view
our "Understanding Drought-related Stress" video.
Website
During this quarter the RAMHP website received 3,613 website sessions
(+11%) The average website session was 2:38 mins.
The top 5 pages were as follows:
1. Homepage – 2,364 views
2. Downloadable Resources – 452 views
3. About Us – 388 views
4. About Us: Meet the Team – 387 views
5. Find a RAMHP Coordinator – 361 views
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
| 4
General RAMHP Program Updates
Media Highlights
During the first quarter in 2019, various RAMHP Coordinators and the
RAMHP Manager were interviewed about current issues and key
initiatives. Key topics included the Baggy Blues Tour with RAMHP, the
ongoing drought and impact on mental wellbeing, the Tabulam fires,
Camilla and Di being nominated for awards and the UNICEF report on how
drought is affecting kids.
This quarter also saw the team respond to various media requests
including from the Washington Post, the Weekly Times (Qld), Mind Food
Magazine, the Wellcome Trust Magazine (UK) and the ABC.
The team also worked with RAMHP Coordinator Judy Carmody to develop
content for a regular monthly column in the Yass Tribune. The first one was
published on 26 March.
•Managing stress during drought by RAMHP Coordinator Judy
Carmody
Regular columns focussing on mental health issues will appear on the last
Wednesday of each month.
Some examples of key media activity are presented in Table 1 on the
following page. Please note this is a sample only. The full list can be seen
in Appendix A of the CRRMH Quarterly Report.
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
| 5
General RAMHP Program Updates
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
Date Media Outlet Topic Spokesperson Link
21.10.2019 WIN news NSW Young Woman of the
Year Finalist and RAMHP
RAMHP Coordinator
Camilla Kenny
https://www.facebook.com/WINNe
wsCentralWest/videos/293536921
354388/UzpfSTI5NDE1NDE5NzQ
0NzgxNToxMDIwMTQ5ODMxNTE
0OTEx/
30.1.2019 ABC NSW Country
Hour
Drought, heat and mental
health
RAMHP Coordinator Di Gill https://www.abc.net.au/radio/progr
ams/nsw-country-hour/nsw-
country-
hour/10744580?fbclid=IwAR3zMR
DBxSDY-ajSzqpi6wiYa_r7-
UF1PoX-
60dEMUB7WWh69yDcpTlYT_I
5.02.2019 Far West LHD
Monthly Newsletter
Acknowledgement of
RAMHP work around
drought in the district, and
Pooncarie v Anabranch
cricket match for men's
mental health
RAMHP Coordinator Marie
Kelly
No link
| 6
Table 1: Overview of Media Interactions (note this is a sample
only)
General RAMHP Program Updates
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
Date Media Outlet Topic Spokesperson Link
8.02.2019 Bega District News Sydney Thunder members to play
Twenty20 match in Bega with
mental health focus
RAMHP
Coordinator Jen
Keioskie
https://www.begadistrictnews.
com.au/story/5894497/sydney
-thunder-members-to-play-
twenty20-match-in-bega-with-
mental-health-focus/
18.02.2019 ABC Mildura Men’s Mental Health Cricket game RAMHP
Coordinator Marie
Kelly
No link
18.02.2019 ABC South East Rainbow Waves Festival RAMHP
Coordinator
Jennie Keioskie
No link
20.02.2019 Northern NSW LHD
website
Mental health support for fire
affected communities
RAMHP
Coordinator Steve
Carrigg
https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.go
v.au/blog/2019/02/20/mental-
health-support-for-fire-
affected-
communities/?fbclid=IwAR02
MXJjYqUuL0psArfShBHbcW
BzvNFeCChRVAmtAfNATUs
3DDqOM63T0ps
| 7
Table 1: Overview of Media Interactions (continued)
General RAMHP Program Updates
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
Date Media Outlet Topic Spokesperson Link
20.02.2019 Mirage News Allianz helps bat the
blues in rural and
regional Australia
RAMHP – Baggy Blues
project
https://www.miragenews.com/a
llianz-helps-bat-the-blues-in-
rural-and-regional-australia/
21.02.2019 Echo NetDaily Mental health support
for fire affected
communities
RAMHP Coordinator Steve
Carrigg
https://www.echo.net.au/2019/
02/mental-health-support-fire-
affected-communities/
26.03.2019 The Weekly Times (Qld) Free holiday for drought-
impacted farmers
RAMHP Program Manager
Tessa Caton quoted
https://www.weeklytimesnow.c
om.au/news/rural-
weekly/livestock/outback-
family-in-drought-gifted-a-free-
holiday/news-
story/8dafae6a3ab0427fe7947
a5bbcae1d55?fbclid=IwAR05X
ycMYVtQl6vbTpkg5o4KWV9K
3xWpnBJoePJORXwKcAiyavc
k902ALPo&memtype=anonym
ous
26.03.2019 Yass Tribune Managing stress during
drought by Judy
Carmody
RAMHP Coordinator Judy
Carmody
https://www.yasstribune.com.a
u/story/5974320/managing-
stress-during-drought/
| 8
Table 1: Overview of Media Interactions (continued)
General RAMHP Program Updates
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
| 9
General RAMHP Program Updates
RAMHP Social Media – Ashleigh Middleton
The following table provides an overview of the key statistics for
RAMHP’s Facebook page.
Table 2: Overview of RAMHP’s Facebook Page Statistics, Jan. –
Mar. 2018
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
Statistic Impact
165 new likes were achieved during this period, bringing the total
number of likes to 1,326
• Number of likes increased by 14.2%
Post Publishing this quarter was 76 • This quarter featured a number of posts advertising the new
Coordinator positions for Orange and Mudgee, along with
the Communications Coordinator position
• The new video 'Managing Stress' was distributed through
RAMHPs social media channels this quarter
Engagement with posts:
− Reactions 1,660
− Comments 202
− Shares 407
− Link Clicks 820
• Total engagements were down 31.4%
• Posts that attracted high engagement included the
announcement of Camilla Kenny's nomination for Young
Women of the Year, the release of UNICEF's report of
drought on children, and Marie Kelly's involvement in
the "Blue Tree Project".
| 10
General RAMHP Program Updates
RAMHP Social Media – Ashleigh Middleton
The following table provides an overview of the key statistics for
RAMHP’s Twitter page.
Table 3: Overview of RAMHP’s Twitter Statistics, Jan. – Mar. 2018
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
Statistic Impact
17 new followers were achieved during this period, bring the total
number to 452
• RAMHP’s Twitter audience continues to increase
Post Publishing this quarter was 19 during this period • Publishing frequency decreased by 73% this quarter
19 Tweets during this period:
− @mentions 30
− Replies 3
− Retweets 29
− Tweet Likes 59
− Retweet with comment 9
• Engagement has decreased by 47% this quarter.
| 11
Overview of Social Media Jan – Mar 2018
‘Managing Stress’ video
Social media was used to promote the newly created ‘Managing
Stress’ video for medical practices and health care facilities.
Employment opportunities
Advertising of new RAMHP Coordinator positions continued for
positions located in Mudgee and Orange.
A paid campaign advertising the RAMHP Communications
Coordinator position was also rolled out during this quarter.
Gus Worland ambassador announcement
Social media was used to give followers a ‘sneak peek’ of new
program ambassador, Triple M presenter Gus Worland.
Baggy Blues Cricket Tour
The final leg of the Baggy Blues Cricket tour held in Bega was
promoted during February.
General RAMHP Program Updates
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
| 12
Data Considerations
This Report 1 represents the first period of data collected using the
RAMHP App in 2019. There are a number of considerations which must
be taken into account when interpreting the results of this Report. These
include:
• Annual leave taken by RAMHP Coordinators during the reporting
period may impact on their data presented in the Report.
• The correctness of data from the RAMHP App relies on the accurate
data entry of the RAMHP Coordinators.
General RAMHP
Program Updates
Data
Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
| 13
How Many People Were Linked?
• From January – March 2019, 450 people were linked to mental
health support services or resources by RAMHP Coordinators.
• The majority of links (n= 310, 69%) were people seeking
assistance for themselves.
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
| 14
Chart 1: Number of Links Jul. 2018 – Mar. 2019, by Linkage
Type
724573
310
279
151
140
Jul - Sep 2018 Oct - Dec 2018 Jan - Mar 2019
Nu
mb
er
of
Lin
ks
Quarter
Linked someone to services/resources to help someone else
Linked someone to services/resources for themselves
How Did Linking Take Place?
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
• During January – March 2019, the largest number of links took
place when RAMHP Coordinators attended community events
(n=72, 28%) or provided advice to another professional
(n=61, 24%).
• A considerable proportion of linkages also occurred as a result of
providing training (n=42, 16%), despite fewer training courses
being delivered during this quarter.
| 15
Note: (n=259). 191 cases were not included as they were group links i.e. when a
number of people are linked at the same time for a specific issue.
Chart 2: Proportion of Links Jan. – Mar. 2019, by Method of Linkage
28%
16%
24%
13%
8%
1%
10%
I met them at a community event or meeting
They attended training I delivered
I provided linking advice to a professional in my partnerships/networks
Through phone or email contact
The ‘person in need’ works for a service in my partnerships/networks
The ‘person in need’ was referred from another service
Other
What Symptoms Or Issues Were RAMHP Coordinators Assisting With?
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
• The 10 most common issues or symptoms RAMHP Coordinators
assisted with are presented above. More than one issue or symptom
can be selected for each person linked (N=1,553).
• The most common issue or symptom was stress (n=368, 24%).
• The issue drought (n=183, 12%) was added to the RAMHP App in
August 2018, and was the second most common issue or symptom
RAMHP Coordinators assisted with this quarter.
• Other types of disasters or adverse events (n=91, 6%)
also entered the top 10 this quarter.
| 16
Chart 3: The Ten Most Frequent Symptoms Identified when Linking, Jan. – Mar. 2019
368
183
156
149
100
91
79
73
68
54
Stress
Drought
Change in behaviour
Work or financial concerns
Relationship concerns
Disaster or adverse event
Symptoms of an emerging mental health disorder
Pre-existing mental health disorder
Grief and loss
Physical health concerns
Number of Times a Symptom is Selected
What Support Or Resources Were Suggested by RAMHP Coordinators?
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
• RAMHP Coordinators usually provide more than one type of
support or resource when they link (N=1,906).
• The most common support or resources provided by RAMHP
Coordinators were the recommendation to visit a GP (n=276,
14%), practical strategies (n=247, 13%) and printed
information (n=201, 11%).
• Farmgate was added as an option to the RAMHP App in
December 2018. This will assist with collecting data on the
utilisation and activity of LHD Farmgate Counsellors (now
referred to as Drought Support Workers or Farming Family
Counsellors) funded under the NSW Government Drought
Package. There were 47 (2%) links to Farmgate Counsellors
this quarter.
| 17
Chart 4: Number of Times a Type of Support or Resource was Suggested, Jan. – Mar. 2019
276
247
201
142
139
138
131
112
68
66
64
56
47
37
27
25
25
23
23
21
12
10
9
5
2
GP
I provided strategies
Printed information
Other mental health telephone support service
Website information, online therapy or e-mental health
Private specialist
MH Line or Accessline
Rural assistance services
Emergency services
Material or financial assistance service
CMHT
Social support group
Farmgate
Youth services
Social worker
Employment support services
Family or relationship service
Non-Gov MH Team
Education support services
Carer support service
Other
Alcohol or Other Drug Service
Legal aid
Housing assistance service
Child protection services
Number of Times a Suggestion was Given
Coordinators’ Stories From Those We Help
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
A man who attended one of my
training courses said he is
concerned about his neighbour
who is a refugee. He believes the
neighbour is very socially isolated
and struggling financially. I
suggested contact with Social
Justice Advocates.
I spoke with a mother of four, who is
homeless as a result of fire. They lost all their
possessions including their home. The
mother was concerned about the impact of
the trauma on her teenage children. I linked
her to practical assistance, provided brief
psychological support and connected them
with disaster relief services.
I was contacted by the RSPCA concerned
about removal of a significant number of dogs.
The owner is elderly, vulnerable and has a
history of mental illness. I provided support to
the RSPCA, and organised services to be
available to support the owner during removal.
I also arranged for mental health services to
follow up with the owner.
The organiser of event celebrating LGBTIQ
community was feeling overwhelmed with
organising the event as well as unintended
consequences of speaking openly about
growing up gay in the local area. They were
aware of lots of negative messages on social
media. The person has a lot of supports but I
encouraged them to get advice from ACON
both personally and professionally.
A Rural Financial Counsellor expressed
concerns for a number of clients who are
experiencing high levels of stress. I explained the
various clinical services and referral options, plus
how to have the conversation with the
individuals, including use of RAMHP resources to
facilitate the discussion. A service worker at a Recovery
Centre was distressed due to
decisions made around evacuation
processes and concern for family
members directly impacted by fires.
I provided brief psychological
support and encouraged them to
access EAP, their GP and put in
place self-care strategies.
| 18
How Much Training Was Delivered?
• From January – March 2019, 66 training courses were
delivered by RAMHP Coordinators.
• The most common training courses delivered were Workplace
Support Skills (n=22, 33%), Tailored Training (n=17, 26%) and
Mental Health First Aid (n=17, 26%).
• RAMHP Coordinators delivered training to 1,432 participants this
quarter.
• On average each course contained 22 participants.
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
| 19
Chart 5: Number of Training Courses Delivered, by Course Type,
Jul. 2018 – Mar. 2019Chart 6: Number of Training Participants, Jul. 2018 – Mar. 2019
10 83
20
11 22
40
39
3117
21
23
17
17
4
5
3
10
6
1
122
88
66
Jul-Sep 2018 Oct-Dec 2018 Jan-Mar 2019
Nu
mb
er
of
Trai
nin
g C
ou
rse
s
Quarter
CSS WSS HISS TT MHFA W&Y VW GTD Total
2,906
1,927
1,432
Jul-Sep 2018 Oct-Dec 2018 Jan-Mar 2019
Num
ber
of
Tra
inin
g P
art
icip
ants
Total number of training participants across all training courses
Who Did RAMHP Coordinators Train?
• Training courses were predominantly comprised of
government or council employees (n=10, 15%) and
community groups or organisations (n=10, 15%).
• RAMHP has been delivering training to Water NSW staff
across Western NSW, Far West, Murrumbidgee and
Hunter New England.
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
Examples of Organisations Trained
• Red Cross
• Water NSW
• Men’s Shed NSW
• Narrabri Community College
• Compass Housing
• Cowra Disability Services
• Oyster Coast Australia
• Pearl's Place
• Charles Sturt University
• NSW Carers Respite
• Byron Bay Council Executive
| 20
Chart 7: Number of Training Courses, Audience Type, Jan. – Mar. 2019
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
6
7
7
10
10
Police or emergency services
Aboriginal
Carers
Housing
Youth
Heavy industry
Other
Other Private Business
Disability
Education
Mixed welfare services
Mental health
Sports
Physical health (eg medical)
Primary industry
General Community Members
Community group or organisation
Other government or council
Number of Training Courses
Au
die
nce
Typ
e
What Audiences Were Reached Through Community Events?
• RAMHP Coordinators attended a large number of farming (n=40,
42%) and general community (n=36, 38%) events.
• Many drought-related events continue to take place across NSW.
Examples of drought-related events attended by RAMHP
Coordinators included the Federal Government Drought Assistance
Roadshow, Drought Convoy, Bowls Day for Drought Affected
Families in Lake Cargelligo and Pilliga Community Drought Meeting.
General RAMHP
Program UpdatesData Considerations
RAMHP Updates by
Program ComponentLINK TRAIN INFORM
| 21
Chart 8: Coordinator Attendance at Community Events, by Audience
Type, Jan. – Mar. 2019
1
2
3
3
3
3
4
36
40
Fire affected communities
Aboriginal
Service Providers
Women
Men
Youth
Education
General community
Farming
Coordinator Attendance at Community Events
Au
die
nc
e T
yp
e
If you have any questions regarding the content of this Report, please contact:
Tessa Caton
Program Manager, RAMHP
Ph: 0484 339 996
Email: [email protected]