WellBeing

Wellbeing Team Roles

Natalie Abdilla is our Years F to 4 Wellbeing Officer.

Nick Dundon is our Years 5 to 8 Wellbeing Officer.

Sarah Gething is our Years 9 to 12 Wellbeing Officer.

Seema Begum is our Mental Health Practitioner.

Katrina (Trini) Costello is our Secondary School Nurse - School Nursing Program.

These staff members are located in our Wellbeing Hub.

Wellbeing Hub Open on Mondays and Thursdays

What support is available

Carer Gateway provides free support for young people who are in caring roles. 

• Short term counselling
• Coaching
• Planned and emergency respite
• Peer support and social connection 
• Practical assistance
• Service navigation

Eligibility

A student can receive support if they

• Provide unpaid care for a family member with disability, chronic illness, mental health concerns or frail due to age

• Are any age!

They do not need to be the primary carer in the family and their caring role may be minimal. 

How to refer

Referrals can be made by:

• Phone Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737

• Complete an online referral Carer Gateway - Make a Referral

Parent Support Resources

https://safeminds.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Parent-Support-Resources_SAFEMinds.pdf

Easing into Adolescence Resources

The Department of Education have launched the Easing into adolescence: resources for families webpage for families of students aged 10 to 14 years (Grade 5 to Year 8).

The webpage has information and strategies parents and carers can use to help their children ease into adolescence and secondary school.

Berry Street

My name is Trinity, and I have joined Berry Street in the Community Engagement role for Home Based Care – Hume region.

Our Story Founded in 1877, Berry Street exists to help those experiencing poverty, violence, and abuse, and to help families stay together in safe and healthy homes so they can create the future they imagine for themselves. This is what we mean by ‘believing in children, young people, families and their future’.  

Our community is in urgent need of loving and supportive foster carers for local children and young people who are unable to live with their families.  

• The number of children in out-of-home care continues to rise year-on-year. There were 12,809 children in out-of-home care in the state as of June 30, 2021, an almost 14 per cent increase from 11,271 in 2018.  

• As of June 2023, the number of foster care enquiries from across the sector reached its lowest point in the last 20 years.  

To respond to this rising need, we are working to engage with the community to increase awareness of foster care and the growing need for Foster Carers in our region.   

Please don’t hesitate to contact me on 0482 160  848 or tlonel@berrystreet.org.au. 

Kind regards,

Trinity Lonel (she/her),

Community Engagement Worker. 

Nurture Forward Parenting Group

The group will run across two sessions and aims to support parents in identifying healthy parenting practices, exploring shifts from pre to post family violence, and providing psychoeducational resources to help increase self-awareness and resilience.

Primary Mental Health Service Sites

The updated brochure is attached for your information.