Tina Doyle, Georgie Hunter, Trish Guy,

Sef Agahzaman and Bimba Chavan (Photo Unavailable)

Wellbeing support for NGSC

The North Geelong Secondary College Student Wellbeing Team consists of:

Tina Doyle, Social Worker/Student Wellbeing Coordinator (SWC), Team Leader

Georgie Hunter, Social Worker/Student Wellbeing Coordinator (SWC)

Trish Guy, Mental Health Practitioner (MHP)

Sef Agahzaman, Youth Worker

Bimba Chavan, School Chaplain

In Term 2 we look forward to welcoming a Secondary School Nurse to our team.

Student Wellbeing Hub Services

The Student Wellbeing Hub is located in A Block next to the Junior Sub School Office.

The Student Wellbeing Team provides support and referrals to external services for students and their families. As well as individual support, the team offers lunch time activities, small group work and participates in whole school events.

The SW Hub hosts a ‘Doctors in Schools’ (DiSS) medical clinic which is open to students only, every Thursday. Dr Bianca Forrester is our resident GP supported by clinic nurse, Kate Malone. Appointments can be made by students/families by emailing or talking to Tina or Georgie in the Student Wellbeing Office. Students can also drop into the clinic at lunch time if they prefer to book their own appointment.

Every Monday, a visiting Psychologist from Bellarine Community Health is onsite, referrals are via a Mental Health Care Plan from a GP.

Every Tuesday and Wednesday ‘CatholicCare’ Youth Refugee Case Manager, Nestor Estampa, is in the SW hub supporting EAL students with pathways and facilitates the CALD Women’s Group in partnership with Student Wellbeing.

On Fridays ‘The Geelong Project’ (TGP) Early Intervention Support Worker, Chris Singh, supports NGSC students. Chris will be joined by another TGP support worker in the near future.

Breakfast Club

Our NGSC Breakfast Club, supported by volunteers, is held in B Wing each morning from 8:00 am. All students are welcome to attend for a social breakfast with their friends. There is no cost involved.

The Geelong Project student survey

Due to circumstances beyond our control ‘The Geelong Project’ Australian Index of Adolescent Development Survey has been postponed. The school community will be advised when we receive the new date for the survey.

Lunch Time Social Groups

Lunch time groups have started up again and offer a variety of activities for students, free of charge. Please check the Student Wellbeing noticeboard and Compass for what’s on. Students are invited to make suggestions for lunch time activities they would like.

Updated Website

Student Health and Wellbeing

Recently the Student Health and Wellbeing webpage was updated on the NGSC Website. We invite you to visit the site, have a look around and explore its contents. Go to https://ngsc.vic.edu.au, from the main menu select 'about us' and then select 'Student Health and Wellbeing'.

Information within the Student Health and Wellbeing portal outlines services we provide here at NGSC to support student Health and Wellbeing. There are also 'Resource Rooms', for parents and students. Within these rooms, there is a host of links to relevant websites, supportive services and popular free Apps to try.

The NGSC Student Health and Wellbeing webpage has been updated to include Barwon Health's 24/7 support line for young people and families. This triage service is for mental health crises and can be accessed by calling 1300 094 187. The Barwon Health Triage Team is equipped to deal with emergencies and to facilitate referrals to appropriate services for ongoing support.

Of course, our site also lists online supports, phone numbers and recommended apps to further support students and families during times of difficulty.

Accessing Centrelink

Accessing Centrelink can be difficult. Below are a couple of links that will help.

The first link is to information about Youth Allowance for students:

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/youth-allowance-students-and-australian-apprentices

The links below provides information for those who have been affected by Covid-19:

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/subjects/affected-coronavirus-covid-19

https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/mental-health-resources-coronavirus-covid-19

Centrelink can be very difficult for people to navigate, particularly if English is not your first language. Students who would like to access the Centrelink Interpreter Service can call 131 202 and will need to state their preferred language twice. They will then be transferred to an interpreter who will assist them with their inquiry. This service can also provide students with their CRN (customer reference number) over the phone which will enable them to apply for payments.

This service is available from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday.

Due to high demand, it is also available on weekends from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.

Food Assistance

In this stressful time, there are a number of ways to access food assistance if you're experiencing financial difficulty.

You can request a food hamper from the Food Bank by calling the COVID19 assistance line on 1800 675 398 and selecting option 3 when prompted. The Food Bank are able to organise delivery of a hamper directly to your door if you're socially isolated, in urgent need, and have no support network. Hampers are normally delivered within 24-48 hours.

Please see the information below for a list of other community options.

The Student Wellbeing Team can also be contacted if you need more urgent food assistance or to talk about other support options.

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