Brain Injury SA R2204: Commenced 1/7/2018 - Completed 30/6/2025
The Reconnect Transition Program (RTP) is a peer-support and educational program that has the broad aim of helping people make a healthy adjustment to living with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained in a road trauma.
Across all the components of the RTP, the program delivers on its aim by providing supportive group environments where people can:
- Explore and share their experiences with others with lived experience of TBI
- Gain further knowledge around the brain and neuroplasticity
- Make new connections and rebuild social skills
- Work through their TBI-related challenges
- Build strategies for improved resilience and wellbeing
- Increase their participation in the community through meaningful engagement in chosen activities
- Find direction and strengthen their sense of purpose in life
The Reconnect Transition Program (RTP) comprises:
- Two 10-week programs for people aged over 30
- Two 10-week youth RTPs (yRTPs) for young adults aged 18–30
- Regional RTP programs consisting of one regional visit to Mt Gambier for a 3 hour in-person workshop plus an ongoing online forum, and monthly online sessions.
- Monthly 2 hour Brain Injury Support and Education (BISE) Group sessions
Mentors with lived experience of brain injury are integral to the RTP. Their role is to enhance the experience and outcomes of participants. Their insights, understanding and personal stories are of immense value to the participants who are often searching for guidance from people who have faced similar challenges themselves. The mentors also benefit from the meaning and sense of purpose that comes from the role.
The Paraplegic & Quadriplegic Association of South Australia Ltd (PQSA) R2215: Commenced 1/7/2022 - Completed 30/6/2025
The Peer Support Advocacy Service provides support, advice, education, information and advocacy for participants and their families and friends who have recently acquired a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). PQSA's Peer Support Advocates live with SCI, so they bring an understanding of the issues confronting people during and after rehabilitation. They provide people with the opportunity to talk to someone who appreciates the challenges faced as a person with SCI and/or associated disability.
The Peer Support Advocacy program is now based in the Spinal Cord Injury Unit of The Repat, Daw Park.
The Peer Support Advocates are based at The Repat Spinal Injury Unit of South Australia and at the PQSA office in Dulwich. The program aims to support and facilitate clients, families, and friends with an easier transition back to their home and community through:
- Support, advice, and advocacy on a wide range of issues, resources and services associated with SCI.
- A flexible service designed to meet specific needs, involved as much or as little as desired.
- Representation to ensure that clients have access to the best medical and non-medical services.
- Introduction and referral to a range of professional and community service providers that may assist the person with their ongoing rehabilitation.
The Paraplegic & Quadriplegic Association of South Australia Ltd (PQSA) R2220: Commenced 1/7/2019 - Completed 30/6/2025
The Push Thru program, as it is commonly referred to, was established to create, develop and coordinate a program of volunteer Peer Network Facilitators in the South Australian regional areas of the Southeast, Eyre Peninsula, Iron Triangle, Yorke Peninsula/Clare Valley, Riverland/Murray Mallee. The particular focus of the volunteer Peer Network Facilitators is to build self-efficacy and resilience for people with Spinal Cord Injury through a peer lead support model.
The program aims to support and facilitate easier transition back into the community for people with newly acquired SCI and/or associated disabilities, as well as for people who have undertaken rehabilitation or illness back into community living. It is also envisaged that a further benefit will be the support of clients outside of the medical and allied health arenas, providing invaluable social, practical knowledge and problem solving supports through the Peer Network Facilitators’ own lived experience.
Brain Injury SA R23017: Commenced 2 October 2023 – Completed 02 October 2024
To continue to deliver a co-facilitated Be Well plan to families, carers and supporters of people with ABI. In addition, we would like to further investigate the needs of families, carers and supporters in the community stage of their rehabilitation / transition to life journey to understand what support they need to sustain their caring role, when this support is best delivered and how it is best delivered. This will include a peer led component and will involve consultation with a wide range of carers, working in partnership with carers SA with the aim of improving carer support services on offer.
Brain Injury SA R2213: Commenced 8/7/2022 – Completed 29/8/2023
The value of someone with similar lived experience of brain trauma assisting another understand the impact of brain injury has been research evidenced and termed Peer Support or Peer Mentoring. This project will develop opportunities for the utilisation of Peer Mentoring to assist and strengthen a person's transition and adjustment following brain injury. Currently Peer Mentoring is offered to inpatients with brain injury under health funding but ceases following discharge. This proposal builds on Brain Injury SA's experience of utilising Peer Mentoring in its Reconnect Transition Program, expanding the role into community-based support. Important in the program is the delivery of screening, training and supervision to the Peer Mentors, and undertaking appropriate matching for effective Peer Mentoring relationships. The value of this program is to both the mentee in managing a challenging period of adjustment post discharge from hospital, and the mentor who has developed good understanding of their own experience and develops purpose and skills in sharing their experience and supporting another going through similar demands for adjustment. As paid positions, Peer Mentoring also becomes an opportunity for and steppingstone to employment, strengthening the Mentor's resilience and capacity for work.
Brain Injury SA R2217: Commenced 8/7/2022 – Completed 28/7/2023
To give access to the Be Well Program of resilience and wellbeing to a group of carers of people living with ABI for the creation of a carers network of support that commences with equipping individuals with a tailored plan for their own mental health and wellbeing. The Be Well Program is an evidenced based program developed by a team of researchers at the SAMHRI to help people explore their own personal mental health and wellbeing journey. This program includes training a family member of a person with an acquired brain injury (ABI) to become a licensed trainer in the Be Well Program and to co-facilitate the roll out the Be Well program to families, carers and supporters of people with ABI under this project. The connectivity between participants will be explored with them for further development of a carers support network as the programs are rolled out.
The impact of an ABI on individuals and their families is well documented and with any loss of function for an individual, it is often the family members / supporters who are called upon to step into a carer role or to provide supervision. This can lead to changes in roles and responsibilities, as well as changes in the dynamics of a relationship. Families often have little or no opportunity to prepare for a brain injury and they need to learn how to cope with the ongoing impacts of the injury and the uncertainty this brings for the future for both themselves and their family member.
The Be Well Program focuses on 6 key mental health outcomes and supports people to identify domains where they are doing well, those they can improve on and ones where they need to take action. Providing the program to family members and supports of people with an ABI will allow them to reflect on their current situation and build a plan to improve their wellbeing, which will benefit them and their family member. It also provides added benefit of being delivered to people who have a shared experience.
Road Trauma Support R2233: Commenced 1/8/2022 – Completed 31/12/2022
Road Trauma Support Team provides free counselling to anyone effected by Road Trauma. The early intervention of counselling can be crucial for anyone effected by Road Trauma.
Counselling is available to anyone in South Australia.
The work the Road Trauma Support Team (RTST) do is crucial for families, witnesses and drivers who are involved in road crashes. Each year about 100 people die on SA roads and around 800 people are seriously injured. Road Trauma can affect anyone at any time and it does not discriminate. RTST offers free counselling to anyone and is the only free service in SA. RTST also assists with education programs such as RAA Street Smart and hold a yearly memorial service for victims of Road Trauma.
Royal Adelaide Hospital R2210: Commenced 14/7/2022 – Completed 30/12/2022
The P.A.R.T.Y. Program SA (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth) is a full day, in hospital interactive trauma prevention program for students aged 15–19yrs old. With restrictions in place a Mobile and Online program is offered. The program is also offered in regional areas and can present an indigenous specific program.
Through vivid clinical reality and emotional experience students learn about what happens when young people make a decision that can ultimately change their lives forever. They learn from real people and their very real experiences. This PARTY takes young people along the path of a trauma patient as they are rushed through the resuscitation room, intensive care and if lucky enough, the road to recovery.
Throughout the day, students hear about risk taking, choice and consequences. they hear from Emergency service personnel, Trauma Doctors, Emergency Nurses and Allied Health professionals who share their own experiences of looking after patients who have been either killed or seriously injured as a result of a single often risky decision.
At the end of the day, students listen to the story of a Trauma Ambassador and interact with them to understand what it is like to live with a life changing injury.
The Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Association of South Australia (PQSA) GA00064: Commenced 1/7/2019 – Completed 30/6/2021
‘Discovering the Power in Me’ program is a two day workshop designed to help develop inner strength and resilience in people with spinal cord injuries (SCI). The program delivers twelve interactive units in small groups and is aimed at individuals with SCI, their loved ones, and carers. Accredited facilitators teach the concepts in powerful segments, with components that feature audience members who share experiences, stories and questions.
Discovering the Power in Me utilises principles of applied cognitive psychology to provide people with disabilities and their families with tools to re-assert control over their lives, to increase engagement in the community and improve wellbeing and mental health.
Scope Global Pty Ltd GA00104: Commenced 1/4/2019 – Completed 31/12/2019
The Scope Global initiative connected participants with a lived experience of disability to work alongside their local counterparts with disabilities in Tonga.
Scope Global facilitated the training and exchange of participants with various technical skills to Tonga for a 28-day period.
Participants were trained in various areas such as advocacy, storytelling and technical skills before deployment to work alongside Tongans with disabilities as a means of mutual capacity development.
Clickability GA00025: Commenced 1/8/2017 – Completed 1/1/2019
Clickability supported the Lifetime Support Authority’s (LSA) pilot provision of self-directed supports for appropriate participants by providing relevant, curated information about participants’ support options.
The pilot aimed to enable participants, their families, and carers to have increased online access to LSA services and service providers, to afford Lifetime Support Scheme (LSS) participants greater choice and control, and provide increased opportunities for participants to contribute reviews of service providers.
