Have you ever felt? Many former children in care share feelings of sadness, rejection and shame about the past. Many struggle to understand who they are and where they belong, and have difficulty trusting and relating to others. The Aftercare Resource Centre (ARC) is a program of Relationships Australia (Qld) funded by the Department of Communities, Queensland Government. ARC provides counselling and support to people, living anywhere in Australia who experienced abuse as children whilst living in church or government institutions, detention centres or foster care in Queensland. ARC was funded in 1999 following the 1999 Forde Inquiry into the Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions. The Forde Inquiry Report recommended the establishment of a service to support the needs of former children in care. The Aftercare Resource Centre offers:

• Counselling and support for survivors and their families
• Financial assistance with educational opportunities, including literacy and numeracy programs
• Help with record searches and associated costs
• Support and financial assistance with family reunions
• Opportunities for being involved with support groups and other community resources that may be of assistance
• Support for visiting childhood homes and institutions

You can contact us:

Address:	26 Merivale Street, South Brisbane, QLD, 4101
Telephone:	(07) 3255 2848
Free Call:	1800 501 560
Fax:	(07) 3255 2258
Email:	arc@relateqld.com.au

Hours:	Monday	8:30 - 4:30
	Tuesday	8:30 - 4:30
	Wednesday	Closed
	Thursday	8:30 - 4:30
	Friday	8:30 - 4:30

Counselling Services:

The effects of growing up as a child in government and religious institutions differ between individuals. Although some people have fond memories of their time in institutions, many others suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and as adults, they struggle with the long term effects of this abuse.

Counselling offers people professional support and someone to talk to outside their family and friends in an environment which is respectful of confidentiality and privacy.

ARC provides face to face counselling for those people who are able to access our service at West End.

For those people who are geographically situated outside Brisbane, there are a number of counselling options available. Telephone counselling and support with the ARC staff can be easily arranged for those people situated in regional areas. This option is also available for people who feel more comfortable with telephone rather than face to face counselling or for people who are physically unable to attend our office.

In addition to the counselling and support services offered by the ARC team there is also the option of seeking counselling from practitioners outside our office, such as Relationship Australia (Qld) counsellors or external private practitioners. ARC is able to cover the cost of counselling but various conditions apply. Contact ARC for further details.

As part of our commitment to ensuring quality service provision for our clients, we have requirements in place which all external practitioners are expected to meet, and an application process that needs to take place before a counselling contract can commence.

Relationships Australia

As a program of Relationships Australia (Qld) we have access to counselling and other RAQ services throughout the state and throughout Australia. If people do not live in Brisbane or cannot access our West End office, we are able to link them up with their closest RAQ office. All RAQ staff have received training around the specific need and experiences of adults who were institutionalised as children.

For information on the location of RAQ offices please contact ARC.

External Private Practitioners

If you are unable to access a Relationships Australia (Qld) branch, or if you have a preference to working with a specific therapist, it is also possible for ARC to refer you to a private practitioner for counselling. In order to ensure quality service provision to our clients, all external practitioners are expected to meet requirements of our organisation before a counselling contract is established.

It is important to understand that application processes for brokering counselling services may take some time to complete – ARC cannot cover the costs of any counselling sessions which take place outside an established contract.

Practitioner Requirements:

In order to establish a counselling contract with an external private practitioner we need to receive:

• Evidence of appropriate tertiary qualifications (Social Work, Psychology, Social Science or Behavioural Science degrees)
• Evidence of membership of a professional body/organisation (ASWA, APA etc)
• Evidence of indemnity insurance (usually AON)
• A Suitability card or a national police check (if residing in a state other than Queensland).
• Agreement to operate within our fee structure, including providing a free brief report at the end of 5 sessions.

For further information please contact ARC.