Birrang Enterprise Development Company will receive funding to deliver case management targeted at youth who are disengaged or are at risk of disengaging from education and family and/or who are in contact with the criminal justice system through until June 30, 2019.

Improving the safety of Indigenous families and communities is one of the highest priorities for the Coalition government – and this investment will enable the Birrang Enterprise Development Company to provide additional support to people who need it the most.

This project is a great example of the Coalition working with Indigenous Australians to improve outcomes for First Australians living in the Bourke and Brewarrina communities.

The Birrang Enterprise Development Company’s Maranguka project is one of 28 recently funded under the IAS. Services have been funded to provide intensive support to Indigenous people most affected in the following areas: alcohol and drugs, domestic violence, mental health and wellbeing, and youth offending.

Quality training providers are invited to apply to become eligible to offer VET Student Loans under the Nationals/Liberal Government’s new student-focused vocational education and training system. The second formal application round is an important integrity measure to ensure only high quality training providers can offer taxpayer funded VET Student Loans.

The government has built a strong framework around the new VET Student Loans programme, providing greater protection and value for money to students and taxpayers, while ensuring our focus on quality remains at the forefront of Australia’s VET system. We’re already seeing some positive early results with the unit completion rate for VET Student Loan assisted students increasing almost ten per cent to 75.2 per cent in the first six months of 2017. I encourage high-quality training providers to apply to offer VET Student Loans when the next round opens on August 30. Visit https://www.education.gov.au/vet-student-loans/vet-student-loans-applicants.  

Western NSW Primary Health Network (WNSW PHN) is pleased to announce the release of The Integrated Chronic Care Atlas of Dubbo and Coonamble, along with the Integrated Mental Health Atlas of Western NSW.

WNSW PHN together with ConNetica Consulting recently conducted a pilot study that applies an internationally standardised and validated classification tool to map chronic care provision in Dubbo and Coonamble. The classification tool was also used to map Mental health across Western NSW.

The Description and Evaluation of Services and Directories - Long Term Care (DESDE-LTC) classification tool has been used in several national and international locations to map mental health, alcohol and other drug, and homelessness. This is the first time such detailed mapping of Chronic Care, using an international coding methodology, has been undertaken not only in Australia, but in the world.

John Mendoza, ConNetica Consulting Director, says, “the project aims to significantly increase understanding of the current state of population health needs compared with the service response for people with chronic care needs in the City of Dubbo and the town of Coonamble”.

More information can be found on the WNSW PHN website and further details can be obtained by contacting the WNSW PHN Dubbo Office on 1300 699 167.