BACK
The Courage Project
The Courage Project is a Bravehearts initiative that provides therapeutic and advocacy support to children and young people in North Queensland who have experienced, or are at risk of experiencing, abuse and/or self-harm.
The Courage Project is an initiative that was first developed in conjunction with Mackay Women’s Service (MWS) to deliver a mental health service to disadvantaged and disengaged children and young people (under the age of 14) that have experienced trauma-related issues. The service uses evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches to support children and young people in their healing journey. The multi-disciplinary team works with children and young people individually, as well as their non-offending family members and support services.
The Courage Project provides services to:
- Children and young people (under the age of 14) who are at risk of developing a mental health illness or who already have a diagnosed mental health illness in the Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac Regional Council areas.
- Children and young people (under the age of 14) who have experienced, or are at risk of experiencing, child sexual abuse and/or physical violence, which may precipitate a mental health illness.
- Support services to the non-offending family members including parents, partners, siblings and others.
The Courage Project is supported by funding from Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) through the Australian Government’s PHN Program.
Services offered through The Courage Project
Counselling
The Courage Project’s specialist counselling is tailored to meet the needs of the child or young person and, where possible, the family. This may include:
- Individual counselling and support
- Family support
- Protective behaviours and early intervention support
- Counselling support for problem sexual behaviours for children 12 and under
Child and Family Advocacy
The Courage Project’s Child and Family Advocate assists children and families in navigating and understanding the service system and accessing support. This includes but is not limited to:
- Wraparound support for children and families who meet the eligibility criteria for the program.
- Working with the child or young person to create a strengths-based individual plan and assisting them to achieve the goals that they set.
- Assistance in navigating the tertiary and non-tertiary service systems including reporting to Police and/or Child Safety.
- Assistance in providing referrals to appropriate support services outside the scope of The Courage Project.
- Providing community engagement, training and education to meet the needs of the local services and community.
Outreach
Through a partnership approach, The Courage Project delivers counselling and child and family advocacy services across the region to support children and young people both face to face, and via eHealth. We work closely with existing services and community stakeholders to deliver community information and awareness sessions to increase local capacity and capability to support children and young people affected by physical and sexual abuse.
How to Access The Courage Project’s Services
The Courage Project welcomes referrals from parents and carers, support agencies and General Practitioners. To access support contact us directly using the details below or download and complete our referral form.
If you have any enquiries about The Courage Project, please don’t hesitate to contact Bravehearts’ Information and Support Line on 1800 272 831.