A round up of news......
7 January 2020

Important News: Bushfire Message
Victorian Council of Social Service

• The latest information about current emergencies can be found at VicEmergency and ABC. Information about relief and recovery centres is also available at VicEmergency.

• For anyone needing Financial assistance and advice, financial counsellors provide a professional service. They are regulated by Federal legislation and employed by not-for-profit community organisations to provide information, advice and advocacy support free of charge, assisting people in dealing with life situations involving debt and hardship, dealing with creditors and stabilising finances. The National Debt Helpline is staffed by financial counsellors and can be contacted on 1800 007 007.
  
  Further, rural financial counsellors work with farmers, offering free and independent financial support to primary producers and non-agriculture related small businesses. The Rural Financial Counselling Service can be contacted on 1300 735 578.
  
  People can also access information about financial assistance from the Victorian and Australian Government, and Australian Red Cross emergency grants.

• Information about insurance is available through:

• Bushfire insurance guide
• Understand insurance – bushfires
• Australian Financial Complaints Authority.

• Anyone needing legal advice should contact Disaster Legal Help Victoria on 1800 113 432 or Australian Government Disaster Assist.

• For community organisations on the front line the linked resource, On the frontline in emergencies, is a practical emergency response, relief and recovery guide.

• Support for children and young people is available through:

• Community Trauma Toolkit for workers, parents and carers   
• Trauma and Grief Network for children and families
• Birdie’s Tree: Growing together through natural disasters for infants, young children and families.

• There is information about health and wellbeing in Community factsheets – Bushfires and the Recovery Hour, Life after Disasters and Emergencies podcast.

• Donations can be made through the Australian Red Cross Bushfire Disaster Relief and Recovery, The Salvation Army Disaster Appeal and Community Enterprise Foundation Bushfire Disaster Appeal. Many relief agencies ask people not to donate material goods.

• Gippsland Women's Health are facilitating Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM) Collaborative Practice Training to professionals across Gippsland - click here to see the range of courses offered throughout 2020. To assist individuals and agencies assess appropriate training requirements, Gippsland Women's Health have also developed a simple Training Guide.
• The Latrobe Health Advocate has released a new report, Engagement Inspiration that includes key insights and suggestions for governments and services about how people in Latrobe want to engage.
• The Latrobe Valley Authority released a three-year community report detailing their work since being established in November 2016.
• Saver Plus matches your savings dollar-for-dollar, up to $500. Click here to view a short video about Stacey’s Saver Plus journey - a free program that provides financial education, budgeting and savings tips and helps families to pay for education costs. For more information, contact  Rick, Berry Street, phone: (03) 5120 2542 or email: rpemberton@berrystreet.org.au.
• Infrastructure Victoria are updating Victoria’s 30-year infrastructure strategy and regional Victoria is a key focus of their work. Stakeholders are currently invited to make submissions on addressing regional disadvantage or comparative advantage, or both. (Submissions close Friday 7 February 2020).