Youngcare Connect
For information and support, call Youngcare Connect on 1300 844 727
Over time, Youngcare has become a point of contact for a growing number of people needing support and information.
To ensure that help was always available, Youngcare formalised a new, permanent service in 2010 called Youngcare Connect.
Youngcare Connect is a national service that connects young people with 24/7 care needs, their families and/or their carers to relevant information and programs within government and also the broader health care sector. It also works to provide information about Youngcare housing and programs, such as the Youngcare Apartments and At Home Care Grants.
The hotline is staffed by dedicated, qualified and professional staff who work to connect individuals, their families and carers in need with care and funding solutions that they otherwise would not have know were there.
Importantly, Youngcare Connect provides a platform for Youngcare to further build and create relationships and partnerships with like-minded organisations in the health care sector and Government departments alike. This is fundamental in ensuring the organisation continues to raise awareness of the issue nationally to drive policy change and create real choices in care options for young Australians.
Youngcare Connect is made possible by Suncorp Insurance, a major sponsor of Youngcare since 2007. With Suncorp Insurance's ongoing support, Youngcare can provide support to more than 1,500 callers a year.
The key outcomes from Youngcare Connect in 2011-2012 include:
*(Total client contacts = both incoming and outgoing calls/emails/Facebook enquiries)
- Total of 800 new client contacts; 56% from Queensland, 40% from New South Wales, 3% from Victoria and 1% from other parts of Australia.
- An Average of just over 66 new client contacts per month.
- An average of 43% of all calls resulted in a referral to relevant state and territory disability services, organisations and community based not for profit organisations. (No referral data available for July/August 2011)
- Total residential requests include requests for Youngcare apartments/respite options and enquiries for other accommodation options
- The high number of contacts from New South Wales in November 2011 corresponds with a high level of marketing activity corresponding with the launch of the New South Wales At Home Care Grants.
- In the disability type area, some months showed a large jump in numbers for certain disabilities including:
a. June 2012: 23% of all contacts were from people or for people who had experienced a stroke.
b. September 2011: 8% of contacts were in regard to spinal injury.
c. November 2011: 12% of all contacts were in regard to people with an Intellectual Disability.
- In the months where the At Home Care Grants were open in New South Wales, there was a noticeable increase in contacts from the area i.e. November 78% and December 63%, April and May both 47% of all contacts.
If you need assistance in regards to your care options, or those of a client or loved one, please contact Youngcare Connect on 1300 844 727 or via email at sjamieson@youngcare.com.au.
Youngcare is also very interested in hearing your story. Click here to share your story, or to read the stories of other young Australians with high care needs, please click here.