The Compassionate Friends Victoria, Bereaved Parents & Siblings Support

The Compassionate Friends is a mutual assistance self-help organisation offering friendship and understanding to bereaved parents and siblings following the death of a son or daughter, brother or sister, at any age and from any cause.

The primary purpose is to assist them in the rebuilding of their lives after the death of their child or sibling and to support their efforts to achieve physical, emotional and mental health.

The secondary purpose is to provide information and education about bereaved parents and siblings. The objective is to help those in the community, including family, friends, employers, co-workers and professionals, to be supportive.

TCF Victoria is part of a world wide self help organisation that was established in Victoria in 1978.

There is a support network of twenty self-help groups in urban and country Victoria and its headquarters are located in Canterbury.

It is run by bereaved parents who themselves have been helped by the organisation and who volunteer their services in turn to help others. TCF receives a grant from the Department of Human Services to employ four part-time staff members

No distinction is made or creed or ethnicity.

Services provided include:
24-hour telephone support, including freecall 1800 number grief support groups and special interest groups held state-wide
- Seminars and workshops
- Literature available free of charge to clergy, teachers, counsellors, doctors, nurses and employers
- Free lending library
- Magazine published six times a year and mailed to over 1,200 families
- Training program for volunteers and group leaders
- Community education with speakers at service clubs and community organisations
- Compassionate Employer Recognition Award

TCF Contact Details:
Phone: 03 9888 4944
Free Call: 1800 641 091
(Country Victoria and Tasmania Only)
Email: support@compassionatefriendsvictoria.org.au
Web: www.compassionatefriendsvictoria.org.au

Bereaved families in other states can contact the Victorian branch for details.

TCF Statistics for 2003-04
Telephone contacts: 6599
Volunteer hours: 5,223
Number of anniversary cards posted: 1370
Number of bereaved families making contact for the first time: 299

Manner of death

Accident	Drowning	Drug Overdose	Illness	Murder/ Manslaughter	SANDS	SIDS	Suicide	Transport	Unknown
26	3	15	92	6	16	3	70	41	27

By acknowledging the support given to employees by the employers following the death of a loved one, TCF hopes that other companies will be inspired to review their current bereavement practises.

The Compassionate Employer Recognition Awards are also supported by the Rotary Club of Geelong Central.

Awards recognise the following qualities:
1. Employer who has personally supported an employee through their bereavement
2. Employer who has arranged for additional time off, beyond the familiar three days bereavement leave
3. Those who have provided support services and/or time off – to obtain counselling or seek a support group
4. Caring attitude and ability to empathise demonstrated by the employer’s entire workforce
5. Those who have showed flexibility in work assignments and evaluation of job performance during the stress and personal strain associated with the death of a loved one
6. Other aspects of compassion that the bereaved will remember forever

The twenty three Victorian organisations awarded in 2005 were:

Dorevitch Pathology Heidelberg
Goulburn Valley Hospice Care Service Shepparton
Baker Heart Research Institute Prahran,
Allansford General Store and Post Office Allansford
Mount Eliza Secondary College Mt Eliza
Community Connections Vic Warrnambool,
Ballarat YMCA Alfredton Mildura Base Hospital Mental Health Mildura
Melton Waves Leisure Centre Melton
Dandenong & Berwick Nissan & Kia Dandenong
IGA Distribution Laverton North Linfox Armaguard Pty Ltd Bendigo
Anchor Community Care Inc Lilydale Western Heights College Geelong
Korumburra Primary School Korumburra Concord Timber (Aust) Dandenong South
Ballarat Hospice Care Inc Ballarat Infotrieve Australia Nottinghill
Gambro Dandenong South SCI Australia Ascot Vale
David Falk & Co Cobden Qanstruct (Aust) Hawthorn,
Calvary Health Care Bethlehem Caulfield South.

Statistics on deaths in Australia

There were 133,700 deaths registered in Australia in 2002
The highest age-standardised death rate in 2002 was in the Northern Territory and the lowest was in the Australian Capital Territory.
During the last decade, Ischaemic heart diseases (IHD) and Malignant neoplasms (cancer) remained the two leading causes of death
In 2002 cancer was the leading cause of death accounting for 37,600 deaths or 28.1% of deaths

CHILDREN
For children aged 1-14, external causes of death (such as injuries and poisoning) and cancer are the leading causes of death for children.
In 2002, external causes of death, injuries and poisoning, accounted for the deaths of 229 children. This represents 37% of all deaths for this age group.
Of deaths from external causes, 105 (46%) children died from transport accidents, 2002
Malignant neoplasms caused the deaths of 118 children aged 1-14 years representing 19% of all deaths of children in 2002
Leading causes of cancer deaths were leukemia and brain cancer for children, 2002
For children aged 5-15, there were 16 road fatalities in 2003 a 4.9% of the total fatalities (TAC)
In 2001, there were 1,637 death of young people aged between 12-24 years. Of these deaths almost three quarters were males.

ROAD FATALITIES
The 0-4 age group accounted for 8 deaths on Victorian roads in 2003, 2.4% of the total road fatalities in 2003 (TAC)
For children aged 5-15, there were 16 road fatalities in 2003 a 4.9% of the total fatalities (TAC)
Of the 397 people killed on Victorian roads in 2002, 54 were riders of motorcycles.
This represents 14% of the road toll, yet only 3% of vehicles registered in Victoria are motorcycles.
Two pillion passengers were also killed in 2002
In 2003, a total of 57 drivers and motorcyclists were killed with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05g/100ml and over.
- 96% were males
- 36% were between 21 – 29 years of age
- 28% were between 30 – 39 years
- The remaining 14% were 20 years or younger.
The 18-25 age group represent only 11% of the Victorian population, yet they account for 24% of fatalities in 2003
- 95% of this age group were males,
- 44% were killed on country roads,
- 79% were killed in single vehicle crashes,
- 51% of deaths occurred on 100km/h and 110km/h sign posted roads.

SUICIDE
In 2001, 1.9% of deaths registered were attributed to suicide (ABS)
In 2001, there were 2,454 suicides registered
Method of suicide – FIREARMS, in 2001 the proportion of male suicides was 13% and females 3.9%
Method of suicide – HANGING, STRANGULATION & SUFFOCATION, in 2001 the proportion of male suicide was 44% and females 38%
Method of suicide – POISONING BY DRUGS AND MEDICAMENTS, in 2001 the proportion of male suicide was 7.8% and females 26%