Alongside every uniform, is a family
Alongside is a not-for-profit organisation and the first in Australia to provide proactive education and a community for the partners and families of first responders.
Through proactive education programs, Alongside empowers frontline families to:
- Know when, where and how to seek support
- Implement strategies for adapting to shiftwork, stress and frontline line
- Navigate the challenges that come with a frontline career
- Develop communication strategies for managing frontline life in the home, relationships and with children
- Connect to a community of frontline families
ABOUT US
Alongside was founded in 2015 on the experience of frontline partners who recognised there was a gap in proactive support and education.
Since then, Alongside has continued to work closely with partners of frontline personnel to equip frontline families with programs, knowledge and tools to successfully navigate the highs and lows of frontline life.
Beyond Blue research indicates that strong relationships are the biggest preventative factor when it comes to suicide. Through the last 4 years of implementing programs, Alongside has found that providing partners with education and insights into the unique aspects of the job can assist with the understanding and the early intervention, and at times the prevention of escalating mental injuries.
Alongside was part of the advisory board behind the Beyond Blue Answering the Call Survey which was the first National Mental Health and Wellbeing Study of Police and Emergency Services in 2018.
Together with The University of Western Australia, Flinders University and The Road Home, we are also part of the advisory board for the After the Fires study into the wellbeing and resilience of Australia’s first line responders following the 2019-20 Bushfires. The study is funded by the Australian Government to study the impacts of the 2019-20 bushfire season on the wellbeing of first responders.
The Board Behind Alongside
Abigail McPherson
Abigail has a professional background in Occupational Safety and Health was appointed to the Alongside Board in February 2020. Abigail has more than 15 years’ experience as a Safety and Health professional along with 10 years of industrial emergency response experience. Abigail is also a volunteer Event Health Services Officer with St John Ambulance WA. Abigail brings an enthusiasm for improving mental health awareness for defence and emergency service personnel and their families.
Abigail holds an Executive Master in Leadership, Strategy and Innovation and a Post Graduate Diploma in Occupational Safety and Health. She is a Chartered Professional Member of the Australian Institute of Health and Safety and a Member of the Governance Institute of Australia.
Leanne Hart
Leanne brings over 16 years of global experience as a Human Resources professional working with leaders and teams across multiple sectors including construction, manufacturing, travel, not-for-profit and social enterprise.
Leanne is passionate about changing the way wellbeing and mental resilience is supported in the workplace and her work has taken her to locations including Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Myanmar, Thailand, Morocco, New Zealand and around Australia.
Leanne holds a Master of Management, a Diploma of Exercise Science & Fitness Management and is a certified teacher in Hatha, Trauma-Informed & Community Yoga. She is also a Member of the Institute of Community Directors Australia
Torben Soelvsteen
Torben Soelvsteen brings global career experience working in the UK, US and Europe, followed by Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Torben has held several c-level, operational, advisory and board positions including working with the Australian Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, Danish Defence, Department of Foreign Affairs, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Legal Services, and is currently involved in multiple international projects.
Torben holds a Bachelor in Education and Master in Organisational Psychology, Diploma in Leadership and International Humanitarian Law, in addition to completing studies in Emergency, Crisis Response and Resilience.
Torben brings real-life skills from treating people who have experienced trauma. From his deployments to emergency situations, he has offered resilience and disaster management strategies to people impacted.
Ashna Taneja
Ashna is a lawyer with a broad corporate and commercial background spanning across the private, government, and not-for-profit sectors. Prior to joining the Alongside board, Ashna worked as a solicitor at Herbert Smith Freehills, and also completed legal placements with international organisations in the Asia-Pacific and Europe (including the United Nations). Ashna is passionate about harnessing private sector tools for social good.
Outside of the law, Ashna mentors university students across the globe in advocacy skills, and is currently a Casual Academic with the UNSW Faculty of Law. Ashna holds a Bachelor of Economics (Hons)/Bachelor of Laws (Hons).
PROGRAMS
Alongside programs provide resilience and capacity building tools for frontline families to thrive, normalising conversations surrounding mental wellbeing and implementing a proactive approach to early intervention and prevention of mental injuries and suicide in frontline personnel.
Programs are evidence-based using research from across the world and tailored to the specific needs of Australia’s frontline families. They provide psychosocial education and practical tips on how to support loved ones who work on the frontline, accumulation of trauma and exposure to critical incidents, adapting to frontline life – whether that be shiftwork, missing important holidays and birthdays, sleep hygiene, hypervigilance, burnout and stress.
Alongside Frontline Families Program
The Alongside Frontline Families Program meets the needs of partners by acknowledging the transient, and at times socially isolating nature of frontline work, delivering online education modules that can be accessed at any time, anywhere in Australia.
SUPPORTERS
Alongside is proudly supported by and collaborates with national and international organisations including:
CONTACT
Please contact us at hello@alongside.org.au for information on:
- Online education programs for frontline families
- Partnerships with emergency services organisations for tailored programs
To keep connected on all things frontline families, be sure to follow us on Facebook
Please note that we are not a crisis response or counselling service.
For immediate support or advice, please reach out to:
- Your doctor/GP
- Your local community health centre
- Local Counsellor
- Local Psychologist
- Australian Psychological Society Referral Service Tel. 1800 333 497
- NURSE-ON-CALL Tel. 1300 60 60 24
- Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
- Lifeline (24-hour crisis telephone counselling) 13 11 14
- Suicide Callback Service 1300 659 467
- SANE Help Centre 1800 18 SANE (7263)
- Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
SUPPORT US
Alongside is registered with the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission as a registered charity, ABN: 83557009636
We are endorsed as a deductible gift recipient (DGR) and can receive income tax-deductible donations. This means that a donor to a DGR is able to claim deductions to their taxable income in an annual income tax return after making a donation.
