Health & Well-Being_INDECOS-Community Correctional Services
(Please note that this program ended in 2011. Please refer to the AOD Counselling Services or Prisoner Support Program if needed)
The INDECOS project is funded by the Department of Justice and has entered its tenth year providing counselling for clients of Indo-Chinese background entering Community Correctional services in the Western, Northern and Southern catchment areas of Victoria. Our bilingual service aims to reduce the breach rate amongst Indo-Chinese clients on court based orders. In this financial year, more than150 clients were referred by Community Correctional Services and the Drug Court to our care which includes:
Culturally sensitive counselling sessions to enhance client’s rehabilitation and reintegration into society, focusing on key underlying issues contributing to their past offending.
Practical assistance and support services to encourage clients to access community resources, building on their knowledge and support networks.
We thank Minh Bui and Catherine Ly for their quality service to clients during their time with INDECOS. We also extend our warm welcome to Huy Luu and Nhan Huynh who have recently joined the INDECOS team to meet the increasing needs of clients from the Northern and Western regions.
Case Study:
Client X is a 50 year old male who received a Community Based Order for drug related offences. He was born in Vietnam and migrated to Australia. He pursued the Australian dream, working hard, saving up and building a strong family with his wife. Although experiencing the language barrier, the client was able to maintain an active social life with friends and family. One day, he was diagnosed with a serious medical condition that affected his physiological condition and caused extreme stress and trauma for his family. The client fell into a depressive state of mind and socially withdrew himself from others. Slowly, his relationships with family and friends deteriorated and he experienced low self-esteem, loss of confidence in himself & in the wider community. The client turned to illicit substances to deal with his issues: as his needs increased, the cost of maintaining his habit grew to the point where he needed to sell drugs in order to afford to use them. He was charged with possession and trafficking offences.
When he first came into the program, he was reluctant and did not dare to hope. With the holistic case work that focused on raising awareness on court orders, cognitive behavioural therapy, health awareness and personal development programs, he was able to complete his court order and complied with its conditions.
Kim Vu, INDECOS Coordinator, Counsellor (Springvale Office)
Huy Luu, Counsellor (Footscray Office)
