Arafmi Ltd

Arafmi advocates for systemic reforms to government and service providers. Mental Health Service

Arafmi provides free support for mental health carers in Queensland, including a 24-hour Carer Support Line, individual and group support, workshops and respite accommodation.

04/04/2026

Sometimes you just need to get out, laugh and do something different. Each month we’ll plan something simple and enjoyable to get Out & About across South East Queensland. April's adventure invites you to step back in time and celebrate with us at the Pine Rivers Heritage Museum! 🌟

Join Arafmi and friends for a morning of fashion, fun, and connection:
👗 Behind the Seams – a guided tour of glamorous evening wear from the 1920s–1980s
🎉 Time to get Fancy – interactive 80s dress-up, photo opportunities, and a chance to swap a fashion piece with others
☕ Morning tea – enjoy light refreshments while connecting with others who understand your caring journey

📍 Old Petrie Town, Whiteside
📅 Friday 24 April | 10am–12pm
🕘 Meet at 9:45am

Limited spots – RSVP now and come along for a relaxed, fun and stylish morning out.

🔗 More info & registration: https://buff.ly/JoUnigE

03/04/2026

When you’re supporting someone, it’s easy for your own needs to slip down the list. Feeling connected to others who understand can ease stress, reduce isolation and help you feel more confident in your caring role.

Even small connections matter like talking to a friend, another carer or a support group. Reaching out isn’t just about help, it’s about being seen, heard, and valued too. You don’t need a big network just a few trusted people who get it.

The April newsletter from Arafmi has resources to help you map your support, release some of the mental load, and connect with those who truly understand. Read the newsletter here: https://buff.ly/8xZQkUK

To explore your support network, try this worksheet: https://buff.ly/zRg4k7Z

You may have more support than you think.

02/04/2026

Public holidays can feel different when you’re a carer. While many services pause, caring doesn’t. This time of year can be especially challenging, with fewer supports available for the people you care for.

The Arafmi Carer Support Line is available for you, including public holidays. You don’t have to navigate it alone.

📞 1300 554 660

02/04/2026

Meet Farina, Sue and Sasha, Arafmi’s Policy and Advocacy Team.

They want to hear from families and carers across Queensland who have experience supporting someone through the mental health system and/or the NDIS.

If you support someone experiencing mental health challenges or psychosocial disability, your voice matters.

🗓 Interviews will take place in April or May
💻 Online or in person
💬 You’ll be reimbursed for your time

What you share will help highlight the needs of families and carers in upcoming policy discussions.

💌 Interested? Submit your Expression of Interest to join the group here: https://buff.ly/yNN9U5m

31/03/2026

“The Caregiver’s Journey” is a free, small-group workshop to explore support, self-care and connection with others who get it. This is an opportunity to meet an Arafmi carer support team member as they connect with carers in Kingaroy and the surrounding region.

Supporting someone through mental health challenges can be a lot to carry, especially in smaller or regional communities. This is a reminder that there is support for you too.

You don’t have to share everything.
You don’t even have to say much.
Just being in a space with people who understand can make a difference.
For rural mental health carers in regional Queensland.

Registrations are a must. Please email or call to register.
Email: centacaresouthburnett@bne.centacare.net.au
Call: 07 4162 5439

Details
Where: St Mary’s Parish Hall, 15 Albert Street, Kingaroy
When: 7 April 2026

30/03/2026

A new survey from Queenslanders with Disability Network in partnership with Griffith University, are inviting family members, carers and supporters of people with disability to share their experiences. Not just the challenges, but what’s helping, what’s missing and what needs to change.

Your voice will directly inform future policies, services and supports across Queensland, helping build a more inclusive and responsive system for everyone.

If you’ve ever thought, “someone should know this”… this is that moment.

Share your experience via the survey below.

About this surveyThis survey has three main parts. Because the survey is about you, the number of questions may change as you go through it. There are 45 questions in the main part of the survey at a maximum.There are 30-31 questions about your life. These are quick questions where you click a butto...

26/03/2026

What happens when a whole team comes together with a shared purpose?
Two days of connection, reflection and fresh ideas 💭

We’ve just spent two days together as a whole Arafmi team, sharing ideas, learning what drives each of us, and how we can work better together to support mental health carers.

From strengthening how we collaborate across teams and regions, to improving support for carers in regional and remote Queensland, these conversations matter.

And in between it all, lawn bowls, laughs, and putting faces to some newer names.
We’re leaving feeling energised, inspired, and focused on what comes next.💚

23/03/2026

Carers, looking for a role where your lived experience matters?

Anglicare Central Queensland is recruiting a Peer Worker – Carer Support in Rockhampton.

If you’ve supported someone through a suicidal crisis or post su***de attempt, your insight could help others feel less alone.

📌 Certificate IV in mental health or a peer-related field required
🔗 See the full role and apply: https://buff.ly/uoE3SWG

Know someone this could suit? Share it with them 💬

20/03/2026

From family recipes to Aussie classics: Arafmi’s Harmony Week lunch 🌏

To celebrate the diverse cultures that make our workplace so special, staff brought along dishes to share, from cultural favourites to family recipes 🍽️

Jonathan’s family dish, Patcheri (also spelt Paceri and Pajeri), was a hit, and he shared stories of his grandmother and the big family gatherings filled with her “eye-watering, nose-sniffling curries” that always had everyone going back for seconds. 🌶️

Somewhere between the food and the stories, the conversation drifted to Aussie classics, Crocodile Dundee, The Castle and Muriel’s Wedding, including which ones people never quite made it through, and which ones they love 🎬

A relaxed lunch, good food and great company, celebrating what makes our community unique 💛

19/03/2026

❗Support and updates for carers ahead of Cyclone Narelle ⛈️

If you need up-to-date information, these trusted sites can help:
• Disaster QLD latest alerts and updates: https://buff.ly/5diPq5L
• BOM warnings and alerts: https://buff.ly/EPEossZ
• Get Ready QLD alerts: https://buff.ly/GF7OzTt
• What to do during a disaster: https://buff.ly/pFjcCnV
• Find your local council updates: https://buff.ly/XyOjcvE

Helpful reminders from Get Ready Queensland:
• Follow instructions from emergency services
• Keep checking official warnings
• Have your emergency plan and kit ready
• If it’s safe to do so, fuel your car and park on higher ground
• Check in with family, friends and neighbours
• Take slow breaths and stay grounded where you can

When there’s a lot of information coming in, it can help to focus on small, steady actions. Writing down key contacts, keeping comfort items nearby, and talking through a simple plan with the person you support can help ease anxiety if routines are disrupted.

We also have a Disaster Support Resource for mental health carers you can access anytime. It includes:
• Key contacts
• Simple preparation steps
• Support after an event

Access it here: https://buff.ly/tUgmAZl

Need support? Our 24/7 Carer Support Line is here for carers across Queensland:
📞 1300 554 660 | Regional QLD: 1800 351 881

You’re not alone.

19/03/2026

Behind many young people experiencing mental health challenges is a carer doing their best to support them 💚

We recently attended the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference (16–18 March), where this was front of mind, joining others working across youth mental health to better support children, young people and the people around them.

What stood out most was the focus on early support, collaboration and listening to Lived Experience — not just as ideas, but as things we need to get right.

We left feeling encouraged to see so many people working to strengthen support for children and young people’s mental health.

Photo 1 (L to R): Holly Hoskisson (Arafmi) and De Backman-Hoyle (Mental Health Carers Australia)
Photo 2 (L to R): De Backman-Hoyle, Alex Tyson (Arafmi) and Associate Professor Marianne Wyder (Metro South Health)
Photo 3: Sasha Ong (Arafmi) and Associate Professor Marianne Wyder
Photo 4 (L to R): De Backman-Hoyle, Associate Professor Michelle Lim (Ending Loneliness Together), Benjamin Pook (yourtown Australia), Alex Tyson and Associate Professor Marianne Wyder

Address

6 Ambleside Street, West End
Brisbane, QLD
4101

Website

http://www.arafmi.com.au/

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Help for You - Rosemary Brown

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Our Story

In 1976, a young social worker on his final placement at the Stones Corner Community Mental Health Service, (then the only such service in Queensland) recognised a need among the families of his clients for a ‘relatives’ discussion group’. Such a group would enable families to meet and share their experiences as carers of family members with a serious mental illness. The group initially commenced with five people who discovered, many for the first time, that they were not alone. They began the fragile process of hearing each other’s stories and working through the pain together, with both tears and laughter.

From these beginnings Arafmi built a model which mutually supports people in one of the most primary roles of humanity – caring for people more vulnerable than ourselves and the ones we love. Arafmi built a model of service which both created and shared knowledge about how to understand who we are, the roles we fulfil and how to take action in the world. From these humble beginnings, Arafmi took action in the world!