ABOUT BLUE HOPE
Blue HOPE (Helping Out Police Everywhere) is a not for profit organisation and registered Australian charity that coordinates mental health support services for current and former Australian police officers and their families.
Blue HOPE was established with the aim of providing an independent, confidential source of support for current and former police officers from around Australia. As veteran police officers themselves, the Directors were familiar with the lack of support and negative stigma experienced by current police officers dealing with mental health issues. In many cases, police experiencing mental health problems are reluctant to turn to internal support mechanisms out of fear of being bullied, marginalised and in many cases managed out of the police service.
Police officers leave the service due to regular retirement, medical condition or to pursue another career. Many of these men and women experience significant distress and often experience the delayed onset of a range of problems arising from their police service. In the absence of any post career support, many are left struggling to find purpose, suffering from severe mental health issues including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), addiction, family breakdown, financial problems and loneliness.
Blue HOPE commenced public operations by virtue of a Facebook page and experienced immediate traction. On the day the page became active, the Directors directly prevented a former police officer from taking his own life in Queensland. By February 2015, we had assisted 50 clients. We became a registered Australian Charity in July 2015 and by September 2017 we had proudly assisted our 500th client. Currently we service clients purely through the volunteer efforts of a small group of current and former police officers in every state of Australia and the demand for our services increases daily.
Blue HOPE is like no other organisation. As former serving police officers ourselves, we know that police are often reluctant to turn to internal supports for a variety of reasons. We are also aware of the challenges that men and women face after they leave the police service.
Our Aims
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To improve mental health support systems for current and former police officers throughout Australia.
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To educate the police community about career-related mental health issues and raise community awareness regarding mental health problems faced by police officers.
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To improve mental health outcomes for police officers by providing an anonymous and independent alternative to existing support systems.
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To provide active support for current and former Police Officers and their families who are suffering because of physical illness, mental illness or addiction.
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To reduce the number of suicides of current and former police officers and minimise the effects of suicide on serving and former police officers, their families, friends and the general community.
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To facilitate scientific research aimed at quantifying and reducing the prevalence of suicide among current and former police officers.
All donations received by Blue HOPE go directly to providing and expanding our range of services which include:
24 Hour Crisis Help Line
Our 24 hours help line is available to current and former police officers and their families from all over Australia. The help line is staffed by volunteers with extensive policing experience and training in suicide prevention.
Outreach Services & Peer Support
Our peer supporters (known as Backup Buddies) visit clients (all around Australia) to provide support and counselling but most importantly they exist to provide a friendly face and listening ear to those who are struggling. All of our volunteers are former police officers with extensive experience.
Recovery Services
Clients in need of mental health treatment are immediately referred to an external means of qualified psychological support. These services include psychologists, psychiatrists, acute care facilities and treatment centres. Once referred, we case manage the client to ensure that they are keeping appointments and maintain contact to monitor their wellbeing.
Legal Services
Where a client needs legal assistance, we refer them to legal firms experienced in handling police related issues. These referrals are generally related to worker’s compensation, workplace bullying and unfair dismissal.
Vocational Support
These services are made available to police who have left or are anticipating departure from the police services. Through arrangements with external providers, we arrange for the client’s current qualifications to be assessed and converted to commercially relevant qualifications via recognition of prior learning. Clients are then referred to recruitment services with the aim of assisting them with career placement. We are also fortunate to have a number of employers who are willing to assist by providing casual employment to former police officers who are struggling financially.
So as you can see, we are busy and we are growing. Our growth is made easier by your donation so thank you for considering us. Please donate in the knowledge that every dollar we receive goes directly to helping a police officer in need.