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The Royal Commission will provide counselling and support for survivors engaging with the Inquiry.
We encourage all survivors to talk with our Contact and Support Team about how we can best meet your needs.
You can ask for support at any stage of your engagement with us. We can provide support before, during and after a private session. We can also provide support if you are a witness in a public hearing.
You can ask for wellbeing support at any time.
The earlier you can talk with us about your needs, the more time we will have to ensure the most suitable support is put in place for you.
Support is provided by registered (or equivalent) mental health professionals or approved providers.
Counselling and support can be provided by someone you are already working with, Royal Commission Wellbeing advisors or external providers.
We will work with you to put together a ‘package of care’ to suit your needs and values.
This could include paying for support you already have, or arranging additional support.
You can access short-term support at different times depending on when you engage with us.
While the Inquiry cannot provide long-term support, we can refer you to other providers, such as ACC or community providers, to receive long-term support.
Short-term support (approximately 4-6 counselling sessions) for survivors will be paid for by the Inquiry.
If you are participating in a private session, a support co-ordinator from the Royal Commission will contact you to organise the details. You will also be sent an information pack outlining the purpose of the sessions and what to expect on the day.
You can bring a support person (or people) with you to your private session. These people will need to agree to keep anything they hear in the session confidential.
A wellness professional will be available for you to speak to before and after the private session. Additional counselling and other support will also be available if needed.
People in prison will be offered similar support options to people who are not in prison.
This may include face-to-face or telephone counselling, connections to mental health and wellbeing services. We can also connect people in prisons with advocacy and support services that run within the prisons.
