What is the St John Community Care Circle of Friends Program?
Circle of Friends program enables older members of the community and younger people living with disabilities to further create ways to continue to experience a sense of meaning, purpose and enjoyment in life. 

The program provides
■   personalised service which utilises assessment to discover and develop plans (goals) which further enable participants to connect with thier local community in a way which is personally meaningful to them
■   provide social support to older members of the community and younger people living with a disability who have little or no support

Volunteers
On joining the Program, Community Care Volunteers will be asked to:
■   complete an application form
■   provide details of two referees
■   undertake a Police clearance
■   attend an interview with the program coordinator

 Community Participants
■   agree to engage with a client (within their premises)
■   accept liability for clients who are undertaking activities within thier premises
■   provide information relevant to clients engaging in thier activity/s
■   provide information to St John in regards to the activitiy/s undertaken by the client

Clients
On joining the Program, Community Care Clients will be asked to:
■   agree to be assessed for service
■   provide information about their personal goals
■   sign an agreement to participate in the program

What kind of help is available?
The St John Community Care Volunteers’ and Community Participants’ assistance may include:
■   working in partnership with the coordinator to enable a client to achieve thier short/long term goals
■   undertaking activities with a client to assist them achieve their personal goals
(Additionally, carers have peace of mind knowing that their loved one is being supported by a caring volunteer or community participants’ while they take a few hours to have a break.)

How is the Program funded?
The St John Community Care Circle of Friends Program is funded both by Home and Community Care (HACC) and St John Ambulance Australia SA Inc. HACC is a joint Commonwealth and State/Territory Program providing funding and assistance for Australians in need.

Is there a cost involved to participate in the program?
Help available through the St John Community Care Program is free of charge to the Client.

Download the Circle of Friends brochure here

Download the Circle of Friends Information Guide English Version here / Italian Version here