Compassionate Communities Australia Blog
Read the latest updates, ideas, partnerships and reflections from Compassionate Communities Australia as we continue strengthening community-led approaches to caring, ageing, serious illness, dying and grief across Australia.
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In Our Blog
Our blog is where we share what’s happening across Compassionate Communities Australia. From new partnerships, programs and community projects to Resource Hub developments, organisational updates and national initiatives, it’s the place to keep up with our latest work and the ideas helping strengthen compassionate communities across Australia.
As new opportunities, collaborations and initiatives emerge, we’ll continue to share stories, updates and reflections that support our vision of communities where everyone feels cared for, connected and included.
The Best (& Cheapest) Thing We Refuse To Buy
What happens when communities are supported to become part of the care network around people living with advanced illness, caring or grieving? In this article, Adam Woods explores the evidence behind compassionate communities, from the pioneering work in Frome in the...
The Compassionate Connectors Program: Community Supporting Community
The Compassionate Connectors Program is a volunteer-led initiative designed to strengthen the social networks of people living with chronic or life-limiting illness and their families. Developed and evaluated in the South West of Western Australia between 2019 and...
Welcome Sam Brayley
We are delighted to welcome Sam Brayley as Board Secretary of Compassionate Communities Australia.Sam brings a rare and powerful combination of organisational expertise and clinical insight to our work. As an owner/director of Mawson Consulting, Sam has spent two...
Welcome Jess Watkins
We are delighted to welcome Jess Watkins as our new Resource Hub Manager at Compassionate Communities Australia.Jess brings over 20 years of community sector leadership, advocacy, and systems development experience - including building and managing online resource...
Public Health Model of Bereavement Support 14 Years On: Use, Misuse, and Opportunities
This online presentation and panel discussion revisits the Public Health Model of Bereavement Support, first introduced in 2012, and reflects on how it has been interpreted, applied, and evolved over the past 14 years. The session explores how the model has been...
Demystifying Compassionate Communities
Have you ever wondered what Compassionate Communities is all about, what it's not, and why they matter? In this newly published editorial, authors Dr Yong Hao Ng and Professor Samar Aoun AM clarify the essence of the Compassionate Communities approach and address...
Compassionate Communities Australia National Forum 2025 Highlights
Two weeks on and the Momentum is Still Growing! On September 9, more than 160 leaders from local government, health services, workplaces, and community groups came together at The Edge, State Library of Queensland for the Compassionate Communities Australia 2025...
Communities step up where systems fall short
Communities step up where systems fall short: calling for a Compassionate Communities Approach to ageing, dying and grieving. Communities carry the greatest responsibility of care — providing 95% of the support for people who are caring, dying, and grieving. Research...
Rethinking end-of-life care
Palliative care is a basic human right according to the World Health Organisation. But is it accessible to everyone, everywhere or is this still an aspiration? Reflecting on the latest consumer survey on palliative care in Western Australia, the significant ongoing...
Dying patients need to be cared about, not just cared for
The 2024 report of the aged care taskforce (Australian Government, 2024) highlighted that the aggregate demand for residential aged care will continue to grow and has called for an aged care system that is sustainable, facilitates greater innovation in the sector and...
CCAus Forum Media Alert
MEDIA ALERT Compassionate Communities Australia 2025 Forum Working together to shape the future of compassionate communities Date: 9th September 2025 - 8:30am - State Library Queensland. Thought leaders and community advocates will speak at this year’s Compassionate...
Compassionate Communities – Practice resources
Wanting to start or grow a Compassionate Community where you live? Here are some guides and toolkits from around the world to help you. Compassionate Bunbury Charter and Toolkit | South West Compassionate Communities Network | 2022 This is an example of a...
Compassionate Communities Conversations #3
In our second Compassionate Communities conversation it was a pleasure to talk with Dr Aditi Sethi who is a hospice and palliative care physician, end-of-life doula, and American Folk and Traditional Indian musician. Featured in the documentary “The Last Ecstatic...
Conversations, films and more!
Compassionate Communities Conversations #2 CCAus had a great start to our Conversation series with the team from Hummingbird House (paediatric hospice in Queensland) who spoke of their commitment to Compassionate Communities practice in creating communities of care....
Compassionate Communities Conversations get underway
Compassionate Communities are everyone’s business, that’s me, you, all individuals, families, peers, neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools, health services, government, faith based, voluntary and other organisations and services. Each month the CCAus team will be having...
Launch of Compassionate Communities Australia
Compassionate Communities Australia: Uniting hearts and minds to weave connection and compassion across Australia’s communities.
Building social connectedness; networks of care and support
Being socially connected improves the quality of our lives and being surrounded by people we care about improves our end-of-life journey. Here are some programs that help us to grow and mobilise our personal networks of care and support. Compassionate Connector...
Talking about death
These projects provide opportunities to have a conversation about caring, dying and grieving. Dying to Know Day (August 8) A grassroots campaign that anyone can get involved in to build local connections and conversations in place (communities, health services and...
Caring for others
At times we will be the carer, at times we will be the one being cared for. Sometimes we need to reach out to care for the carer. Weavers offers 1-1 peer support for Carers from someone who has been a Carer. Carers Australia represents Australia’s unpaid...
Planning ahead
Planning ahead involves planning ahead as we age, become a carer, deal with our own death including our bodies and assets (including digital assets). Advance Care Planning is a process to help you plan your medical care in advance so if you become too unwell to make...
Caring for Someone at Home
As many as 70% of Australians want to die at home and yet comparatively few achieve that. However, when services such as community palliative care and a person’s personal support network work together the likelihood of being able to stay at home before and after death...
Grief and bereavement
Grief Australia provides evidence-informed grief counselling and education services across Australia. Good Death Impact Network aims to create change and improve outcomes for everyone when someone dies. Learning through Loss provides free training for professionals or...
Ecological death care
There is considerable interest in more environmentally friendly options at all stages of the death journey. Here are some groups leading the way. Natural Death Advocacy Network (NDAN) NDAN provides individuals, families and communities with professional, creative and...
Research
The body of research showing the benefits of Compassionate Communities is growing. Here are some useful published papers and commentaries. Compassionate Communities The role and contribution of Compassionate Communities | 2023 Supporting the dying a community...
Compassionate Communities Australia is the national organisation building community capability through advocacy, practical resources, partnerships and community-led action.
