Rural Outreach Program Evaluation End of Year Report: Report of an evaluation of an outreach program in rural Victoria

The Rural Outreach Program is a Victorian rural mental health initiative, with local community- based Rural Outreach Workers responding to the immediate needs of people living in the Wimmera Southern Mallee Shires. The program aims to improve the wellbeing of community members who are struggling with tough times and to support them with navigating services. The Rural Outreach Program has been developed to increase the capacity of services working with local communities to respond to, and support, community members who are in psychological distress and may be showing early signs of mental ill health. The Program is designed to respond to the person’s need for immediate support and assist them to navigate and access services they need in a timely manner and before a crisis might occur. This evaluation assesses the effectiveness of the Rural Outreach Program and makes recommendations regarding its future development. This report presents data collected between 1 January 2019 to 31 January 2021 inclusive.