Are you interested in developing a career in Home and Community Care? Ballina Region Community College is offering you an opportunity to build on your Certificate III in Aged Care and gain another qualification. Enrol now in our CHC30312 CERTIFICATE III IN HOME AND COMMUNITY CARE  (Bridging Course).

The Family Centre run a lot of different types of parenting courses to suit the different ages and stages of children and teens in your family. 123 Magic - Emotional Coaching and 123 Magic - Emotional Coaching start soon!

A one day workshop ‘The Power of Compassion’ will be held in Lismore on July 5 for Health & Community Sectors, co-sponsored by Lismore City Council. Compassion? Why come to this workshop...Do you find yourself frequently stressed at work? Are you quick to find fault with yourself and criticize yourself harshly?

Lismore women and children’s refuge and Lismore women’s resource centre present a 7-week women’s domestic violence support group for women exploring safety, beginning May 14 in Lismore.

Free Advanced Facebook marketing and Introduction to cloud computing webinars will be offered in May by Connecting Up.

You are invited to attend Disability Awareness and Access Training Sessions at Lennox Head Community Centre on 29-30 May. Disability Awareness training is useful for people working at any level of an arts organisation, or in arts policy or practice.  It provides a practical understanding of disability in an arts context with information and skills relevant to all venues and types of work including festivals and public events. RSVP is essential.

Do you work for a non-government organisation and want to know more about Parliamentary Inquiries, so that you can take part and influence policy? Do you want to build your skills in writing submissions or appearing as a witness? NCOSS and the NSW Legislative Council are jointly running a workshop on Parliamentary Inquiries: How to Have your Say and Maximise your Influence  on 4 June 2013 in Sydney and all are invited.

Would you like to give your clients high-quality quit  smoking support? Then register for a FREE one-day training course. This Smoking Care Intervention Training Workshop will be held on Monday the 24th of June 2013. RSVP by June 12.

Learn how to minimise frustrations and diffuse anger in a workshop by Ken Warren called "Defusing Explosive Situations: Responding Well to Demanding Behaviour." This workshop for frontline staff will be held in Lismore from 9am to 3pm, Friday 7th June, 2013.

The School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University invites health professionals to an upcoming continuing professional development (CPD) event: Standard Mental Health First Aid - A Professional Development Workshop for Health Professionals in Lismore and the Gold Coast during May.

Come to a free 'Young people & the law' workshop on June 12 in Tweed Heads from 12.30- 3.30pm. This workshopby Legalaid will cover the functions of the Children’s Court (criminal jurisdiction) including sentencing and diversionary options. Registration is essential.

In mid-March this year the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the 2011 Causes of Death in Australia report. That report indicated that there were 2272 deaths by suicide in 2011, starkly illuminating the need for focussed and accessible suicide prevention services in our community.

ACE Community Colleges have developed one day workshops to provide skills needed to be more effective in the workplace. They are running Negotiation Skills on 28 May 2013 and Building Business Integrity on 2 July in Lismore.

A free workshop on Young People & The Law is being held on Wednesday 12 June 12.30pm - 3.30pm at Twin Towns Clubs & Resorts, Wharf & Boundary Streets, Tweed Heads. The workshop will cover the functions of the Children’s Court (criminal jurisdiction) including sentencing and diversionary options.

NRSDC's Introduction to LGBTI Inclusive Aged Care Practice course will be held on Tuesday morning 21st May, 2013, 9:30-11:30am at Crowley Education and Meeting Centre, 154 Cherry St Ballina.

NRSDC's Managing Staff Conflict course will be held on Wednesday 22nd May, 9am – 4:30pm, at YWCA, 101A Rous Road, Goonellabah. Managing Staff Conflict is a one-day training aimed at developing skills in managing conflict between staff before it has reached a grievance procedure process.

NRSDC's Aboriginal Cross Cultural Training course will be held on Thursday 23rd May, 2013, 9.00am – 4.00pm, at YWCA, 101a Rous Road, Goonellabah.

NRSDC's Motivational Interventions course will be held over 2 days on Tues 28th and Weds 29th May, at Ballina RSL, 240 River St, Ballina.

Interrelate is running a program called Partners in Depression, focussing on providing support and education for carers, friends and family of someone experiencing depression. The course will be over 6 Tuesdays, starting June 4, at Interrelate in 5 Market St, Lismore.

NRSDC's New Directions in Leadership course will be held over 2 days on Weds 29th and 30th May, at House With No Steps, 253 Wardell Rd, Alstonville.

The FNC Family Services Alliance is conducting is bi-annual training conference at the Gateway Hotel in Lismore on the 29 May. There are a limited number of spaces available in the youth program RAGE. These places are offered at the very cheap price of $200 (incl GST) for anyone who is interested. Price includes morning tea , lunch and afternoon tea and a certificate will be provided to attendees.

The School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, is running a continuing professional development (CPD) event: Initiating a RAPID RESPONSE - A Professional Development Workshop for Health Professionals. The workshop will be held in Lismore on Wednesday, June 12, or the Gold Coast on Thursday, June 13.

The Australian Housing Institute is running an Understanding Anti-Social Behaviour workshop on Tuesday, 11 June, in Sydney.

NRSDC is running a free course for people caring for someone with dementia, on Tuesday 14th May at House With No Steps, 253 Wardell Rd, Alstonville.

Communities for Children’s YWCA NSW program is offering a free 6-week pre-vocational course for parents affected by the changes to Parenting Payment and looking for work. The course will be held in Goonellabah, starting 20th May on Mondays from 9.30 - 1.30pm.

The Family Centre's Tweed Shire Parenting Course Calendar for term 2 is available now.

Kyogle kids are set to Go4Fun when an internationally-recognised healthy living program comes to town at the end of April. Go4Fun is a free program for kids to become fitter, healthier, and happier. The program is fun and interactive and supports 7 to 13 year-old children and their families to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

This course will be held over 2 days on Thurs 30th and Fri 31st May, 2013, 9:30am – 4.30pm at YWCA 101A Rous Road, Goonellabah. This workshop will explore ways to engage with young people by doing something a little different, something less likely and less expected, something which is both interesting and relevant.

NRSDC's Wellbeing in the Workplace: Dealing with Vicarious Trauma and Burnout will be held over 2 days on Weds 29th and 30th May, at Murwillumbah Golf Club, 233 Byangum Rd, Murwillumbah.

An internationally recognised course in Standard Mental Health First Aid is being run by Southern Cross University on the Gold Coast (May 27–28) and in Lismore (May 30–31). It addresses Depression, Anxiety, Psychosis and Substance Misuse and is relevant to a broad range of professionals.

SAFE in Oz in partnership with Northern Rivers Kids Counselling will be presenting ‘An Introduction To Working With Individuals Who Have Self-Destructive Behaviour’, a 2-day workshop in Lennox Head – 5th & 6th September 2013.

The NSW Ombudsman provides a range of affordable, practical training workshops for community and disability service providers, government agencies and organisations from other sectors.

Lismore Neighbourhood Centre and the Community Visitors Scheme present Conversations on Grief & Loss - an inspiring day’s workshop on Friday 31st May in Lismore.

If you work with young children / adolescents / adults considered at risk then these training options may be of interest .... The DRUMBEAT 3 DAY WORKSHOP  is an evidence-based early intervention program that builds confidence and resilience through rhythm to engage young children, adolescents and adults who are anxious or resistant to 'talk based' therapies. The ROCK AND WATER WORKSHOP involves an early intervention program with specialised training options, implemented in services and schools across Australia as an anti-bullying program.

Some new training and events are on offer at Mid Coast Communities, including a forum called Let's Hook Up in Port Macquarie – a FREE forum for Mid North Coast services and agencies who work with young people and/or families on March 20.

North Coast Institute of TAFE has started a L Driver course and developed a schedule of offerings/locations in Casino, Lismore and Ballina. Run in partnership with Roads and Maritime Services, participants of the program can complete their Ls test at no cost.

Training for professionals in facilitating the Bringing Up Great Kids Parenting Program is being held on 27 May 2013 at Lismore Workers Club, 231 Keen St Lismore.

Northern Rivers Social Development Council is holding training in Effective Documentation in a Community Services Setting on Thursday 14th March in Alstonville.

On Track Community Programs are presenting four 2-hour "Living on the Line"  information sessions (one per month over four months). The sessions aim to provide survival tips and assist people living on a low income.

Red Thread Stories are running three training workshops this year between March and September: "Listening in Purpose”, “Hosting and Engagement” and  “Wellness at Work'.

Don't forget to take a look at the Northern Rivers Social Development Council's Training Calendar for 2013.

 Legal Aid NSW provides free workshops for staff, volunteers and board/committee members of NSW community organisations as part of their Law for Community Sector Workers program. Two workshops wil be held in the Northern Rivers during 2013.

 A schedule of training for the Northern NSW region in February-June 2013 has just been released by the Department of Family and Community Services. To attend these FREE courses, all staff must work for a Community Services funded program within their service.

The Family Support Network calendar for term 1, 2013 is now available.