About Us

About Us

In 2019, 169,301 Australians died. On average each death leaves in its wake over 20 bereaved family members and countless friends, neighbours and colleagues. Most bereaved people, with the support of family, friends and their community, cope with this loss, however for around six percent of the bereaved, their grief is chronic and disabling. Research indicates that these individuals benefit from more specialist bereavement support.

The Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement (ACGB) is an independent, not for profit organisation which opened in January 1996. As the largest provider of grief and bereavement education in Australia, ACGB has been providing support for bereaved and grieving Australians for over 25 years.

Registered as a public benevolent institution, ACGB receives operational funding through the Palliative Care Program of the Victorian Department of Health. A copy of the Constitution for the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement can be downloaded here .

Its mission is to build the capacity of individuals, organisations and communities in order to enhance well-being following adverse life events. We know from the many hundreds of people that have participated in our programs, that these services have made a lasting difference on their lives and their experience of loss.

Values

We value and are committed to strengthening:

  1. Respect by upholding the integrity and worth of each person and valuing diversity in thoughts and beliefs;
  2. Best practice through continuous innovation, the creative exploration of solutions and quality improvement;
  3. Responsiveness in that we listen, act, evaluate and are flexible in our approach;
  4. Collaboration through building and strengthening effective and lasting partnerships with government, the research community, media and the non-government and community sectors;
  5. Development of staff and volunteer expertise and wellbeing; and
  6. Integrity and accountability in all aspects of our work, acting with honesty and transparency.

Goals

The ACGB was established to reflect the correct and updated Purposes and Objectives:

  1. To develop and provide a range of specialist interventions and innovative education services, informed by evidence based practice, for grieving people who are at risk of adverse outcomes;
  2. To provide grief education and a range of consultancy services to develop and enhance the capacity of individuals, organisations and communities to deal effectively with loss;
  3. To provide grief and bereavement counselling training and supervision through the placement of practitioners at the ACGB Counselling and Support Service and other settings as deemed appropriate;
  4. To build the capacity of the universal health services to provide bereavement supports and responses;
  5. To provide advocacy and representation on grief and bereavement issues in order to inform policy development, raise community awareness and support universalaccess to mainstream grief and bereavement services;
  6. To undertake research, program evaluation, public policy development and the production of evidence based publications and resources to enhance grief and bereavement knowledge and practice;
  7. To maintain cooperative links with relevant state, national and international groups and organisations in relation to grief and bereavement;
  8. To promote, develop and monitor competence in bereavement practice;
  9. To collect and raise funds for the promotion of the preceding purposes and objects of the ACGB;
  10. To do such things as may be incidental or conducive to the attainment of the purposes and objects set out in this constitution; and
  11. To embrace other purposes and objects as may be decided by the Board from time to time.