At a glance

​There are several ways to find out about services to assist someone to access support and recreation services.

Community resource directories

There are community resource directories available online, which provide information about support and recreation services with searches by service type and/or location. Not all directories have all services so it can be worth searching a couple to make sure you find all the available options. 

Local council community directories

Most local councils have online community directories about local support and recreation services, and are often very comprehensive

Neighbourhood centres

Neighbourhood centres provide activities for local people to get together and access a range of community services. 
  

Sports and hobby directories

There are online directories to help you find sporting and hobby associations. These associations may be able to assist you find a local sporting or hobby club.
 

Reception areas

It is amazing the number of community brochures there are in reception areas of all sorts of services, including Centrelink. If you see some brochures, it is worth checking them out, as there may be something you hadn’t thought of that could be really useful.
 
Asking other people about support and recreation services they know of is not only a good way to find out about a service, but you will also get more details about whether it might be suitable. Participating in networking meetings is always a good way to learn about services and to develop connections with other organisations.
 

Resources

Way Ahead Directory
This online search directory is for NSW services for people with a mental health condition. You can search the directory for support and recreation services by keywords or service type.
Type: Web page
Produced by: Mental Health Association NSW

Infoxchange Service Seeker
This web page provides an online service directory which can be searched by service name, keywords, suburb or postcode.
Type: Web page
Produced by: Infoxchange

My Community Directory
This web page provides an online service directory that can be searched by category, organisation or keyword.
Type: Web page
Produced by: My Community Directory

Find My Council
This site provides a council finder where you put in an address and it will tell you the local council.

NSW Council links
Or if you already know the council name, here are the links to their websites.
Type: Web page
Produced by: NSW Office of Local Government

Find a centre (Neighbourhood Centre)
This site provides a search based on postcode to find local Community Centres. It will then show the centres near the postcode, with hyperlinks to their web pages.
Type: Web page
Produced by: Local Community Services Association

NSW Government services
If you are looking for government services rather than community services, this web page is a good place to start.
Type: Web page
Produced by: NSW Government

Find a sport
A list of sports with links to the NSW associations that run them.
Type: Web page
Produced by: NSW Office of Sport

Australian Sports Directory
The Australian Sports Directory contains contact details of national sporting organisations for people with disability.
Type: Web page
Produced by: Australian Sports Commission

Find a Shed (Men’s Shed)
Use the Shed Locator to find a local Men’s Shed. These Sheds provide a club for activity and information exchange and to overcome isolation.
Type: Web page
Produced by: Australian Men’s Shed Association

How to find a hobby you can actually keep up
This web page provides some tips on finding a hobby.
Type: Web page
Produced by: headspace

Current as at: Thursday 9 July 2020
Contact page owner: Mental Health