In this Sector Update, find:

• The CEO blog, from Melanie Poole
• Sector News
• Upcoming events
• Grants, community resources, and other opportunities

Our next Sector Update will be in the New Year. Let us know if you have anything you'd like us to include by replying to this email.

This is my last sector update before I go on parental leave, as well as our last update before the end of the year. In my absence, I am pleased to be able to leave a fantastic team of people covering core MHCC functions. Jane Brownbill will continue to head up our Operations. Vicky Choice and Rahni Orr Deas will be the main contacts for matters related to events, engagement, and partnerships, while Erin Stewart will handle matters related to policy, advocacy, media, and communications. The core team will be ably advised on policy matters by Outcomes Development Specialist Sebastian Rosenberg, who will lead our commissioning work. I also thank our wonderful board, particularly our Chair, Yvonne Luxford, who will be actively supporting the team. 

There are many exciting developments on the horizon for the team next year.  Our pre-budget submission will advocate for funding and developments for our sector, as well as for our priority areas, developed from extensive consultation with members, including the intersections of climate change and mental health, justice and mental health,  perinatal mental health and loneliness. 

Relating to mental health and climate change, we’re pleased to see international advocacy on the connections between these issues. To coincide with COP28, the World Health Organization – together with the global health community – has emphasised the vital link between health and climate change. WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom says that “Prioritising health is not just a choice; it is the foundation of resilient societies.” Among the health threats posed by climate change, they highlight the mental health impacts associated with trauma and grief resulting from climate-related hazards. Nine countries have included mental health in their national climate change plans, and we hope that both Australia and the ACT will follow. 

We are planning to make a powerful submission to the Inquiry on Loneliness and Social Isolation, and will encourage members to do likewise. This Inquiry is an exciting opportunity for our sector to highlight areas for policy reform and contribute to decision about the policies and programs available in the ACT to foster greater community connection and mental health. 

Have a great holiday season. Make sure to have time to rest and unwind, and to spend time with loved ones. We will be shut down between 23 December and 2 January, and the team is looking forward to continuing their work with you into the New Year. 

- Melanie Poole, CEO MHCC ACT

In the news

What are young Australians most worried about? Finding affordable housing, they told us | The Conversation

Want to help those in need? Here’s how to pay it forward this holiday season | HerCanberra

Social Bean 'missing puzzle piece' for Daydream Machine | Canberra Daily

Seven in 10 women with disability felt uncomfortable accessing support for domestic violence | Disability Support Guide

Why 'just getting a job' isn't always so simple when you're on Centrelink payments | ABC News

People with disability more vulnerable to climate change | Law Society Journal

Here’s a critical opportunity to align the stars for meaningful national mental health reform | Croakey

The 'fourth trimester' can be a hard time for mothers. Social media can help — but can also make things worse | ABC News

'An explosion of colour': Inside Canberra's biggest Vinnies in Braddon | The Canberra Times

Resilience needs more than an app, it takes leadership and teamwork | Riotact

Seeking participants

Annual NDIS Conference 2024 Topic & Speaker Nominations

This is your chance to tell the NDIS Conference what matters the most to you right now. You can pitch session ideas, and nominate the talented speakers and artists you think will knock people’s socks off.

Submissions close 15 December 

MHFA for Health Professional Students - Professional Perspectives Film EOI

Mental Health First Aid Australia is developing a version of the Standard Mental Health First Aid for Tertiary Students course that will be adapted for health professional students. The course - Standard Mental Health First Aid for Health Professional Students will equip health professional students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to recognise, understand and response to a student or another adult experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis. It will not extend to patient care. As part of this contextualisation, Mental Health First Aid Australia is developing a Professionals Perspective Film that will be used in the course. The purpose of the Professionals Perspective Film is to enhance participant learning about mental health in health professional students and provide an opportunity to explore course content through the lens of an expert. We are seeking Expressions of Interest from health professionals (from the medical, nursing and midwifery, or allied health disciplines) to participant in the Film. Payment: People appearing in the film will receive a gratitude of $500 in appreciation of their time and willingness to share their knowledge and expertise on camera.

Feedback on the principles and priorities of a Blueprint for Australia’s not-for-profit (NFP) sector. 

In October 2022, the Australian Government tasked the Community Services Advisory Group (CSAG) to develop a Not-for-Profit Sector Development Blueprint (NFP Blueprint). In December 2022, CSAG established the Blueprint Expert Reference Group (BERG). BERG comprises 9 representatives from the Community Services Sector. The BERG is leading the work to develop a fully consulted Blueprint to deliver advice to Government charting out a better future for the Australian not-for-profit (NFP) and charities sector. The Blueprint will be used to develop a suite of sector-led workable and effective options for reform to strengthen social capital and a vibrant sector.

The purpose of the consultation is to invite your feedback on the principles and priorities of a Blueprint for Australia’s not-for-profit (NFP) sector. The NFP Sector Development Blueprint Issues Paper (NFP Blueprint Issues Paper) forms the basis of this consultation.

The Issues Paper and 2 page Summary Vision document include a number of discussion questions to guide (but not limit) your feedback. You can share your views by addressing some or all of the questions outlined in the Issues Paper, or you may choose to provide us with your feedback and thoughts without responding to any particular question.

Submissions close 20 December 

Australian Mental Health Promotion Practitioner Competency Framework

Mental health promotion is a specialist field of endeavour that focuses on three outcomes:

• Promoting mental wellbeing.
• Preventing the onset of mental health conditions.
• Enhancing mental health literacy to promote self-care, and help-giving and help-seeking for mental ill-health, and suicidal ideation.

While the field has existed for some time, it has not always received the attention it deserves. Prevention United is keen to change this, and encourage more people to work in mental health promotion. We believe that having a Competency Framework is one way to achieve this. To ensure that the Competency Framework accurately captures the core knowledge and skills required to be an effective mental health promotion practitioner, we would like people already working in mental health promotion or related fields like health promotion and public health to provide their feedback on a Consultation Draft we have developed.

MHCC ACT Events and Training 

Alcohol Brief Intervention training for community sector workers

Half day Alcohol Brief Intervention Training being conducted online via Zoom by the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT (ATODA) in partnership with the Mental Health Community Coalition of the ACT, Youth Coalition of the ACT and ACT Shelter to address harmful alcohol use in the ACT. This training is designed for staff who work with clients who may be using alcohol in a risky manner and would like to learn more about delivering a brief intervention using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). 

Upcoming events

Training and workshops 

• Mental Health First Aid - standard 2-day course 20 February 2024, CIT Bruce

• Lifeline Canberra - Dealing with People in Difficult Situations 30 January

• Lifeline Canberra - Accidental Counsellor, Canberra, Multiple dates 

Conferences and forums  

• 15th Annual Professional Conference Organisers Association Conference & Exhibition 2023 10-12 December, Adelaide

• NDS Executive Leaders Conference 2023 Melbourne, 11-12 December

• 2024 Frontline Mental Health Conference Gold Coast, 4-5 March.

• Elsie Conference: Celebrating 50 years of women's refuges in Australia Sydney, 15 - 16 March 

• 2024 Child & Adolescent Mental Health Conference 18-20 March, Gold Coast

• Perspectives 2024, Online, 19 - 20 March

• Annual Mental Health Services Forum 9 - 10 March, Sydney 

• AddictionZ 2024, Breaking the Barriers Conference 29 April - 1 May, Gold Coast

• National Suicide Prevention Conference 2024 30 April - 2 May

• MHomentum 2024 22-24 May, Gold Coast

• 34th Annual Mental Health Services Conference, 27 - 30 August, Canberra 

• 17th National Rural Health Conference, Perth, 16-18 September 2024. (Save the date, link to come)

Other 

• Belco Arts - DISCRIMINATE Exhibition Until 11 February.

Audrey Fagan Board Traineeship

The Board Traineeship Program aims to support women to develop the skills and expertise in order to increase their participation in decision-making and leadership roles. The Board Traineeship Program will commence in February 2024 and will run over 5 months. The program is free to all participants. Preference will be given to women from diverse backgrounds, women who have been out of the workforce for an extended period, women who are seeking to get into leadership positions and women who work in male-dominated fields. Applications close 14 December.

Editorial policy
Opinions expressed in articles included in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the policy position of MHCC ACT. Information included in this newsletter is for general information purposes only and should not be seen as an endorsement of any particular service.

Our mailing address
Lvl 1, 20 Genge St, Canberra City, ACT 2601

Acknowledgement of Country
MHCC ACT acknowledges all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Custodians and Country and recognises their continuing connection to land, sea, culture and community. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.