Welcome to the first eNews of the new year from the Western Australian Association for Mental Health (WAAMH). 2018 is shaping up to be yet another busy year and we look forward to welcoming Taryn Harvey to her new position as WAAMH CEO next week – see below to get to know a little more about her journey to leading advocacy in WA’s community mental health sector.
In this edition, you can find out about opportunities to provide your input into important advocacy activities. We also tell you a little bit more about WAAMH’s three new Board members and provide an overview of semester one training courses just released.
We look forward to keeping you up to date on the latest news from the community mental health sector in our State this year, particularly in the areas of advocacy, training and development and mental health promotion. Our annual Member Survey will soon be released, but in the meantime we welcome feedback at any time throughout the year via communications@waamh.org.au.
Mike Jones, Acting Chief Executive Officer
Western Australian Association for Mental Health

Just before the Christmas break WAAMH Board President Kerry Hawkins announced Taryn Harvey as incoming CEO, as Rod Astbury stepped down after five years at the helm.
Taryn joins us from Developmental Disability WA, where she also held the position of CEO, and has a strong track record in advocacy on social justice issues including legislative reform (the Criminal Law Mentally Impaired Accused Act) and service reform (Disability Justice Centres). She also comes with a record for working collaboratively with lived experience, other organisations and government and was a member of the Partnership Forum and the WA Reference Group for the NDIS. We hope you'll join us in welcoming Taryn when she starts her new position on 29 January.

Emma Jarvis
Board Director and Ruah Community Services
Emma has over 18 years’ experience in the non-government, Government and corporate sectors as an executive, consultant, coach and senior clinician. She is experienced with clinical and organisational development, culture change, leadership development, dispute resolution, risk management and mentoring, and has worked in executive roles in both the mental health and alcohol and other drug sectors.

Lorna MacGregor
Board Director and CEO, Lifeline WA
Lorna is an experienced executive with over 30 years' experience in management roles in both the corporate and community sectors, including HBF, Activ, healthdirect and Perth North Metro Medicare Local.

She has been Lifeline WA CEO since 2016 and is committed to a community that fosters emotional and mental wellbeing for all, while advocating for systemic change for vulnerable populations. 

Debbie Childs GAICD
Board Director and CEO, HelpingMinds
Debbie brings a wealth of experience in leadership, including extensive experience as a Board Director with both not-for-profit and commercial businesses. She also sits on several committees, and working groups, as well as being a committee member of Mental Health Carers Australia. 
With lived experience as a mental health carer, Debbie is a passionate advocate within the sector and is a regular speaker at conferences and forums.

WAAMH is currently seeking support for the ‘Reinvest Graylands’ campaign to ensure that all funds raised from the proceeds of the Graylands redevelopment are reinvested in mental health reform. We successfully launched this campaign at the WA Mental Health Conference in July 2017 and have been continuing our advocacy with Cabinet Ministers over the course of the last few months. WAAMH members should have received an email in early January inviting them to support the campaign. If you are a WAAMH member but have not received this email and would like to know more, or to support the campaign, email econnor@waamh.org.au or call Elizabeth Connor, Systemic Advocacy Officer on 6246 3034.

The WA Mental Health Commission (MHC) released a draft 'Mental Health Promotion, Mental Illness and Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Plan 2018 - 2025' recently and is seeking comment. WAAMH will be making a submission to this consultation process on behalf of our members and invites you to provide feedback to econnor@waamh.org.au by 5pm on Friday, 26 January. Alternatively, you can also make your own submission by following the links on the MHC introductory page.

In response to very significant challenges in accessing the NDIS, the NDIA has commenced work to develop a tailored pathway to improve the experiences of people with psychosocial disability during the ‘pathway’ - from their first interaction with the NDIS through to their ongoing engagement. WAAMH would like to hear from consumers, carers and providers about their experiences of:
• Learning about the NDIS
• Access requests/eligibility process
• Planning processes
• How they could be improved for those with mental health issues/psychosocial disability. Contact Chelsea on cmckinney@waamh.org.au or phone 6246 3003 before 5 February.

Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA) is a coalition of the eight state and territory peak community mental health organisations and provides a unified voice for approximately 800 community-based, non-government organisations who work with mental health consumers and carers across the nation and who are members of, or affiliated with, the various coalition members.
CMHA has released a workforce position statement, incorporating information from WAAMH and our member organisations.
It highlights concerns that the future of the community managed mental health workforce is being compromised by a range of reforms, including transitioning to the NDIS, integrating the Primary Health Networks and delivery of the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan. It also highlights the importance of the peer workforce and mental health workers in rural and remote areas.

The Mental Health Advocacy Service Annual Report, released late last year and its first report for a full 12 months since its inception, reflects on the volume and range of issues that continue to affect consumers of mental health services in WA.  In particular, it notes issues with accommodation, lack of coordination and continuity in relation to discharge, eligibility, access and equity in mental health services in the community.

Solid advocacy from national body the Australian Medical Association in its latest media release, echoing WAAMH's call for a better balance between funding for acute care and community mental health services. It states: “Community-managed mental health services have not been appropriately structured or funded since the movement towards deinstitutionalisation in the 1970s and 1980s. Significant investment is urgently needed to reduce the deficits in care, fragmentation, poor coordination and access to effective care."

A recent significant funding announcement from the Federal Government has seen a boost to mental health services for children and adolescents. This highlights the importance of WAAMH’s current Youth Service Integration Project, which is looking at young people’s experiences of mental health services. WAAMH also provides support for 14 Headspace sites across Australia to implement our individual placement and support program, IPS Works, so it’s great to see these vauable services expanding.

Community Mental Health Australia has revealed another group falling through the cracks of the NDIS in this recent article. “Funding is being withdrawn on the assumption that those now in the program will be eligible for the NDIS... early data shows that is not occurring.”

WAAMH welcomes the State Government’s commitment to provide $18.2 million over four years to continue this critical service to increase the accessibility and responsiveness of mainstream public mental health services for Aboriginal people with severe and persistent mental illness.

We're excited to let you know tickets are now on sale for 'Recovery Stories', WAAMH's Fringe World Festival event! With thanks to Healthway and City of Stirling, join us in the Big Top at Sunset Veranda in Scarborough to see graduates of our powerful Recovery Stories program tell the story of their mental health journey, sometimes for the first time in public. With a focus on recovery, resilience and strength, the event will leave you with a strong sense of community and hope that will stay with you for days to come. Hope you can join us!

Last chance to buy your 2018 Wellbeing Calendar at the discount price of just $8, reduced from $12. Hurry before they sell out! The calendar features the winning photos from the Embrace Nature Photography Competition at the WA Mental Health Conference 2017, accompanied by wellbeing tips. Purchase now.

Did you know that last year WAAMH ran custom-designed mental health training for 29 community organisations, nine local councils and 22 Government agencies? We've also just released our full calendar of semester one training courses for January to June 2018, so book now or speak to us about designing training to meet the needs of your organisation. Below is just a taste of what’s on offer, go to the WAAMH website to see the entire semester one offering and to book your places.

15 Mar De-Escalation Techniques - BROOME
16 Mar Drugs, Alcohol & Mental Health - BROOME
20 Mar De-Escalation Techniques - ROCKINGHAM
20 Mar Drugs, Alcohol & Mental Health- PERTH
27 Mar Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - PERTH
29 Mar Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Tools - PERTH
3 Apr Dual Disability: Mental Health & Disability - PERTH
3 Apr Influential Public Speaking for Change Makers - Tuesday series - 03/04-29/05 - PERTH
5 Apr De-escalation Techniques - BUNBURY
10 Apr Safe Professional Boundaries - PERTH
12 Apr De-Escalation Techniques - ESPERANCE
13 Apr Drugs, Alcohol & Mental Health - ESPERANCE
16-17 Apr Everyday Counselling Skills (2-day Workshop) - PERTH
18 Apr Positive Psychology Tools - PERTH
23 Apr Mental Health Law: Let's Act Up! - PERTH

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) uses compassionate mind training to help develop and work with experiences of inner warmth, safeness and soothing via compassion and self-compassion. With international speakers Dr Eleanor Longden and Dr Charlie Heriot-Maitland, this two-day workshop from Richmond Wellbeing is for clinicians, mental health practitioners and the mental health workforce to learn to apply the Compassion Focused Therapy model to support clients who experience distress associated with hearing voices and other perceptual experiences.
It is being held on 13-14 March, from 9am - 4.30pm at Richmond Wellbeing Centre, 29 Manning Road, Cannington. Earlybird tickets can be purchased at $495 until 8 Feb; thereafter standard tickets are$575. Purchase tickets now.

Consumers of Mental Health WA (CoMHWA) is pleased to offer up to 20 scholarships of $1250 to assist with completion of the CHC43515 Cert IV in Mental Health Peer Work Qualification in 2018 at North Metropolitan TAFE. Scholarships have been funded by the MHC in order to build capacity of the peer workforce and contribute to improved employment outcomes for peer workers. For more information, see the CoMHWA website. Submit your application to CoMHWA by 9am, Monday, 5 February.

Sera Davidow (CEO) and Caroline Mazel Carlton (trainer) from Western Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community in the US will come to Perth to run facilitator training and associated activities in March 2018.
Three-day Facilitator Training will be the key training provided in order to stimulate the growth of Peer Support groups in Perth; a structured process will be undertaken in Jan-Feb 2018 to select training participants. Depending on funding and sponsorship, an additional two-day ‘Conversations About Suicide’ course and half-day ‘Myths Surrounding Suicide’ could be offered in addition. Further information will be available soon; in the meantime, expressions of interest can be directed to alternativesforum@mercycare.com.au.
You can view the presentations that were held in Perth in February 2017 if you want to refresh your memory on the background to this approach.