In the lead up to the federal election in just a few weeks' time, WAAMH is encouraging its members to engage with two important initiatives. The first is a campaign run by Mental Health Australia for parties and candidates to commit to five key long-term measures for improving mental health outcomes. The second is a campaign run by a coalition of housing and welfare partners for a strategy to end the housing crisis in Australia by 2025. There is further information about these initiatives below.

WAAMH has begun preparing for the state election which is due in March 2017. We will be active, both in promoting mental health as a priority for all parties to address in their election commitments, and in working with our partners to ensure the social determinants of good mental health are addressed through a broad program of social reform. Watch for more information and opportunities to be involved in this in future editions of eNews.

Thank you to our many long-standing and new friends that joined WAAMH in celebrating its 50th birthday at a social event in May. It was a great opportunity to share stories, reflect on the progress that has been made since 1966, and to highlight the importance of working together to ensure a strong and well-resourced mental health sector for the future.

Rod Astbury
Chief Executive Officer
WA Association for Mental Health

Throughout 2016, WAAMH is celebrating 50 years of building fulfilling, contributing lives through the development, promotion and representation of the community mental health sector in Western Australia.

WAAMH has stepped closer to its vision over the last 50 years of ensuring that as a human right, every one of us who experiences mental health issues has the resources and support needed to recover, lead a good life and contribute as active citizens.

While we have made some significant progress over these years, there is still as long way to go and WAAMH will continue to advocate for results on the ground to ensure our members, consumers and carers have the services and resources they need to lead fulfilling, contributing lives.

Have a look at WAAMH's history timeline here.

To mark WAAMH's 50th Anniversary, a celebratory event with invited guests and stakeholders was held at Kuditj, Northbridge in May.

Have a look at our event album here.

As part of Mental Health Week, WAAMH host an annual school poster competition to help teachers create awareness of mental health among students. This year, we are again asking students to draw a poster which shows how they Act-Belong-Commit to keep mentally healthy.

The aim of the competition is to promote positive mental health and wellbeing in schools. It is open to all primary and secondary school students, and finalists will be announced during Mental Health Week 2016 where there will be the opportunity for the public to vote for the People's Choice Award. Winning artwork will be printed onto post cards as a positive resource for other young people, and all winning entries will receive a certificate and a prize.

Entries close 26 August 2016.

For an entry form and further information, click here.

The latest National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Community of Practice Blog discussed person-centred approaches. Participants of the recent Lower South West Community of Practice meeting welcomed a person-centred approach but cautioned there was still a long way to go.

Read and comment on WAAMH's 'new-look' blog here. 

The mental health survivors network, ‘Recovery in the Bin', has argued that the concept of ‘recovery’ has been co-opted and has strayed too far from its more radical roots. See the updated information on the Recovery section of the WAAMH website for more information about the call to shift the focus of recovery from individual deficit to social and economic inequalities.

For more information, click here. 

Following the National Disability Insurance Agency's (NDIA) recent review of Personal Care and Community Participation (read the review discussion paper here), and Mental Health Australia's (MHA) submission to the NDIA on 2016 Pricing Review (read the submission here), the NDIA has released an updated pricing schedule which will commence on 1 July 2016. 

The NDIA has also released the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Decision Paper on Pricing and Payments. The paper sets out the benchmark pricing and payments approach for funding of the land and built elements of SDA. The paper is available here on the NDIS website.

WAAMH member, Carers WA, run the Carer Representation Program which allows carers to use their lived experience to improve services and increase awareness of the carer’s point of view in WA. Carers WA have developed a range of marketing materials to promote the program and the role of Carer Representatives. If you would like any marketing material to promote the program in your organisation, or if you have a committee, working group or other activity that would benefit from the participation of someone in a caring role, please contact carer.representation@carerswa.asn.au

Curtin University's School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work are calling for expression of interests into their Lived Experience Educator(LEE) unit that will run in semester two, 2016.The FREE unit will offer skill and knowledge development to enable people with a lived experience of recovery (individual and family) to contribute to the education of professionals within the university and across the sector.

To express interest in this unit, complete this application form and send to Lyn Mahboub; L.Mahboub@curtin.edu.au no later than close of business Sunday 3 July 16.

June O'Connor Wellness & Recovery is seeking help from service users who would be willing to participate in a Consumer Focus Group to assist them to provide better services in the future. They are looking for individuals who:

•   Have a lived experience of mental health recovery;
•   Have accessed mental health services;
•   Are willing to share their views and provide an insight into their needs today and in the future.

For more information and to submit your expression of interest, click here. Applications close on Wednesday 6 July 2016.

WAAMH recently met with new Mental Health Minister, Hon. Andrea Mitchell, to advise her that the Government’s Review of the Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Accused) Act 1996 does not fare well in meeting the mental health and disability sectors calls for reform.

Some of the Act’s most serious human rights abuses have not been effectively addressed, and of the sectors five reform priorities, only two have been substantially met by the review.

WAAMH will continue to work with our partners to ensure the major parties deliver substantial election commitments in the forthcoming state election.

For more information, click here. 

Mental Health Australia (MHA) is calling on all parties and candidates to show their support for mental health by committing to long term measures to improve mental health outcomes in Australia in their election commitments.

MHA are calling for a national commitment to five priorities including improving the physical health of people with a mental illness.

WAAMH is writing to Western Australian candidates asking for their commitment to mental health.

For more information, click here.

In the lead-up to the federal election, a national alliance of housing, homelessness and welfare peak bodies have joined together to ensure politicians know that a fairer and more equitable country, where access to safe and affordable housing is achievable for all, is important to Australians. 

Stand up for change by signing the Vote Home petition calling for a national strategy to end the housing crisis by 2025.

For more information, click here.

WAAMH was proud to participate in the 2016 Positive Schools Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference on 26 and 27 May, 2016. The sell-out event saw a range of renowned key-note speakers discuss a range of innovative ideas for improving wellbeing in WA schools.

You are invited to be part of the action and sponsor Mental Health Week in 2016. Join the below sponsors who have already come on-board:

• Gold - Black Swan Health
• Silver - HelpingMinds and MercyCare
• Bronze - Rise Network, Mission Australia, Southern Cross Care (WA), St Bartholomew's House and Neami National
• Better thank OK: Parenting Forum - Anglicare WA
• Arts and Mental Health Network Arts Exhibition - Southern Cross Care (WA)
• Workplace Wellness Sessions - The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists

This year's theme for WA's Mental Health Week is once again Act-Belong-Commit with a focus on suicide prevention. The week is a national and annual event, and engages with around 15,000 people in WA. An exciting schedule of events, materials and activities during the week provides sponsors with an opportunity to promote their products, services and brand through cause-related marketing to a large portion of the WA community. To find out more, click here. 

WAAMH, along with Men’s Health and Wellbeing WA, Diabetes WA and Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, with support from NIB and Turf Care WA, have partnered to bring the WA community a FREE business breakfast during Men’s Health Week. 

Men’s Health Week aims to reach out to men, boys and their families to raise awareness about men’s health and wellbeing to improve male health outcomes. 

• Date: 14 June 2016
• Time: 7.30am - 9am
• Location: The Aviary Perth, 140 William Street, Perth
• RSVP: admin@menshealthwa.org.au

Ruah Community Services, in partnership with Foundation Housing and St Bartholemew’s House, will be hosting a public roundtable to end homelessness on 15 June. This event is suitable for key service providers and members of the public. It is designed to provide federal election candidates with an opportunity to outline how their party’s policies will end homelessness in Western Australia. Senator Scott Ludlam from the Australian Greens and Tim Hammond, Labor Party candidate for the federal seat of the Perth, have already confirmed their attendance. Each candidate will have the opportunity to respond to questions from members of the audience.

Please register online here

• Date: 15 June 2016
• Time: 3.00pm 
• Location: City West Reception Centre, Plaistowe Mews, West Perth

National Disability Services (NDS) WA and Shelter WA are co-hosting this forum which will explore the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Policy and Pricing Framework, how it works and its implications for the housing and disability service sectors in Western Australia.

Please register online here via Shelter WA or NDS.

• Date: 22 June 2016
• Time: 1.00pm - 4.30pm
• Location: The Boulevard Centre, 99 The Boulevard, Floreat 

The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN)'s WA Branch Winter Symposium final program has been released and can be viewed here. The theme for the symposium is 'From the ground up: innovations in everyday mental health nursing practice'.

To register click here.

• Date - 24 June 2016
• Location - Bentley Technology Park, Bentley WA

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