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April 2016

WAAMH eNews

In this Issue

MESSAGE FROM ROD ASTBURY
 
LATEST NEWS
Don't Mess with Mental Health: WA to retain a Minister for Mental Health
CLMIA Act review report a step forward but still falls short
SECTOR DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING
WAAMH’s Position on the Future Governance of the NDIS in WA
NDIS one step closer with announcement of LAC Partners in Victoria
WA Mental Health Conference a big success!
Mental Health Primary Health Network circular and planning
Peer support helps patients navigate the mental health system and recover
EOI's for RANZCP Community Collaboration Committee
Mental health first aid guidelines for helping a co-worker
UWA survey for parents of children with behavioural problems
 
ADVOCACY & REPRESENTATION
ALP commit to reforming draconian CLMIA Law
WA Government is slower than a tortoise on CLMIA law reform
The Children of Parents with a Mental Illness initiative
 
MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION
Sponsor Mental Health Week 2016
Mental Health Postcard Exhibition at Kings Park - 10-11 March 2016
2016 NAIDOC grant funding round is now open
Walking for Resilience
My Mother Has Depression children's book
 
EVENTS
SANE Australia Carers and Lived Experience forums
Effective Supervision of Peer Workers
Patient Experience Week event series
Free methamphetamine workshop for parents
 
SURVEY
WAAMH eNews Survey

MESSAGE FROM ROD ASTBURY

WAAMH acknowledge that the long awaited review report of the Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Accused) Act 1996 (CLMIA Act) has been released by the state government today, but remain concerned that some of the most fundamental recommendations have not been addressed. Please read below for further information on the CLMIA review report.

Thank you to all who supported our campaign to ensure that mental health portfolio was retained in the March 29th cabinet reshuffle. We are delighted to have received a commitment from both the government and the opposition to retain a dedicated Mental Health Minister and Mental Health Commission. 

WAAMH would like to welcome the Hon Andrea Mitchel as the new Minister for Mental Health. Ms Mitchell is well known to the sector through her role as Parliamentary Secretary for mental health and we look forward to continuing our positive relationship.

We would also like to thank Hon Helen Morton, commend her on her leadership and acknowledge the progress that was made in mental health reform during her time as WA’s Mental Health Minister. 

WAAMH will be relocating offices on 2nd May 2016 to 1 Nash St Perth. We will be located at the Workzone building with the Mental Health Commission, the Drug and Alcohol Office and WANADA. We are looking forward to working in close quarters with our friends in the mental health and alcohol and other drugs sectors.

Rod Astbury
Chief Executive Officer
WA Association for Mental Health

LATEST NEWS

Don't Mess with Mental Health: WA to retain a Minister for Mental Health

The WA Premier recently committed to retaining a Minister for Health with the announcement of Andrea Mitchell as WA’s new Mental Health Minister. The ALP have also committed to maintaining this Ministry should they win the next election. WAAMH was also delighted the Premier committed to retaining the Mental Health Commission. To read more, click here.

CLMIA Act review report a step forward but still falls short

WAAMH acknowledges the long awaited review report of the Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Accused) Act 1996 (CLMIA Act) released by the state government today, but remain concerned that some of the most fundamental recommendations have not been addressed. While the review report is a step in the right direction toward improving the fair and equitable treatment of mentally impaired accused, most of the significant human rights abuses in the current CLMIA Act have not been addressed. To read more, click here.

SECTOR DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING

WAAMH’s Position on the Future Governance of the NDIS in WA

WAAMH supports the trial of two models in WA which provide an opportunity to ensure that issues for people with a psychosocial disability are attended to in all aspects. WAAMH does not recommend the adoption of one governance model for the NDIS in WA over another. Rather, WAAMH has identified the key principles which it considers must underpin the future governance of the NDIS in this state. Read here for more information.

NDIS one step closer with announcement of LAC Partners in Victoria

The Brotherhood of St Laurence, Latrobe Community Health Service, and Intereach have successfully secured the tender to partner with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to provide Local Area Coordination (LAC) services for participants in the first year locations of the scheme. The NDIA will continue to invest in LAC services around Australia during 2016.

WA Mental Health Conference a big success!

Our recent Mental Health Conference was a big success and welcomed over 450 core delegates, over 1000 event patrons, over 100 speakers, over 250 staff, volunteers and service providers and over 60 people with lived experience who attended with the help of a scholarship. All attendees and speakers contributed their knowledge, and through two days of collaboration, helped to strengthen the overall capacity of the mental health sector. Proclamations from the conference are being compiled and will be available soon. To view the conference album, click here.

Mental Health Primary Health Network circular and planning

A circular from March is available on the Commonwealth Department of Health website here outlining needs assessment planning for Primary Health Networks (PHN). The PHN's will undertake this planning over the coming months.

The Department of Health website also provides a number of tools and data sets (ABS and ATAPS) here which community managed mental health organisations may find useful for making strategic decisions and planning in their local areas.

Peer support helps patients navigate the mental health system and recover

Listen here to an ABC interview of Louise Byrne for how she uses her personal experience of severe mental illness to teach mental health nurses about the benefits of peer support. Informed by their own lived experience, peer support workers help patients navigate the mental health system and offer care and friendship on the road to recovery.  The WAAMH website provides a comprehensive list of links to resources to peer projects and their benefits.

EOI's for RANZCP Community Collaboration Committee

Expressions of interest for community members to join the Royal Australian and NZ College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Community Collaboration Committee are now open. The Committee is made up of six psychiatrists (RANZCP Fellows) and eight community members: two carers and two consumers from Australia, and two carers and two consumers from New Zealand. The term on the Committee will be from May 2016 to May 2018. For further information or to express an interest in joining, please contact Huseyin Mustafa, Manager Practice and Partnerships via huseyin.mustafa@ranzcp.org by COB Monday 18 April 2016.

Mental health first aid guidelines for helping a co-worker

In order to improve the quality of the mental health first aid techniques being taught to the public, MHFA Australia and researchers at the Population Mental Health Group at the University of Melbourne have developed guidelines on what constitutes best practice first aid, as informed by expert consensus. Guidelines for providing mental health first aid in the workplace detail how a worker should tailor their approach when providing mental health first aid to a co-worker or employee they manage. To view these guidelines, click here.

UWA survey for parents of children with behavioural problems

Researchers at the University of Western Australia are looking for parents of children aged 4-12 with a behavioural and/or emotional problem (e.g. ADHD, depression, anxiety disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, or an eating disorder) to fill in a short survey. Participants have the option of entering a prize draw to win one of fifteen $50 (AUD) vouchers for Coles-Myer. Responses are entirely confidential. To participate please visit here.  For more information, please contact Kim on 040 318 3228 or kim.eaton@research.uwa.edu.au

ADVOCACY & REPRESENTATION

ALP commit to reforming draconian CLMIA Law

At the WA Mental Health Conference, Mark McGowan made a public commitment to reforming the Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Accused) Act (CLMIA Act) during his first year in office. The ALP committed to 4 out of 5 of our sectors’ demands for reform. We still need their commitment to special hearings to ensure people with mental illness are not indefinitely detained unless the evidence warrants it – an essential human right available across most of Australia. To find our more, click here.

WA Government is slower than a tortoise on CLMIA law reform

13 years after a tortoise was included on the cover of a review of the Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Accused) Act (CLMIA Act) the WA government still has not released its response to a 2014 review. In a push to have the law changed before the election, WAAMH and Developmental Disability WA are developing a scorecard on how the parties rate. Watch this space.

The Children of Parents with a Mental Illness initiative

Australian Government funding for the Children of Parents with a mental illness (COPMI) national initiative will not be extended beyond 30th June 2016.  It is critical that within the current national and state based reform of mental health and disability services that the voices and needs of children, parents with a mental illness and families affected by mental illness, along with the services striving to support them, do not again become ‘invisible’.

To help COPMI continue to do its vital work, please;

  • share this message and survey request here  within your networks,
  • consult within your own networks regarding the impact of this decision on strategies being implemented within your organisation, and;
  • write to the Australian Health Ministers and your Member of Parliament to communicate what you consider the impact of this decision to be.

To share your responses or for more information, contact Brad Morgan on morganb@copmi.net.au or calling 08 8367 0888.

MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION

Sponsor Mental Health Week 2016

Mental Health Week is a national and annual event, and engages with around 15,000 people in WA. Our exciting schedule of events, materials and activities during Mental Health 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. You are invited to be part of the action and sponsor Mental Health Week in 2016.
To find out more, click here. 

Mental Health Postcard Exhibition at Kings Park - 10-11 March 2016

Celebrating the value of art in both mental health recovery and awareness raising, the Mental Health Postcard Arts Exhibition was open to people of all ages and artistic abilities. Postcards were displayed at our recent mental health conference. The exhibition raised the profile of mental health issues, promoted positive attitudes of mental health within the wider community and provided an opportunity for inclusion of people with disability or mental illness through participation in the arts. An evaluation of the exhibition was undertaken, and there was overwhelming support for the project. Training vouchers were awarded to emerging artists and people who provided feedback.

2016 NAIDOC grant funding round is now open

NAIDOC Week 2016 will run from 3 - 10 July and is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Grant funding submissions for local NAIDOC Week activities and events are now being accepted and will close 4.00pm (AEST) on Friday 29 April 2016. To apply, visit the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet website here.

Walking for Resilience

WAAMH member HelpingMinds' Liz Everard is walking the entire Bibbulmun track from Albany to Perth on 28th April to raise awareness about Aboriginal suicide. Keep up to date and support Liz on her journey at the Walking for Resilience Facebook page or read more here.

My Mother Has Depression children's book

Nina Mitchell has written and published a picture book called My Mother Has Depression. It explains depression in simple words and pictures suitable for children of all ages. The book is intended as a tool for adults to start a conversation with children about depression, and would be a great resource for families, teachers and social workers. To purchase the book, click here.

EVENTS

SANE Australia Carers and Lived Experience forums

Interested in extending your service provision with Online Forums? Come along and learn more about how the Forums work and the opportunity to partner with SANE.

Effective Supervision of Peer Workers

Peer workers are a valuable and evolving workforce in the mental health sector, creating unique opportunities in terms of human resource management, supervision and relationships. This accessible course explores appropriate structures and safety nets to support your peer workforce and ensure positions are viable and successful.

Patient Experience Week event series

To coincide with the global focus of Patient Experience Week (PXW) (April 25-29), the Health Consumers’ Council (HCC) will be holding a PXW Event Series about ‘Connecting for the Patient Experience - We are ALL the patient experience’.

Free methamphetamine workshop for parents

The Department of Education are holding Talking Drugs workshops for parents around the state to help prevent and reduce their children's risk of harm from drug abuse. 

SURVEY

WAAMH eNews Survey

Please take our 20 second survey and provide us with your feedback on how we can improve our eNews.
Click here to take our survey.

WA Association for Mental Health

City West Lotteries House
2 Delhi Street, West Perth
WA 6005

       

 

Tel 08 9420 7277
waamh.org.au
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