In this Sector Update, find:

• MHCC ACT blog, from CEO Melanie Wilde
• Sector news
• Training and events
• Grants, community resources, and other opportunities

Dear friends,  

It’s a delight to reconnect. I am returning with a different name – I am now Melanie Wilde – and as a somewhat different person, after eight transformative months of maternity leave.

Yes, I said "maternity leave"—not "parental leave." I’ve made this choice as a way of expressing the distinct experience of not only caring for a new life, but also recovering from the intense experience of sharing your body with, then birthing, another human being. This bond lingers in fascinating ways, from breastfeeding, to the shifts, some of them permanent, in a birth mother’s body chemistry. Did you know that you never completely left your biological mother’s body? That your cells may have stayed in her body forever, and possibly even saved her from disease? Did you know that if you have been pregnant and given birth, your brain will have changed shape in multiple areas? Literally changed shape?

Lucy Jones, in her book Matrescence: On Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood, captures this transformation beautifully. After the birth of her third child, she explored how motherhood rewired her brain. Jones argues that this profound change, comparable only to the rewiring that happens during adolescence, is often overlooked by society, leaving many mothers feeling isolated in their new roles.

Her reflections made me reflect on moments in my own journey. In my early days of motherhood, for example, I joined an ACT government “parents” group. Imagine a room of shell-shocked new mums, exhausted and healing, only to have a straight Dad enthusiastically take the floor, to debrief extensively about his experience. He clearly needed to share his journey. But it made me question: Should we all share the same space? Or are there benefits in creating distinct spaces where birth-giving parents can process their experiences together? Some women from culturally diverse backgrounds were silent in that session but animated in a later all-mother coffee catch-up. It’s a complex issue with no easy answers, but one worth considering as we strive to support perinatal wellbeing across all identities.

For now, I’m sticking with “maternity leave” to describe my own journey.

On the broader mental health policy front, this week has been an important one. The Mental Health Reform Advisory Committee held its final meeting, releasing a summary outlining crucial steps for reforming our mental health system. Their focus is on equity, low-intensity services, and solutions for complex needs, emphasising a holistic, person-centred approach. You can read the full summary here.

New studies released this week both globally and nationally have highlighted the urgent need to address youth mental health, particularly loneliness, aligning with our ongoing work on social isolation. Tackling loneliness is critical for enhancing overall well-being, especially among young people. Our full submission to the Loneliness Inquiry is available here. Explore these global trends further here.

Nationally, health ministers are gearing up for a significant mental health summit, potentially reshaping future policy and funding. In the lead-up to this summit, Movember has this week released a significant report urging a systemic overhaul of how Australia addresses men’s mental health.

On the culture and current affairs front – I’ve reflected this week on the powerful role that our media – including user-generated social media – plays in shaping our society’s attitude toward mental health. It has been very sad to see the way that Raygun has been treated. This highlights the broader issue of how we, as a society, treat our athletes, particularly after the intense focus of events like the Olympics. Many elite athletes struggle with mental health with 26.4% experiencing severe mental health problems.

More positively, it was wonderful to see how beautifully ABC Breakfast managed an on-air panic attack by a presenter – and the positive outpouring on social media that followed.

Finally, I want to let you know some exciting news: MHCC is growing! We will be hiring a range of roles covering functions such as communications, policy, events, training and operations – at senior, mid and junior levels – over coming weeks and months. Please get in touch with me if you’d like to chat.

Looking forward to reconnecting in person with many of you very soon!

- Melanie Wilde, MHCC ACT

This week, MHCC ACT joined 80 other leading mental health organisations across the country calling for Health and Mental Health Ministers to take serious action at the Ministers’ meeting on 16 August. 

In this joint Statement of Priorities, the mental health sector has outlined priority actions and next steps for Australian, State and Territory Governments to implement immediately to improve access to mental health supports. 

The full statement is available online.

Also in the news,

• The NSW Government have launched a Parliamentary enquiry into the impacts of loneliness | NSW Government 
• Emergency cash payments found to have positive impact on vulnerable young Australians | University of Sydney
• The Royal Australian College of GPs are calling on the Government to fund GPs to complete NDIS paperwork | RACGP 
• The Australian Government have made their response to the final report of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability | Department of Social Services. Disability Services Consulting (DSC) have published an analysis of the draft list of NDIS supports. 
• Once-in-a-generation leadership needed to tackle the ACT’s housing and homelessness problem | ACTCOSS and ACT Shelter joint media release
• New data shows significant growth in peer workforce and carer workers | Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 

Training and workshops 

• Safe Storytelling online workshop to help guide interactions that require shared storytelling of lived experience. Various dates, online. Paid.

• Cultural Awareness Workshop led by local Ngunnawal Traditional Custodian, Bradley Mapiva Brown - 28 August, Weston Community Hub. Paid.

• Media Skills Training - 29 August, Weston Community Hub. Paid.

• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). Various dates, Canberra City. Paid. 

Conferences and Forums 

• LGBTIQA+ Leadership Summit 2024 17 - 20 September, Sydney

• 17th National Rural Health Conference 16-18 September, Perth

• Women in Leadership Summit 22 - 25 October, Sydney

• 4th Indigenous Wellbeing Conference October, Auckland 

• APSAD Canberra 2024 30 October - 2 November, Canberra

• Rural Mental Health Conference 6 - 8 November, Cairns 

• STOP Domestic Violence Conference 25 - 27 November, Adelaide

TheMHS Conference 

MHCC ACT are co-hosting the TheMHS Conference in Canberra. This year's theme is 'celebrating difference and looking beyond to find the common ground'.  

The conference will be held from 27-30 August at the National Convention Centre. Registration closes on 22 August,  register via the conference website. 

Webinars and resources

• Leading the change: a Toolkit to evaluate lived experience inclusion and leadership - 20 August, online.
• Online MHFAI & Mental Health Australia Members and Leaders Forum – 22 August, online. 
• ACT Government WWVP Requirements for Community Organisations - 22 August, online. Free.
• Life in Mind have released new lived experience guidelines for suicide prevention services

Autism Health Roadmap

The Australian Government has developed a Draft National Roadmap to Improve the Health and Mental Health of Autistic People (Autism Health Roadmap). The Autism Health Roadmap aims to improve the health and mental health of Autistic people by addressing the serious health inequities they face in Australia.  

Consultation is open now until 27 September 2024, there are multiple ways to contribute. Find out more on the consultation website. 

To find out more about the co-design and working group processes for the roadmap, register for the webinar on Thursday 22 August 2024 at 2pm. 

Australia’s Disability Strategy

The Australian Government is calling for public feedback as part of the review of Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031.

Consultation on draft lists of NDIS supports

Accessible information available on the DSS website, where you can participate by completing the survey. 

2024 ANU-ALIVE National Lived-Experience Priorities Study

Particpate via online survey, photo interview, online platform crowdsourcing and/or emotion mapping. Visit the website to learn more. 

Factors Affecting Community Treatment Orders Research Study

Researchers are seeking people to participate in an online survey that will investigate the experiences and perceptions of people who have been placed on a Community Treatment Order (CTOs) for their mental health. There is also a separate survey for Family/Carers.

Use this link for Individuals identifying as someone who has been placed under a CTO.

This link is for those who are Families/Friends/Supporters of someone who has been placed under a CTO

Open Tender Opportunity - Embrace Multicultural Mental Health. 

Mental Health Australia is seeking a partner to deliver a report on the State of Mental Health for Multicultural Australia. Closes 26 August, find out more. 

Our next Sector Update will be on 6 September.

Reply to this email if you have suggestions for things to include.

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.