CEO Update: Mental Health Advocacy - The total is greater than the sum of the parts

Speaking frankly...

Mental Health Advocacy: The total is greater than the sum of the parts

This week 80 delegates from more than 50 national Mental Health Australia member organisations, and representatives of the National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum, gathered at Parliament House in Canberra.

The day’s deliberations focussed on 2 main objectives:

What do we expect from Government as we head towards the May budget?
What commitments do we demand from our political leaders as we head towards the next federal election?

Many of the members present had participated in Mental Health Australia’s Parliamentary Advocacy Day some 12 months earlier.

The lesson learned from that Parliamentary Advocacy Day was that a sector that is united can be a very powerful voice for change. That the voices of those living with the experience of mental illness matter. That service providers and others can set aside their particular interests in order to pursue the greater good.

This year's Member’s Policy Forum considered opportunities for a shared advocacy agenda for the year ahead:

Strengthening consumer and carer representation and co-design
Investing in prevention and early intervention
Rebuilding community-based mental health
Addressing the service gaps that are opening up as the NDIS is rolled out
Addressing the crisis in rural and remote mental health
Improving mental health in Australia’s workplaces
Developing and expanding the mental health workforce, especially the peer workforce
Ensuring affordable and equitable access to services and programs
Tackling the root causes of stigma and discrimination

The current political environment is a very challenging one.

We need a decade of reform, but political momentum is frequently measured by the hour or by the day.

We seek to promote a message of unity and hope, but the media cycle thrives on conflict and division.

The public discourse is louder and louder, but many of our stakeholders are voiceless.

Mental Health Australia is just one small voice, operating from a small office in a non-descript suburb of Canberra, less than 10 kilometres from Parliament House. Even when we shout at the top of our voice, there are times we are hardly heard above the din.

But Mental Health Australia members operate across the county, and people living with mental illness live in every town and every suburb in every part of every state and territory.

When all of our voices in all of those places speak with one voice, it’s a voice that cannot be ignored. The total is greater than the sum of the parts.

As we head into an important 12 months of advocacy, I invite you to consider how you might add your voice to the growing chorus demanding better mental health for all Australians.

Click here to see an extended video of our Members Policy Forum at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday.

Warm regards

Frank Quinlan
Chief Executive Officer

National Disability Service Providers Benchmarking Survey – Sector Report Released

In 2017, the National Disability Insurance Agency commissioned AbleIinsight to undertake financial benchmarking among NDIS providers, including psychosocial disability providers. Providers’ participation was voluntary and participating organisations received an individualised benchmarking report enabling them to compare key data about their organisation with the rest of the disability sector.

The benchmarking project also enables the aggregated data collected to be published in the form of a sector summary report, the first of which was released on 9 March this year. The report reflects aggregated data collected from 48 disability services regarding financial metrics in relation to daily living and community participation and supported independent living, alongside broader organisational overheads and financial information as well as overall business context. This report establishes a baseline, which can be used as a comparator for future surveys.

The full report is available at the link below.

Next Week

On Monday, I am looking forward to attending the launch of Australians for Mental Health with Jessica Rowe AM and Professor Pat McGorry AO. I will also be meeting with Tessa Boyd-Caine, CEO of Health Justice Australia, and with Philip Armstrong and Tom Parker of the Australian Counselling Association.

On Monday, Josh will be participating in a workshop with the Insurance Council of Australia.

On Tuesday, I will be in Sydney participating in the 2018 National Round Table on the Mental Health of People with Intellectual Disability.

Tuesday finds Josh in Canberra at the Canberra National NDIS Provider Forum.

On Wednesday, I will be in Melbourne as part of the Advisory Committee to beyondblue’s fourth Independent Evaluation for the period 2019-2019.

On Thursday, Josh will be participating in a meeting of the Expert Advisory Group for the National Disability Service Provider Benchmarking Survey.

On Friday, the Mental Health Australia office will be closed for the Easter public holidays, and will reopen on Tuesday April 3rd.

Mental Health Australia Member Profiles

beyond blue – Vision, Values and Mission
Three million Australians are currently experiencing anxiety or depression. Every day, nearly eight people take their own lives. Because this affects all of us, beyond blue is equipping everyone in Australia with the knowledge and skills to protect their own mental health. They are giving people the confidence to support those around them, and making anxiety, depression and suicide part of everyday conversations. And as well as tackling stigma, prejudice and discrimination, beyond blue is breaking down the barriers that prevent people from speaking up and reaching out.
Website https://www.beyondblue.org.au Facebook www.facebook.com/beyondblue Twitter www.twitter.com/beyondblue Instagram www.instagram.com/beyondblueofficial

BEING is the independent, state-wide peak organisation for people with a lived experience of mental illness (consumers) in NSW. They work with consumers to achieve and support systemic change. BEING acts as a bridge between mental health consumers and the government. An essential part of their role is to encourage mental health consumers to provide input into decision making at all levels concerning the way mental health services are provided. They gather information and lobby the decision makers about issues relevant to the mental health system. They seek to influence legislation and policy introduced by the government where it affects the lives of mental health consumers. BEING also keeps people informed of what is happening in the state through their Network.
Website - www.being.org.au Facebook - www.facebook.com/BeingMHW Twitter - www.twitter.com/beingmhw

News

'Crucial' rural mental health inquiry welcomed

The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) has welcomed the announcement of a Senate inquiry into the accessibility of mental health services in regional and remote Australia.

As we discussed at our Member's Policy Forum, we would love to hear from members interested in putting some ideas to this important inquiry.

Headspace on board for schools anti-bullying package

Australia’s leading youth mental health organisation, headspace, will deliver new targeted mental health programs for Victorian government schools as part of a new partnership with the Andrews Labor Government. Minister for Education James Merlino announced headspace will deliver the $4.48 million mental health components of the Government’s Victorian Anti-Bullying and Mental Health Initiative, including the Better Access to Mental Health Support initiative and a Suicide Prevention Pilot program.

$2.7M to support young Aboriginal students in NSW

Aboriginal children and their families in south western Sydney will be first to benefit from a $2.7 million trial of an innovative mental health program designed to better support Aboriginal children in the early learning environment. Minister for Mental Health Tanya Davies, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Sarah Mitchell, has announced a tailored version of the successful GOT IT! early intervention program will be trialled at Minto’s Waranwarin Early Learning Centre and Briar St Public School in Campbelltown South.

Reminders

6th Rural and Remote Health Scientific Symposium in Canberra from 11-12 April

The 6th Rural and Remote Health Scientific Symposium: Outback Infront is taking place in Canberra from 11-12 April 2018. With more than 200 of Australia’s leading rural and remote health researchers registered to attend, the Symposium is gearing up to be one of the largest and most significant in the National Rural Health Alliance’s long history of hosting the event.

Blow Bubbles for Bipolar – World Bipolar Day – 30 March

Bipolar Australia believes that every person who has Bipolar Disorder should know that the condition can be diagnosed, treated, and well managed. But too many of the 568,000 Australians with this serious, life-long condition never hear that good news. This World Bipolar Day, help them end the silence surrounding Bipolar Disorder by taking a few minutes to Blow Bubbles for Bipolar with your colleagues, friends, and family.

New RANZCP guidance on the use of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) has recently updated its clinical memorandum on the use of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. This guidance has been developed as a resource for psychiatrists who are considering prescribing ketamine for a patient with treatment-resistant depression.

SANE Australia Topic Tuesday - Does the label 'Carers' make you feel uncomfortable?

Sane Australia will host another Topic Tuesday on 27 March exploring the question 'does the label 'carers' make you feel uncomfortable?' For some, the term 'carer' can feel uncomfortable - they are a mother, husband, friend or sibling, whose loved one happens to have a mental illness. For others, the term 'carer' resonates with them. How does the label of 'carer' sit with you?

March for Our Lives - 24 March

Students, activists and politicians will speak out against gun violence and stand in solidarity with the thousands of students in America organising March For Our Lives against school shootings. Find out more about events happening around Australia this Saturday 24 March 2018 at the link below.