Minister for Mental Health Emma Davidson said Canberrans experiencing mental health conditions are spending less time in hospital due to services such as the Garran Step Up Step Down program. The program supports people in the community to transition between levels of care as their mental health needs change, allowing them to ‘step up’ from the community or ‘step-down’ from a hospital setting. Since opening its doors in early 2021, the Garran Step Up Step Down has provided support to over 140 clients. A study conducted by Stride Mental Health Ltd, the facility managers, showed that many ‘step down’ clients had spent the entirety of the two weeks prior to their stay at the facility in hospital, and many ‘step up’ clients reported that they would have sought admission to hospital if not for Step Up Step Down.

Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Jeremy Rockliff, says the Tasmanian Liberal Government and Primary Health Tasmania are working together in taking a best-practice approach to building a contemporary, integrated model of mental health care so Tasmanians can get more holistic support, in the right place, at the right time. Today, we are releasing the next annual implementation plan for Rethink 2020, Tasmania’s overarching mental health plan. Rethink 2020 outlines a shared approach to improving mental health outcomes for all Tasmanians, and was developed by key experts including Primary Health Tasmania, the Tasmanian Department of Health and the Mental Health Council of Tasmania.

Anyone concerned about the suspected abuse of South Australian adults - of all ages - can now receive confidential advice and support from the Adult Safeguarding Unit, in a change to better protect vulnerable members of the community. From today, the Adult Safeguarding Unit expands to respond to all reports of actual or suspected abuse or mistreatment of adults - and not just cases involving older South Australians. The Unit, established in October 2019, was initially set up to respond to reports of abuse of people over 65, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over 50. It was later expanded to cover all adults living with a disability in October 2020, following the tragic death of criminal neglect victim Ann Marie Smith and recommendations made by the resultant Safeguarding Taskforce.

Queenslanders are urged to take a stand to show they won’t tolerate sexual violence during Sexual Violence Awareness Month in October. Minister for Women and Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman said sexual violence was unacceptable and needed to be eradicated from the community. “Sexual violence can happen to anyone and it’s a violation of a person’s human rights,” Minister Fentiman said. “Sadly, most people will know someone who has been impacted by it.”

The previous government failed to release and act on the Care Workforce Labour Market Study conducted by the National Skills Commission, which found the care and support workforce is facing significant workplace issues and staff shortages. The Minister for Skills and Training, Brendan O’Connor, has today released the study, which was delivered to the previous government in September last year however they refused to release it, delaying a federal government response to critical workforce issues in the sector. Minister O’Connor said, “The previous government’s failure to take action in response to the report has only compounded the problems the sector faces.” 

Businesses will be better supported to break down barriers to employment with $20 million in grant funding to ensure more Australians living with disability, who want to work, have the opportunity to do so. The Building Employer Confidence and Inclusion in Disability (BEC) grants made under the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Program will build the ability of employers to hire, support and retain employees with disability and create inclusive workplaces by breaking down attitudinal barriers. The successful applications cover a broad range of disability types across all states and territories, and range in value from $439,000 to $815,000. Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said the Australian Government is committed to a better life for Australians with disability including improving the connection between education and employment to drive real, tangible life out  comes for people with disability.

Australians will soon be able to count on better care and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) right across the country with the release of a new clinical practice guideline. ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting around 800,000 Australians, including approximately 281,000 children, aged 0-19 years. ADHD can have lifelong impacts on individuals, their families and community, but early diagnosis and quality treatment can greatly improve individual outcomes. The Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD provides a summary of scientific evidence and advice on the identification, diagnosis, support and treatment options for ADHD, including options with, and without, the use of medication.

This campaign is the second iteration in ‘We have to get our heads around mental health’ campaign launched in December last year. The focus is to draw attention to the lack of funding for the mental health community support services delivered by the non-government sector.

People are accessing services, reporting to hospitals with suicidal ideations and experiencing mental health challenges in record numbers. We all know the importance of clinical support in mental health, however there are long waiting times to see a psychiatrist or psychologist. Also the doubling of the number of visits under the Medicare rebate, introduced at the height of the pandemic, is set to finish at the end of the year.

When people found community based mental health support delivered by non-Government services they found supports that met their needs.

Current Government investment in fixing our mental health system focuses on clinical and bed based support. Meanwhile the services that make the greatest impact on supporting people to get well and not need hospital services are left behind and remain unfunded.

Is there a secret formula to happiness? We all struggle sometimes, but what does it mean when we struggle? We all experience strong emotions, but what should we do about them? We all want to be happy - but what is happiness and why is it so elusive?

Positive psychotherapist Marie McLeod takes 7 people on a transformative journey to learn the secret formula to happiness. The film’s premise is; if we offer the science of happiness to people experiencing struggle; what difference would it make? Is happiness a learnable skill and can we teach people skills to live a happy, healthy and meaningful life?

With unprecedented access; the result is an intimate, heartfelt and hopeful film that offers a rare glimpse into the lives of 7 people who make incredible transforms as a result of learning ‘How to Thrive?

Mental Health Week is a national week recognised annually and includes World Mental Health Day on 10th October.

Join Growth Faculty for a week of free live virtual events dedicated to supporting businesses and individuals to manage mental health in the workplace, 10-14 October 2022.

Lockdowns, social distancing requirements, travel restrictions, staff shortages and being surrounded by constant change is stressful. Most adults spend over a third of their lives working so mental health and wellbeing are inextricably linked.

Research from Black Dog Institute shows that training leaders in mental health results in improved knowledge, confidence and management of mental health at work. 

Growth Faculty is passionate about mental health and wellbeing, and we want to help leaders and organisations implement beneficial practices in the workplace in practical and tested ways.

These free events series include a masterclass with a leading mental health expert, advice from corporate mental health leaders, interviews with psychologists, mental health advocates and sleep professionals and a breathing workshop. 

The Access for All program is a free interactive online training program to raise awareness of the barriers people with disability experience when accessing mainstream health care.

The course also provides strategies and resources to improve the accessibility of health services for people with disability.

ReachOut is conducting a survey of young people to better understand how the issues that concern them are impacting on their mental health and wellbeing. We are excited to be running this study to elevate the voices of young people regarding their experiences of day-to-day challenges and how these might impact their mental health and wellbeing. We will also be exploring how young people would like to be supported when things get tough. We believe this research will help ReachOut and the broader mental health sector to better understand the challenges facing young people and what supports they need. 

Relationships Australia is excited to announce a new PhD scholarship opportunity in partnership with the Australian National University.

The successful PhD candidate will investigate how to better include the voices of children and young people in the design, delivery, and evaluation of community services. This scholarship is in partnership with ANU, with the PhD student embedded at Relationships Australia Canberra & Region as they work to translate their research into real-world applications.

The scholarship is valued at $21,640 and is open to a prospective or continuing domestic ANU student receiving an approved ANU HDR Base stipend scholarship. Applications due 31 October.

Equally Well is inviting participation in the “National Initiatives and Activities Scan” to identify what organisations are doing to improve the physical healthcare of people living with mental ill-health. You can participate through a short online survey, to highlight your work and help build the broader movement for change.

Suicide Prevention Australia’s National Suicide Prevention Conference 2023 will be held over 1 – 4 May in Canberra. This event provides a gateway to unite suicide prevention experts to showcase evidence-based solutions and robust discussion, focused on solutions for saving lives.

The annual Mental Health and Wellbeing Expo, from 4 to 7pm on Sunday 9 October 2022, is a space where the Canberra community can learn about practical ways to support their mental wellbeing and that of their community, including where to go when they need support. 

Mental Health Month ACT occurs in October each year and is coordinated by the Mental Health Community Coalition ACT.

Black Dog Institute is pleased to announce its Summit on Self-Harm to be held on
Thursday, 10 November 2022 at Doltone House in Sydney.

This full-day event will bring together leading international researchers, clinicians and lived experience experts to provide and share insights about self-harm.