MHCA CEO's Weekly Update - 8 August

This Week

Have you made your World Mental Health Day Promise?  Missy Higgins has! See below…

Missing Persons Week

I began this week attending the launch of missing person’s week at Old Parliament House. This year’s focus is on dementia and was launched by Ita Buttrose. Mental health is an important factor in many missing persons cases so we were pleased to led our support to the campaign.

Disability Employment Australia Conference

I was pleased to speak about mental health at the Disability Employment Australia Conference on the Gold Coast this week. My presentation looked at some of the links between various reviews and processes including the NDIS, the Commission of Audit, the McClure Review (see more below), the NMHC Review and the Federation Whitepaper. While all these reviews have potential to improve things for those who experience mental illness there is also a great risk of further confusion and fragmentation if we fail to “join the dots”.

Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement - health impacts

Sometimes I go to meetings expecting to “do my duty”, and I confess that this was one of those occasions. I attended a forum to discuss the health impacts of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement convened by the Public Health Association. I learned that this agreement has tremendous potential to impact public health, including the price of medicines, and was pleased to have the chance to think about how mental health might be impacted. If you are interested in these issues this document from Deborah Gleeson at La Trobe University makes interesting reading. 

Submission to the McClure Review

This week our policy team has been busy finalising our submission to the McClure Review of Australia’s welfare system, which we are making jointly with the National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum. In broad terms, we argue that a high functioning welfare system which meets the needs of people with mental illness and psychosocial disability would:

• Be easy for people to access and navigate;
• Treat people fairly and in good faith at all times – providing similar benefits to individuals with similar needs;
• Provide welfare recipients with enough money to participate meaningfully in the community, economy and society – as well as meet the basic costs of living and looking for work; 
• Focus on individual capabilities through strengths-based assessment and support, rather than focussing on the perceived deficits associated with a diagnosis of mental illness;
• Ensure that people with mental health issues are appropriately identified within the system and referred to the right support services wherever possible;
• Wherever possible, avoid exacerbating known mental health conditions;
• Proactively support mental health consumers and carers to undertake education or training; and
• Provide supported and predictable pathways to social participation and employment for all mental health consumers and carers who are able to work now or wish to work in the future.

The full submission is available to download from our website.

National Mental Health Leaders Workshop

Earlier in the week, Kylie Wake, Director, Consumer and Carer Programs, and Kim Harris from the consumer and carer team, attended the second workshop for participants in the National Mental Health Leaders Project. The MHCA is proud to be working with the National Mental Health Commission and project co-sponsors, Janet Meagher and Robyn Kruk, on this exciting initiative. The workshop provided a great opportunity for the 11 participants to network, share experiences and hear from a range of leaders, including Jack Heath (CEO, Sane Australia) and Sue Murray (CEO, Suicide Prevention Australia). I’ll share more information about the progress of this project in the coming weeks.

NDIS update

On Wednesday Director of Policy and Projects, Josh Fear, presented to some clinicians from Forensicare, otherwise known as the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health, about progress to date with the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Their feedback suggests that the practical challenges of differentiating the responsibilities of the justice system from the NDIS may prove just as challenging as it is for the mental health system, or indeed for the many other service systems that people with disabilities encounter. 

Conference funding program - apply now!

Do you need some extra funding to hold a mental health and/or suicide prevention themed event? We might be able to help. The MHCA’s Conference Funding Program provides grants of up to $20,000 and applications are now open. If you would like more information on how to apply please visit the website.

 

Reminders

United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

Tomorrow, 9 August, is the United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples and this year’s theme is Bridging the gap: implementing the rights of indigenous peoples. Globally, there are over 350 million Indigenous people, representing over 5,000 cultures and languages in more than 70 different countries. Across Australia, over half a million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people practice hundreds of different cultures and speak 145 distinct languages however 110 of these languages are classed as severely and critically endangered. To read more about this important day please visit the website. 

NDIS evaluation - call for participants

An independent evaluation of the NDIS trial is currently underway and is being led by a team at Flinders University. The evaluation will involve a range of studies with different groups of people. The team is currently looking to hear from people who have joined the NDIS as well as families and carers. Participants will be interviewed twice, once in 2014 and once in 2015, to discuss how the NDIS has affected their lives. If you would like to participate in the evaluation or to read more about it please visit the website. 

Harnessing professional and lived experience voices

As part of the highly successful Suicide Prevention Australia National Conference held in Perth recently, more than 200 people gathered on the final day for a session dedicated to ‘Harnessing the Voices of Lived Experience’. During the session, the SPA Lived Experience Committee launched the draft ‘Guiding Principles for including Lived Experience voices’ in everything we do in suicide prevention in this country. These principles are part of a draft National Statement (available for comment shortly) and are fundamental in setting out a lived experience consultation framework and a way of working for organisations and individuals alike. To find out more about the principles please visit the website. 

Youth mental health PhD opportunity at Black Dog and CRESP

This scholarship has been established to encourage exceptional postgraduate students to undertake full time research in adolescent depression and suicide. The scholarship will be supervised by Black Dog Institute and the recipient will complete research within CRESP (NHMRS Centre for Research Excellence in Suicide Prevention) with a focus on young people, including regional and Indigenous youth. Indigenous candidates and researchers with a focus on indigenous mental health are encouraged to apply. Full details are available on the website. 

World Suicide Prevention Day - 10 September

This year’s World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) on 10 September will be focussed on the theme ‘Suicide Prevention: One World Connected’. The theme reflects the fact that connections are important at several levels if we are to reduce suicides – at an individual level, cross support services, and cross country/countries. Find out about events happening on that day and add yours to the list at the WSPD website. 

Australian Press Council standards on contacting patients

The Australian Press Council (APC) has published “Specific Standards” on contacting patients who are in hospital or residential care facilities, effective from 1 August 2014. These standards include patients that may be receiving medical care in mental health facilities and cover topics including obtaining informed consent from the patient, obtaining permission to visit the patient and ceasing contact with the patient. You can download a copy of the standards from the Mindframe website. 

Policy Brief: Involving Carers and Family Members in the NDIS

Our friends at Mental Health Carers ARAFMI Australia released a policy brief this week discussing the need to involve carers and family members in the implementation of the NDIS. The full brief can be downloaded from the website. 

EUFAMI Family Caregiver Survey

As flagged in a previous update, EUFAMI have announced a worldwide survey of mental health carers and family members. The survey has been designed specifically to find out about the circumstances and needs of carers themselves. The results will be published in late 2014. If you care for someone with a mental illness your participation in the survey would be welcomed, full details are available from the website. 

Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record Review

A reminder that the Department of Health is currently consulting with stakeholders on the implementation of the recommendations of the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) Review. The outcomes of the consultation will influence the system design, implementation schedule, and the planning for communication, education, and risk management. As a part of the consultation process, a survey has been made available to ensure that the views of stakeholders are captured. If you would like to participate please visit the website. 

ABC’s Heywire competition - opportunities for young regional Australians

The ABC has launched its Heywire competition and is calling on people aged 16-22 from rural and regional areas to submit stories about life in their neck of the woods, in text, audio, photo or video format. Over 30 winners will be chosen to have their story featured on ABC radio and abc.net.au and score a trip to the Heywire Regional Youth Summit in Canberra to work on ideas to make regional Australia a better place for young people. Entries close on 16 September, for full details please visit the website. 

Our National Voice: call for additional stories

Mental Health Carers ARAFMI Australia are calling for more stories for their ‘Our National Voice’ website. Our National Voice raises awareness of the experience of caring for a loved one with a mental illness. The website collates the many stories about the lived experience of carers, who are now able to express their point of view nationally and not feel isolated, unheard or misunderstood. If you would like to share your story, please visit the website for details. 

RUOK? Day big yellow bus tour

Our friends at RUOK? Day this week started their big yellow bus tour. They will be travelling across 5 states and territories to raise awareness of the importance of staying connected and starting the conversation to ask friends and family how they are. The bus will finish in Sydney on 11 September, the day after World Suicide Prevention Day. 

Warm regards
Frank

Frank Quinlan
Chief Executive Officer
T: 02 6285 3100  |  M: 0409 655 460
E: frank.quinlan@mhca.org.au  |  W: mhca.org.au
PO Box 174 DEAKIN WEST ACT 2600