CEO Update: Grand Final week comes early for mental health
Grand Final week comes early for mental health
As a proud Victorian it’s hard not to think in AFL terms, and for me the excitement that seems to be building for our mental health sector at the moment, is akin to a Grand Final week and the Melbourne Cup all rolled into one.
Why the anticipation?
Because the mental health of our nation has never had so much profile and, to be direct, has never needed it more. Because more and more people are talking about how best to look after their own mental health, and the wellbeing of our communities, as we all continue to deal with the changes, uncertainty and anxiety that ensues.
As a nation we have led the world in looking after our physical health during this pandemic, and all governments are already starting to put the scaffolding in place to do the same with our mental health.
Scaffolding like Vision 2030, the Productivity Commission Inquiry, the Victorian Royal Commission, the increased scalability and evolution of improved telehealth services since the pandemic began. New initiatives and increased funding to help lines and the Victorian mental health hubs, increased awareness, and increased action. All due to the increased need as a result of not just the pandemic, but the situation we were already in before March this year. Situations where mental health services and solutions were already stretched and challenging to access.
So why am I excited this week?
Because on Tuesday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will hand down the Federal Budget, where we know the physical and mental health of our nation will be at the forefront. And then, four days later on Saturday 10 October, the world will celebrate World Mental Health Day, where our theme is encouraging everyone to “Look after your mental health, Australia.”
From a Budget in the middle of a pandemic, to our one day of the year to advocate for mental health awareness and reform, there is no doubt people will be talking about mental health.
And I’m sure that when we can safely look back on this pandemic, and look at what we’ve learned and been able to achieve, we’ll see that it was a catalyst for positive change in our mental health ecosystem.
It has to be.
A catalyst for increased profile and huge reductions in stigma around mental health. As well as improvements and initiatives in our mental health service access and delivery, policy development, and engagement with those with experience of living with mental illness and those who love or care for them.
So in a year that we’ll never forget… mental health day, week and month are a good reminder that true generational reform is coming for our mental health ecosystem. In fact, in some parts of the system it’s already happening. We just have to embrace it, and steer it in the right direction.
That’s why I’m excited.
Oh, and Go CATS!
Have a good weekend.
Leanne Beagley
CEO
Submission to National Preventive Health Strategy
Mental Health Australia has submitted a response to the Department of Health’s Consultation Paper on the development a National Preventive Health Strategy, calling for greater inclusion of mental health. In our submission Mental Health Australia argued that given the high impact of mental ill-health in Australia, the importance of prevention for reducing this impact, the inherent interconnectedness of mental and physical health, and the need to integrate mental and physical health responses, the Australian Government must give further consideration to mental health in development of the National Preventive Health Strategy. Mental Health Australia called for mental health experts to be included in the Steering Committee, an additional working group to be held focusing on mental health - as one of the top priorities identified through the public survey informing the Strategy, and for the Strategy to be aligned with other significant mental health reform frameworks currently being developed.
Submission regarding National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention Bill
This week Mental Health Australia and Suicide Prevention Australia provided a joint submission to the Attorney General’s consultation regarding the legislation to establish a National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention. We believe if passed, this legislation will set in place a unique structure that will drive accountability, transparency and systemic change to prevent suicide among our serving Australia Defence Force members and veterans. In our submission we identified areas where the role of the Commissioner may be strengthened, including: working with other national and jurisdictional bodies to improve data collection, prioritising strategies to mitigate the challenges veterans face in transition to civilian life, and ensuring anyone bereaved by suicide (including other defence or veteran personnel) have access to postvention support.
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The Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (the Framework) is a free, nationally available online resource which allows organisations and individual practitioners to evaluate and enhance their cultural responsiveness. It has been mapped against national standards to help you meet your existing requirements, with access to a wide range of support and resources. We are pleased to invite you to the final webinar of a four-part series in October 2020. The webinar will provide an in-depth look into Service Module 4 of the Framework: Building a Culutrally Responsive Workforce. This module looks at the policies and practices needed to help build a strong and culturally responsive mental health workforce across Australia. Details:
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