Reducing stigma in CALD communities

Research funded by the Embrace Project and conducted by researchers at the University of Western Sydney has been published in the second largest open-access public health journal in the world.
Three Sydney-based demographics, namely the Congolese community, Arabic-speaking community, and Mandarin-speaking community, offered their time and their experiences in a range of focus groups and interviews. Transcription and analysis then revealed three major themes reflecting how things like terminology, culture, migration, family dynamics, and other factors relate to and interact with perceptions of mental health.

Own Voices to drive change

The Federal Government will invest $8.5 million to enable people with lived experience of mental ill-health to shape the policies and programs that affect them. The announcement came on Monday as the Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler, and Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride hosted people with lived experience alongside experts, clinicians, and service providers at the Mental Health and Equity and Access Forum in Canberra.
Funding of $7.5 million will establish and operate two independent national mental health lived experience peak bodies - one representing consumers and the other representing carers, families and kin. Lived Experience Australia will also receive $900,000 to continue its work to lead lived experience research and build the capacity of consumer and carers.

SANE survey results released

A new survey of 1,000 people affected by persistent and severe mental illness and trauma gave a grim portrayal of the mental health system on Monday's forum. Respondents revealed that growing cost and a complex National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) pathway has resulted in a shocking number of people not receiving any form of mental health support.
The survey was conducted by SANE, who was invited to share their findings at the Federal Government Forum on mental health access and equity.

System overhaul will address compulsory treatment laws

An Independent Review Panel has started is reviewing Victoria's mental health compulsory treatment criteria, to ensure that the dignity and autonomy of people experiencing mental illness will be supported in the State's mental health system rebuild.
The Terms of Reference guiding the Independent Review were developed by community members including consumers, carers, family members, mental health workers and service providers with experience and connections to Aboriginal, LGBTQI+, disability and multicultural communities. The Independent Review panel is chaired by former Federal Court Judge Shane Marshall AM.

Open call for mental health and wellbeing providers

The Victorian State Government has opened the call for providers to deliver the next round of Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals, which will be established in seven more locations across the state this year.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals provide Victorians with community-based care with a focus on prevention and early intervention. These services will add to the first six Local Services that opened late last year.

New Advisory Council to tackle medical misogyny

Members of the new National Women's Health Advisory Council have been appointed, bringing together diverse expertise to examine the unique challenges that women and girls experience in the health system.
Growing evidence has shown that systemic issues in healthcare delivery and medical research mean women often suffer poorer health outcomes. Women disproportionately experience delayed diagnosis, overprescribing, and a failure to properly investigate symptoms.

Boost to mental health interpreting services

The Government is investing $7.8 million in interpreting services through Translating and Interpreting Services (TIS) National for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
Language services mean people with limited or no English language proficiency can access the services and programs they need. This removes a significant barrier faced by CALD Australians who seek mental health support. This funding will make interpreting services available through Primary Health Network-commissioned mental health services.

Student Wellbeing Boost coming in 2023

The Federal Government will invest $203.7 million in additional funding to all schools this year. On average each school will get $20,000, depending on its need and size. In addition to the boost, all Australian Education Ministers have signed a new five-year $307.18 million Federation Funding Agreement to deliver the National Student Wellbeing Program, which will be managed by the States and Territories.

Climate disasters continue to impact mental health

In its 2023 Pre-Budget Submission, the Australian Psychological Society (APS) has called on the Federal Government to commit to funding more mental health and psychological response services.
Confronting figures revealed in a Climate Council survey of 2,032 Australians show that since 2019, the majority (80%) reported they had experienced an extreme weather event such as heatwaves, flooding, and bushfires. A follow-up community-level survey with people who had experienced a disaster found that more than one-third of survey participants did not have sufficient support available to them.

Help further understanding of MS and mental health

Researchers at Monash University are seeking participants for a study that will explore the differences in mood symptoms between people with and without multiple sclerosis (MS).

If you are a person who does not have MS and would like to participate, or if you would like to find out more about the study, follow the link below.

Nominations are open

The Barbara Hocking Memorial Award is now open for nominations. If you know a person or organisation that has made an outstanding effort to support R U OK? in their community, and inspired others, we encourage you to nominate them. Learn more about the Awards at the link below.

Nominations close Sunday 19 of February.

Have your say

The ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research is still seeking input for its National FaPMI (Families and parents who experience mental ill-health) Priorities Survey. If you are a parent, or family member of a parent who experiences mental ill-health, click the link below to learn more or to participate in the survey.

Kookaburra Kids is looking for new team members

This role presents an excellent opportunity for an experienced, qualified Clinical Services Practitioner to join our busy team. Working as a key member of our Clinical Services team, the full-time Camp Clinician is responsible for providing on-site clinical support for camps, which operate on weekends (Friday to Sunday).
Your role will include:

• Providing clinical assessment, support, and ongoing management of young people within AKKF programs and services.
• Support employees and volunteers to monitor and manage clinical issues (including challenging behaviours) using best practice and least restrictive principles.
• Provide support to young people where emotional/ behavioural/ social difficulties are identified.
• Oversee the coordination of risk issues, including consulting with relevant employees, notifying appropriate persons and completion of documentation.
• Promote and model person-centered, culturally safe clinical guidance, providing professional support to employees and volunteers through proactive participation in activities and rapport building.

For more information, or to apply, follow the link below.

Anglicare is offering Suicide Prevention training

Anglicare's Suicide Prevention for Seniors Program equips those who support older people with the knowledge to help prevent suicide. The free program has expanded nationally and includes a general suicide prevention online course followed by a workshop contextualising the training for older people. The two parts should only take a total of 3 hours to complete.
This program is funded by the NSW and Australian governments.

Develop knowledge and skills when working with complex trauma

The Blue Knot Foundation will provide professional development training in 2023 to help build skills around trauma responsiveness, sensitivity, using a trauma lens, recognising and responding to types of trauma, and more. Grow your leadership capacity and skillset either face-to-face or in a virtual classroom in a training program suited to your role.

Community organisation addressing gaps in care

The Women's Mentoring Foundation (WMF) purpose is to improve service delivery for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities (CALD).

Australia is a multi-cultural country where the Stigma in diverse communities is still very much evidently impacting women and young people from CALD communities.

WMF is a registered Harm-Prevention organisation, bringing a range of approaches to the understanding and explanation of mental health, mental illness, overall wellbeing, and suicide prevention. WMF provides a framework for mental health in CALD populations that is specifically tailored to meet the needs of CALD women and young people.

WMF offers Peer counselling, education, and support resources. WMF clients build on their strengths and address areas for healing from traumas, mental and emotional health, self-paced improvement, acquiring new learnings, understanding, focus, confidence, awareness of mental health support, and strategies to support others.

Want to know what's up with the NDIS?

Registrations are still open for the National NDIS & Mental Health Conference. The conference is being held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney, and run by Community Mental Health Australia.