Latest News from the Coalition

Mental Health Week 7th - 13th October - Mental Health Week preparations are well under way with a mental health working committee meeting fortnightly. The theme this year is Talk Support Recover.

Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA)

Community Mental Health Australia, promoting the importance and benefits of community mental health and recovery services across Australia. Visit the website here 
 

NDIS News 
 

The NDIA released its latest quarterly report which shows the NDIS is now supporting close to 200,000 Australians with almost one in three accessing supports for the first time. The Quarterly Report for the period 1 April, 2018 - 30 June 2018. Highlights from the report include:

• As at 30 June 2018, there were 183,965 Australians being supported by the NDIS, representing a 13 per cent growth on previous quarter;
• 54,802 people had received support for the first time under the NDIS;
• 71 per cent of participants aged 25 and over indicated the NDIS has helped them with Daily Living Activities; and
• 88 per cent of participants surveyed reported a satisfaction rating of ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

NDIS in the Northern Territory. Click here. 

NDIS Newsletter - to view.

Understanding Participant Choice in the NDIS - Survey
National Disability Services (NDS) is partnering with the Institute for Choice at the University of South Australia to conduct a survey about how current (and prospective) NDIS participants make choices about service provider, what they value and don't. The online survey also gives people an opportunity to comment on associated issues like the quality of planning, assess to advocacy, and the availability of services and supports. NDS has developed resources to support people to participate in the study, available here. To access the survey click here.

The NDIA has released three new participant booklets available on the NDIS website. 
Booklet 1 – Understanding the NDIS, booklet 1 covers: 
Learning about the NDIS, Deciding whether to apply for the NDIS and Accessing the NDIS.

A key recommendation of the recent Pathway Review was to provide clear and more detailed information to assist people to understand and navigate the NDIS.
 
The booklets provide practical information for participants, potential participants, their families, carers and the wider community to use throughout their NDIS journey. As a key resource in navigating the NDIS, the booklets are intended for use throughout a participant’s journey and can be used to record key information write questions and collect thoughts.
 
Thank you for supporting the development and testing of the booklets. The booklets will be reviewed every six months to ensure they meet the needs of participants. If you have feedback, please let us know.
 
You can download a copy of the participant booklets from the NDIS website. Easy English versions of the booklets are also available on the NDIS website. Braille and versions in languages other than English will available in the coming months. Printed copies will also be available from September from our NDIA and Partner in the Community Offices or by contacting the NDIA Contact Centre on 1800 800 110.

Commonwealth Mental Health Programs Monitoring Project.
In partnership, CMHA and The University of Sydney will collate, analyse and report, on data available regarding the transition of Personal Helpers and Mentors (PHaMs), Partners in Recovery (PIR) and Day to Day Living (D2DL) clients to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The project is being funded and supported by the National Mental Health Commission. 

A set of broadly representative providers from each of the three programs (PHaMS, D2DL & PIR) across each state and territory will be identified and engaged to provide data on a quarterly basis. This will ensure that a consistent, comparable set of data is collected nationally. The NT Mental Health Coalition is working with its members to provide a spread of data across the Northern Territory.The University of Sydney have contacted providers and will be finalising the list.

The first data collection will begin this month and will be for a 3 month period – August to October 2018.

If you have any questions about the project, please contact Amanda Bresnan, CMHA on 0417 193 407 or abresnan@cmha.org.au

Representation
Federal Department of Health Mental Health and Aged Care Working Group.
CMHA is represented on the recently formed Department of Health Mental Health and Aged Care Working Group. Angus Clelland, CEO Mental Health Victoria is a member of CMHA and as CMHA’s representative, along with representatives from mental health and aged care peak bodies, Primary Health Networks and carers of older people with mental illness. The Working Group is looking at ways to improve access to psychological services in residential aged care. The Working Group attended a workshop on 26 July to discuss the “Improved Access to Psychological Services in Residential Care” initiative, which was announced as part of the 2018-19 “More Choices for a Longer Life” Federal Government Budget Package. The initiative is intended to address the lack of access to psychological therapies by residents living in a Residential Aged Care Facility. The Federal Department of Health has circulated a communique from the workshop outlining a summary of the measure and key outcomes from the working group discussion.

Meetings
CMHA has been involved in the following meetings and events (including upcoming meetings):

• NDIS Mental Health Sector Reference Group - 1 August
• NDIA CEO Forum – meeting on dispute resolution and AAT hearings – 2 August
• NDIA CEO Forum – 3 August
• National Women’s Health Forum – 8 August
• Office of the Public Advocate Victoria – 9 August
• Lidia Thorpe, Member for Northcoate and Victorian Greens Mental Health spokesperson – 13 August
• Typical Supports Packages Final Project Management Group meeting – 14 August
• ACOSS Board meeting – 15 August
• Central Coast PIR NDIS Forum – 17 August
• Expert Advisory Group National Disability Service Providers Benchmarking Survey – 30 August
• Mental Health Reform Stakeholder Group Meeting – 6 September

Other News

Wesley Lifeforce would like to invite people to attend the 2018 Suicide Memorial Service, details below. The aim is to support those that have been impacted by suicide. A Memorial wall will be available for people to place a photo and a message of love on during the service... Click here to download the flyer

World Suicide Prevention Day Event - Alice Springs, Wednesday 12 September.
Join us for a smoking ceremony, guest speakers, music and a commemorative event aimed at helping with your reflections and healing. Click here to download the flyer 

World Suicide Prevention Day Toolkit - Suicide Prevention Australia                                                     
help raise awareness of World Suicide Prevent Day 2018. (#WSPD2018) on Monday 10 September?
The theme of #WSPD2018 is Working together to prevent suicide. Some key ways to show your support and you can download all digital promotional material. assets

Black Dog's Bite Back Program Relaunch   
Black Dog's Bite Back program for young Australians has been relaunched. The program is a free online positive psychology tool for young people aged 12-18. The evidence-based program was redesigned with input from young Australians and features modules to assist with reducing stress, building resilience, improving relationships and focus, and goal-setting. Users collect a token after completing various activities, quizzes and stories each week, with three tokens unlocking the chance to win a $250 voucher for popular brands.
 

 Sleeping rough: a profile of Specialist Homelessness Services     clients.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released a new report Sleeping rough: A profile of Specialist Homelessness Services clients. The report provides insights into this complex and vulnerable group in our society, using four years of Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) data to build a comprehensive picture of this group, the challenges they face and the services they use. The report shows that compared to other clients of SHS rough sleepers are generally older males, often with drug, alcohol or mental health issues. To read the full report click here





 

Events, Conferences & Training

The NDSNT BIG THINKING ON INCLUSION CONFERENCE program will include presentations from keynote and invited speakers. The NDSNT Big Thinking On Inclusion Conference features Dylan Alcott OAM, one of Australia’s most successful and well-recognised Paralympians, entrepreneur, co-founder of Get Skilled Access, and media personality.
 
We also want to showcase Territory talent in two hours of power and are calling for abstracts from presenters... click here to see flyer
 
National Disability Conference Initiative 2018-19. 
The Australian Government is inviting applications through an open process to apply for the Disability, Mental Health and Carers Program – Disability and Carer Support - National Disability Conference Initiative. The initiative provides funding of up to $10,000 for disability-related conferences with a national focus planned for the 2018-19 year. For more information.  

Australian Psychosis Conference, Sydney 14 - 16 September 2018.
The Australian Psychosis Conference aims to bring together researchers, clinicians, consumers and carers, and all who are interested in the best possible outcomes for people with a psychotic illness. For more information on the Conference. 
 

44th International Mental Health Nursing Conference, Cairns 24 - 25 October. The theme for this year is, 'Mental Health is a Human Right'. For more information and to register.    

2nd Annual Mental Health & NDIS conference - 31 October - 1 November 2018.
Melbourne Convention Centre. To register or for more information.
 

NIDAC18 - The 5th National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Conference 6 - 9 November - Adelaide Convention Centre. The theme of this Conference, ‘Responding to Complexity’, acknowledges the range of issues including chronic health problems; injuries from assaults; homelessness; criminal offences and incarceration; and social disruptions including family and cultural breakdown that accompany harmful alcohol and other drug use. Mental health issues are a common comorbidity, which along with the continually challenging nature of alcohol and drugs and their use, means that people presenting to alcohol and drug services typically have complex, multiple needs. To register or for more information. 

FASD Conference - The 2nd Australasian FASD Conference is fast approaching, with the theme FASD Our Science, Our Stories. Perth on the 21st and 22nd of November. The conference theme reflects the strong partnerships that exist between researchers, practitioners and families in this field. For more information about the conference.

The National Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference and the World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference: 20 - 23 November in Perth WA. Further conference updates to follow on the Centre of Best Practice Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention website. Click here to view.
     
TeamHEALTH will be running a 2 day Youth MHFA Workshop on the 27^th and 28^th of September.
The course teaches you how to assist people who are developing a mental health problem or are in a mental health crisis. You will learn about adolescent development, the signs and symptoms of the common and disabling mental health problems in young people, where and how to get help when a young person is developing a mental illness, what sort of help has been shown by research to be effective, and how to provide first aid in a crisis situation. Click here to register.

Border Personality Disorder (BPD) - professional development opportunity to clinicians within your network. Five webinars starting on the 26 September. Free Borderline Personality Disorder webinar series for practitioners.
To Register for the fifth webinar in this professional development series, Management of self-injury and suicidality, to be held on Wednesday 26 September, 7.15pm – 8.30pm AEST.
 
Basing discussions on a case study, hear presentations from an expert panel, who will discuss non-suicidal self-injury and suicidality in BPD, analyse risk factors and highlight strategies for non-suicidal self-injury and suicide risk.  Funded by the Australian Government and produced by the Mental Health Professionals’ Network, in partnership with the Australian BPD Foundation and Spectrum Personality Disorder Service for Victoria, the series will help practitioners improve understanding of the complexities of BPD and better support people living with BPD and their families.
 
Practitioner webinar: Management of self-injury and suicidality
Register for this webinar to be held on Wed 26 Sep at 7.15pm – 8.30pm AEST. Funded by the Australian Government, this webinar is free for practitioners and eligible for RACGP QI & CPD points, ACCRM points and CPD self-report.
 
 

Employment