Welcome to the website of the Mental Health Community Coalition of the ACT

Staff Update

MHCC ACT is very pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Viereck to the role of Policy and Sector Development Manager. The Board and staff would like to welcome Simon to our team. We are delighted to have Simon join us, bringing with him a wealth of experience and exceptional academic credentials. Simon’s appointment will ensure the continuation and further development of some very important work for the Sector. Simon will be taking up his new post in early August.

Consumer & Carer Caucus Meeting

The first Consumer & Carer Caucus meeting for 2009 was held on the evening of Monday 4 May at the Griffin Centre. It was great to see so many people attend, making it a very productive evening where the agenda was discussed with vigor. Agenda items included the March Quarterly Forum, the ACT Mental Health Act, Capacity Based Legislation, the June Quarterly Forum, the ACT Mental Health Services Plan and the 4^th National Mental Health Plan.

The next Caucus meeting will be:

Where: Room 13, Level 3, Griffin Centre, 20 Genge Street, Canberra City

When: Tuesday 7 July 2009, 5.00 pm – 7.30 pm

ACT Social Enterprise Hub Launch – 30 June 2009

“The world is changing and the ethos of social enterprises makes them a legitimate and growing business model for the 21st century. The delivery of high quality service, with all the profit being invested back into the community, is a model that will become increasingly impossible to ignore.”
John Elkington, Founder and Chief Entrepreneur of SustainAbility

Social Ventures Australia (SVA), in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers, ACT Health, the ACT Mental Health Community Coalition (MHCC ACT), Disability ACT and the Snow Foundation officially launched the ACT Social Enterprise Hub with Jon Stanhope, Chief Minister, Australian Capital Territory on 30 June 2009. Social Enterprise Hubs offer practical business support to social enterprises, helping to increase their sustainability and effectiveness in providing employment opportunities for those marginalised in the labour market. Mandy Richards, ACT Hub Co-ordinator is working from the MHCC ACT premises on this very important initiative.

Strategic Planning Process

MHCC ACT is currently undertaking a strategic planning process. As part of that process, members, staff, board and affiliated groups were asked to take part in an online questionnaire to provide feedback to the consultant who is facilitating the process. We would like to thank all those who took the time to take part in the questionnaire, your feedback has been invaluable. As the process develops and moves forward, more information will be posted on the website to keep everyone informed. Watch this space.

Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA)

 

Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA), is a new national alliance between the state and territory peaks that aims to support the development and promotion of mental health community sector services. 

Not-for-profit community services are an integral component of Australia’s mental health service system, leading the way in the promotion of social inclusion and recovery focused support and care. The sector has grown considerably over recent years and includes over 800 specialist and generalist non-government community groups and psychiatric disability support agencies across Australia. The sector has long been supported by the state and territory mental health peak organisations who have worked consistently in their jurisdictions to promote a range of sector development, workforce and funding issues.    

In March 2008, the state and territory peaks agreed that a more effective and collaborative way was needed to promote community sector industry issues at a national level. The CMHA alliance was created in order to allow the state and territory peaks to achieve the following objectives:   

·         Develop a better national understanding of community mental health and recovery services

·         Coordinate the development of the community mental health industry/sector across all states and territories

·         Proactively pursue involvement within national mental health policy and service development arenas

·         Establish partnerships with national stakeholders to achieve shared mental health reform goals

CMHA partners are currently working on a range of projects which includes the first national sector development project, funded by FAHCSIA and auspiced by VICSERV and additional policy and workforce development projects.  The community mental health sector has in many ways come of age over the last 30 years and since the COAG National Action Plan community services are being recognized as an integral partner in the reform process.  For further information on CMHA please contact your state/territory peak mental health organisation. A web site is currently being developed at www.cmha.org.au and will go live in the coming weeks.

Senate Community Affairs Committee Inquiry into Mental Health Services - Towards Recovery: Mental Health Services in Australia

MHCC ACT welcomes the findings of the Senate Community Affairs Committee Inquiry into Mental Health Services.   “The committee has made a number of recommendations aimed at setting a clearer future for mental health in Australia and considers that further investment, leadership and cooperation are required to achieve an adequate community-based, recovery-focussed mental health care system in Australia”. To view the report please visit: http://www.aph.gov.au/SENATE/COMMITTEE/CLAC_CTTE/mental_health/report/index.htm

Review of the ACT Mental Health (Treatment and Care) Act

The MHCCACT and its members have closely followed the Review of the ACT Mental Health (Treatment and Care) Act. The Coalition has urged the review to explore alternative legal frameworks to stand-alone mental health legislation which is less stigmatizing and more reflective of modern mental health service delivery, treatment, practice and knowledge.

The Coalition has joined with the ACT Mental Health Consumer Network, ACT Mental Health Carers Alliance and Carers ACT to call for the establishment of a legal framework for advanced mental health care directives. An Advanced Care Directives Working Group meets regularly to progress work on this important matter.

 

Follow the Review's progress:

Stage 2 Consultation Report, AEQUITAS Communications, April 2008

MHCCACT’s Response to the Options Paper, March 2008

Options Paper ACT Health, November 2007

MHCCACT’s Response to the Discussion Paper, October 2006

Discussion Paper ACT Health, August 2006

MHCCACT’s Response to Scoping Document, September 2005

Scoping Document, ACT Health, September 2005

 

Relevant ACT Legislation

Mental Health (Treatment & Care) Act 1994

Guardianship and Management of Property Act 1991

Human Rights Act 2005

Public Advocate Act 2005

Health Records (Privacy and Access) Act 1997

 

Follow the progress of the Advanced Directives Working Group:

Paper prepared by Dr Penny Weller, Rethinking Mental Health Laws, Faculty of Law, Monash University

Draft Implementation Framework, Karen Blake

Draft Crisis Card, Michael Firestone

New Zealand Mental Health Care Directives, information brochure for service users

Join our Working Group! email admin@mhccact.org.au for details

 

The MHCCACT’s work for the Review has been led by Dr Leanne Craze, one of the authors of the Model Australian Mental Health Law (Cwlth Dept Health and Ageing 1994) and currently a member of the Rethinking Mental Health Laws, Faculty of Law, Monash University. Leanne was engaged by ACT health to research and write the Discussion Paper for the Review. The Coalition has also benefited from the advice of Professor Duncan Chappell, an internationally respected mental health law academic.The Coalition has also been assisted by the hard work of its Consumer and Carer Caucus and member organizations who have set aside considerable time to provide both oral and written comments.

Fourth Nation Mental Health Plan 2009-2014 Consultations

The Fourth National mental health Plan 2009- 2014 is now in its final stage.The Australian Health Minister’s Advisory Committee is seeking your input.To comment on the Plan please go to www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=t8aqeg18kl1_2fL0wIb_2f3rFQ_3d_3d To view the Letter from mark Cormack, click here. To view the Mental Health Plan, click here