QMHC eNews - Issue 27 | Queensland Mental Health Commission

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The Commissioner meeting with a group of mental health carers. Our thanks to Arafmi Queensland for organising the meeting.

3 Feb 2016

Commissioner's Update

The year ahead

It is shaping to be a positive year ahead.

Last year the Commission developed and released several Action Plans and reports, including:

This year we start the important task of monitoring and driving the implementation of the Action Plans. The key word is Action!

And there are two more Action Plans getting underway:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing
Rural and Remote Mental Health and Wellbeing

I look forward to my first ever visit to Longreach next week to talk to locals about their mental health and drug and alcohol service needs.

I’ll also be stopping in at Mackay. More visits to rural and remote areas will be scheduled over the next few months, as we hold conversations to support the development of the rural and remote action plan.

Later this month we will also hold conversations with stakeholders to support development of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing action plan. Keep an eye out in March for a discussion paper which will be open for public consultation.

Latest news

Queensland’s mental health and wellbeing

For the first time, Queensland has a report on the state of our mental health and wellbeing.

In December 2015 we released the 2015 Performance Indicators report – the first comprehensive set of measures to benchmark and track improvements in our mental health and wellbeing.

It tracks our mental health, experiences of discrimination, our alcohol and drug use, economic and community participation, personal connections, physical health, satisfaction with public mental health services, ability to access services and consumer, family and carer jobs.

The report is the first step towards reporting on the six long-term outcomes of the Queensland Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Strategic Plan 2014-2019 and delivers Shared Commitment 8.

See which measures show where Queensland is doing well, and where we can do better.

Get a copy of the Performance Indicators report and read the media release

Agent of Change

Late last year The Courier Mail’s QWeekend published an article ‘Agent of Change’ about the Mental Health Commissioner.

In the article the Commissioner talks about the role and expectations of the QMHC, influencing decision-makers to create change and the importance of prevention and early intervention to improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes in Queensland.

We managed to get a copy in case you missed it. Download the article from our website

Lived experience

New complaints information

Have you ever had a complaint about the mental health, alcohol and drug sector? Did you lodge a formal complaint? Was it clear how to lodge a complaint or who to lodge it with?

We have often heard how frustrating the process of making a complaint in Queensland can be and the difficulty in finding the right agency to lodge a complaint with.

We are developing a wallet card to de-mystify the complaint system and give practical guidance about making complaints related to mental health, drug and alcohol services. It will be backed up with comprehensive information on our website.

It’s currently a proto-type and we will appreciate your input to refine it.

Have your say

The draft wallet card and website content will be released next week for public consultation.

Keep an eye on our website, Facebook page or on Twitter to have your say.

A Human Rights Act for Queensland

The Queensland Parliament is inquiring into whether Queensland should have a Human Rights Act. You can make a submission until 18 April 2016. Get more information

We will be making a submission on the effectiveness of current laws and mechanisms for protecting human rights in Queensland and possible improvements, specifically for people with mental illness.

Be heard

We want to hear from you – particularly in relation to possible improvements to the current system. We’ll be considering all comments we receive for our submission.

You can make your comments on our Facebook page or email us at info@qmhc.qld.gov.au.

We will also be holding a workshop – let us know if you are interested in attending.

Help improve engagement

Share your ideas on how to improve the way service users and their supporters are engaged in the design and delivery of mental health, alcohol and other drugs services.

Kicking off on 8 February, the Stretch2Engage online think tank is part of a project funded by QMHC. It invites you to register and join passionate thinkers from the worlds of business, arts and government to explore innovative ideas on engagement for service design and what we might learn from other sectors.

The online think tanks are open to anyone with an interest in improving services and will be followed by two face to face think tanks in Brisbane and Cairns.

Alcohol and other drugs

National Family Drug Support Day

QMHC is proud to support Australia’s first National Family Drug Support Day being held on 24 February 2016.

Drug use can happen in any family. National Family Drug Support Day aims to highlight the need for families to not only be recognised and heard but to be supported and encouraged to speak about their concerns and their needs.

Get involved in a number of events being held around Australia. Register for an event near you.

Global Drug Survey 2016

The Global Drug Survey 2016 ‘Separating fact from fiction’ has launched.

Take part in this year’s Global Drug Survey and you will be contributing to the biggest survey of drug use patterns in the world. The survey is anonymous and confidential.

Take the survey or watch the GDS 2016 video

Act on Alcohol

Lives Lived Well have launched Act on Alcohol, a new website to provide a wide range of useful information and tools for individuals and Queensland communities to take action on alcohol.

Get the facts, browse through the library of resources and keep up-to-date on the latest news and current affairs about alcohol. On this website, as well as being able to find basic information about alcohol, you will be able to access resources to plan a community alcohol project, run a community forum and engage with the media.

Visit the website

Other news

Brickbats or bouquets?

Planning for Queensland Mental Health Week 2016 has already started, but we need you to tell us how it can improve.

Help make Mental Health Week 2016 even better by giving your feedback on 2015 and your brilliant ideas for 2016.

Fill in the #QMHW15 survey. Closes 29 February.

Mental Health in Multicultural Australia

Mental Health Australia is seeking your views on possible future directions for the Mental Health in Multicultural Australia (MHiMA) Project.

People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who are either living with or caring for someone with mental illness, or people who work with these populations are particularly encouraged to comment.

Read the consultation paper to find out more about the MHiMA project or for information about how to make your comments.

Keep an eye out for the QMHC’s submission on our website in the coming weeks.

Language of recovery

Make your language matter in 2016.

Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC) is offering an interactive e-learning course to explore how language is used within mental health settings and the broader community.

How can your language limit or exclude others? How can it challenge, empower and inspire?

Explore the use of language through a range of learning activities and videos, including consumer, carer and worker perspectives on language and mental health.

Get more information

Council update

Last meeting

At the Council’s last meeting of 2015, Council members identified three areas for particular focus in 2016:

Rural and remote service provision
Issues for culturally and linguistically diverse Queenslanders
Integration of mental health and drug and alcohol services.

This meeting was the final meeting for several members of the council whose terms expire this month. The Council also farewelled Prof Harvey Whiteford, who has resigned from his role as Chair to take up an exciting opportunity with the United Nations.

We are looking forward to announcements by the Minister of a new Chair and additional members.

Read the meeting communique

Sector News

LGBTIQ Symposium

Enhance your understanding of the challenges that affect LGBTIQ people by attending the LGBTIQ Symposium on 11 February 2016.

The symposium will cover a number of points of interest by speakers with a wealth of experience in gender, sexuality and community services.

Get more information or register here

Surveys

CheckUp Outreach Needs Assessment Survey – Is there an urgently needed service in your community? Could visiting services be better coordinated? CheckUP invites you to provide feedback on the need for Outreach health services across Queensland. The information collected will be used as part of a broader population needs analysis to identify and prioritise gaps in visiting health services as well as improving the coordination and integration of these services into the community. Take the survey

Grants

Gambling Community Benefit Fund – Grants up to $35,000 are available to not-for-profit community groups throughout Queensland. Apply
Family and Child Connect and Intensive Family Support services – Organisations are invited to submit tenders for funding of community-based intake and referral services, known as Family and Child Connect, to cover Mackay, Cairns and Cape York/Torres Strait catchments. Funding is also available for new Intensive Family Support services to support Family and Child Connect. These services aim to help vulnerable families by connecting them to the right services at the right time so that they can care for their children safely at home. Applications close 12 February. More information
Auswide Bank 'Our Community' Grants Scheme – Auswide Bank provides small grants to not-for-profit organisations or local government authorities who hold an Auswide Bank account. They provide funding for charitable or benevolent purposes (in other words, for public good). More information here
Specialist Disability Accommodation Initiative – Grants up to $1 million is available to organisations through an open competitive process to deliver services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme – National Disability Insurance Scheme Transition – Sector Development Fund – Specialist Disability Accommodation Initiative outside the NDIS trial sites for the period April 2016 to 30 June 2017. Find out more
James N Kirby Foundation small grants – Organisations that provide innovative solutions and opportunities to those in our community who need it most can apply for a small grant. The Foundation considers requests under four categories, to support organisations and programs whose work benefits: education and technology, the environment, health, and social welfare and the arts. Applications close 28 February. More information
The Lord Mayor's Suburban Initiative Fund grants program – Applications up to $10,000 are available to community projects which contribute to the Brisbane Vision, by helping to achieve the aspiration to be a friendly and safe, active and healthy, clean and green or vibrant and creative city. More information or apply here

Resources

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health performance framework 2014 report: detailed analyses – The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released this report, giving the latest information on how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are faring in relation to a number of measures including social and emotional wellbeing, tobacco use, risky alcohol consumption and other drug use. Download the report
Carer Gateway – An initiative of the Australian Government, Carer Gateway provides information about the services and support available for people who care for someone with a disability, chronic illness, dementia, mental illness, or who are frail due to age. Carer Gateway will provide information for carers online and by phone: call 1800 422 737 or visit the website
Lived experience practitioners and the medical model: world’s colliding? – Journal article by Louise Byrne, Brenda Happell & Kerry Reid-Searl. Read the article
Mental Health and Work: Australia – This report on Australia is the last in a series looking at how the broader education, health, social and labour market policy challenges identified in Sick on the Job? Myths and Realities about Mental Health and Work (OECD, 2012) are being tackled. Read the report online
New Horizons: The review of alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia – This report, commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health, is the result of a strategic, whole of system review of the drug and alcohol treatment services sector and will be used to inform the Commonwealth’s approach to funding AOD services in the future. Get a copy of the report
Review of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Treatment Service Sector: Harnessing Good Intentions – The report discusses the needs, gaps and priorities for treatment services, including funding, and planning for more effective treatment services provision. Get a copy of the report
The art of being mentally healthy – Researchers at The University of Western Australia have found that engagement in the arts for enjoyment, entertainment or as a hobby, for two or more hours a week, is associated with good mental wellbeing. Read more

Events

4 February 2016 Engaging young men in mental health settings – This free webinar will examine barriers and facilitators to young men’s access to care, focussing on mechanisms to engage with young men who are seeking help and factors that may encourage young men to seek help in the future. Register
10 February 2016 Managing complex self-harm in young people – Orygen is holding this free webinar on how to work with complex and chronic patterns of self-harm which can be particularly challenging for clinicians. Register
12 February-4 March 2016 Managing Anxiety Workshops – Noosa Community Health Centre is offering free workshops. Call 5449 5944 to book.
19 February 2016 Attachment Narratives Workshop – One day workshop on how to work collaboratively with carers, parents, families and adults affected by attachment issues. More information
19 February-11 March 2016 Managing Anxiety Workshops – Caloundra Community Health Centre is offering free workshops. Call 5436 8552 to book.
17-18 February 2016 ASCA Trauma Training ‘Working therapeutically with people who have complex trauma histories’ – This two day interactive workshop provides participants with the knowledge and practice framework to enable them to establish safe, supportive, therapeutic relationships with people affected by abuse, neglect and/or attachment trauma. More information
18-19 February 2016 Annual TheMHS Summer Forum – Sydney. The topic for discussion during this 2-day conference is Cracks in the ice? Illicit drugs and the mental health impact on our communities. Register
1 & 2 March 2016 Batiba Guwiyal 'Extinguish the Flame' Conference 2016 – Brisbane. The Conference will look at effective work being undertaken in many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and aims to stimulate greater motivation for service providers, policy makers, researchers, academics and frontline workers to work collaboratively to ensure children and families affected by child sexual assault have access to the programs and services they need to continue on their road to healing and wellbeing. Find out more
15 March 2016 Seminar ‘Preventing Suicide: The Solution Focused Approach’ – The Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention is holding this evening seminar for therapists, counsellors and researchers. Presented by international expert John Henden, learn more about how lives can be saved from a solution focused perspective. More information or RSVP
22 March 2016 Consumer and Carer Co-Design in Mental Health – Melbourne. This National Conference will explore how consumers and carers can co-design mental health services with Primary Health Networks, service providers and practitioners. More information or register
23 & 24 March 2016 Mental Health issues at work – What’s my role? Health and Community Services Workforce Council is offering this online workshop which aims to give you tips on how to support a staff member experiencing mental health issues. Find out more

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