QMHC eNews—Issue 48 December 2017

Since the release of the Your voice, one vision consultation report in October, we have been busy formulating a new plan.

The consultation report was an important milestone as it brought together evidence, expert opinion and the wisdom of people with lived experience, their families and carers. It is a solid base from which to build the new strategic plan.

The question that drives me, that is foremost in my mind with every decision we make around the plan is simply this: what will make a meaningful difference? This has been the guiding principle behind crafting a focused, achievable agenda with clear, actionable priorities.

Your guidance throughout has been vital, and we intend to hold further consultation in 2018 so we can test our assumptions and thinking with you.

Your views and support remain critical to our collective success. We must stand together—government, non-government, community, consumers and carers—because no one can drive real, long-lasting system change by standing alone.

I look forward to your continued support along the journey in 2018.

Have a safe and happy holiday season.

Ivan Frkovic

Queensland Mental Health Commissioner

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Connect with the Commission on Linkedin

The holiday season is meant to be about good times spent with those we care about, but for many it is also a challenging time. 

If you or someone you care about is struggling with depression or anxiety, there are many great support services available to help you through the season.

Find support services.

The National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health, led by Emerging Minds, has been established to identify, assess and support children at risk. Based on evidence that indicates the best way to support infant and child mental health is through early intervention and prevention, the centre will provide online and on-the-ground support and resources to clinical and non-clinical professionals.

Learn more about the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health.

Since its launch more than 26 years ago, Kids Helpline has answered more than 7.5 million calls. The service has just launched a new website, aimed at making the help-seeking journey easier for kids, teens, young adults, parents and schools.

Go take a look.

It’s a fraught journey from childhood into adulthood for many of us. Add to the mix binge drinking, partying, family violence, social media, and the complexities of friendship, and it’s no wonder many of our youth struggle.

With funding through the Commission’s grant program, arts company Phunktional was able to take its theatre production Love Drunk to Far North Queensland. Through a series of performances and workshops, young people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds learnt more about how to make safe life-choices and how to get assistance.

The school performances—reaching more than 1400 students from 11 schools—and two community performances provided opportunities for young people to talk with their teachers and local health professionals in a safe and supported way.

The grant funding also helped deliver workshops on respectful relationships and dance. Given some youth find it challenging to talk about risk-taking behaviours, the dance workshops encourage active participation to help reduce feelings of isolation and improve mental and physical health and wellbeing.

To ensure genuine community engagement, representatives from local community, health, legal and education organisations and Indigenous Elders came together to guide project planning and delivery.

See Love Drunk on tour in Moree.

Find out more about the grant program.

The Queensland Mental Health and Drug Advisory Council is hitting the road in 2018. As part of a commitment to better engage with and understand the needs of regional Queenslanders, the Queensland Mental Health and Drug Advisory Council will hold some meetings in regional centres. 

The regional locations for meetings will be announced in 2018. The dates for next year’s meetings and the council’s November communique are now available.

See the 2018 Council meeting dates and November Communique.

The Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) maintains a comprehensive list of grants available to community and social service organisations on its website.

Visit the Queensland Council of Social Service.

• National register of mental health consumer and carer representatives—For organisations seeking consumer and carer representation, the national register is a pool of trained mental health consumer and carer representatives from across Australia, who provide a consumer and carer voice in the mental health sector.

• Is it okay to ignore Christmas? Join the Sane Forum discussion—19 December.
• Inclusive communication—The language we use matters, and thanks to EMR Alliance resources and workshops have been developed to help service providers ensure they use language that makes people feel welcomed, valued and understood.