2. Program Overview
2.1 Background
In February 2006, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) recognised that mental health is a major problem within the Australian community and committed to reform the mental health system in Australia.
The community mental health sector is critical to the success of the COAG National Action Plan on Mental Health 2005-2011 with its emphasis on increased resources for non-clinical mental health care and a greater role for the sector.
In 2006, the Australian Government announced a number of measures to give effect to the COAG National Action Plan. One such measure is the Mental Health Community Based Program initiative, where $45.2 million has been allocated over five years to deliver local community-based projects targeting prevention and early intervention for families, carers, children and young people affected by mental illness.
2.2 Program Rationale
Family members and carers are often at the centre of community-based mental health care, providing the bulk of support and assistance, with limited specialised training and support of their own.
Family members and carers assist people with a mental illness in a wide range of areas. They may assist with housing, advocacy and employment, linking in with appropriate services, treatment, appointments, medication and transport. Most importantly, families and carers can provide a social network, supportive environment and a positive attitude that are all contributors to a person’s recovery.
Family members and carers affected by mental illness are in need of assistance to effectively fulfil their role. It is important to recognise that families, carers, children and young people providing care also have their own needs and issues to attend to. They can experience confusing and overwhelming feelings such as stress, anxiety, depression, concern, and frustration in their caring role. Family members need adequate education and support from within the community to help them to manage.
Family members and carers who are educated, trained and feel supported are better positioned to provide more effective support themselves. This contributes to the long term mental wellbeing and rehabilitation of the person with a mental illness, including improving medication compliance, reducing relapse, and promoting recovery.
Having these skills and knowledge more broadly in the community also enables people to better identify the early warning signs of a mental illness and offer support and early intervention. Preventative steps taken in a community to identify mental health issues can greatly reduce the overall impact of mental illness on a community in the longer term.
2.3 Links with the COAG National Action Plan
The COAG National Action Plan on Mental Health is a high level, overarching document that agrees on a long term strategy for all Australian, State and Territory Governments covering promotion, integration and coordination of mental health services. The plan also announces separate Australian and State and Territory Governments’ contributions to achieving the outcomes of the plan.
Both the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments, the private sector and non-government organisations provide care and support for people with mental illness. Governments have made significant investments in services over the past years, however from a consumer perspective, the responsibilities for action are not always clear. Services can overlap and result in fragmentation and poor connections between them. This has a detrimental impact on individuals who need to access services and is costly and inefficient.
The Plan outlines where Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments will significantly expand and improve their mental heath services, and access to them. It also defines opportunities where better connections will be made between services provided by different governments, and where greater collaboration and joint action will occur between governments, so that people with a mental illness are better supported to participate in the community.
More information on the COAG National Action Plan.
The Mental Health Community Based Program is targeted at supporting families, carers, children and young people affected by mental illness. The Program is linked to the COAG National Action Plan on Mental Health outcomes, in contributing to prevention and early intervention for target groups in the community context.
2.4 Program Description
The Mental Health Community Based Program funds projects to support families, carers, children and young people (aged 16-24) affected by mental illness. Projects target prevention and early intervention, with a particular focus on Indigenous families and those from a culturally and linguistically diverse background.
The Program’s focus on Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse communities means that at least one quarter of all funded projects have a focus on one or more of these communities.
Projects are evidence based and evidence generating and/or expand on previous learnings. They link directly to the broad Mental Health Community Based Program outcomes.
2.5 Mental Health Community Based Program Outcomes
The planned outcomes of the Mental Health Community Based Program projects are taken from the COAG National Action Plan on Mental Health. The broad outcomes are:
- Reducing the prevalence and severity of mental illness in Australia.
- Reducing the prevalence of risk factors that contribute to the onset of mental illness and prevent longer term recovery.
- Increasing the proportion of people with an emerging or established mental illness who are able to access the right health care and other relevant community services at the right time, with a particular focus on early intervention.
- Increasing the ability of people with a mental illness to participate in the community, employment, education and training, including through an increase in access to stable accommodation.
2.6 Mental Health Community Based Program Objectives
The broad objectives of the Mental Health Community Based Program under the outcomes of the COAG National Action Plan on Mental Health around prevention and early intervention are to:
- Develop a sound evidence base and practical framework for broader mental health intervention in a community context,
- Empower and strengthen families through information, education and skills development,
- Develop more effective parenting, relationships, and communication strategies employed within families that are affected by mental illness,
- Provide enhanced support for children of parents with a mental illness,
- Improve the emotional health and wellbeing of family members and carers,
- Increase community awareness and understanding of mental health issues and the impact of mental illness on families,
- Improve family functioning and social support for families, carers, children and young people affected by mental illness,
- Improve capacity for prevention and early intervention for mental illness,
- Increase resilience and coping skills for program participants,
- Increase awareness and understanding of mental health issues in the community.
2.7 Mental Health Community Based Program Outputs
Outputs of the Mental Health Community Based Program may include, but are not limited to:
- Projects that are able to demonstrate how they will use and develop evidence and/or expand on previous learnings which can be more broadly applied,
- Coping skills courses/workshops,
- Parenting skills courses for parents and carers of children with a mental illness,
- Resource and advice services,
- Support networks/groups in regional/remote areas,
- Mentoring programs,
- Community engagement programs,
- Community awareness programs, targeting local communities, or specific culturally and linguistically diverse or Indigenous communities,
- Preventative programs that enable communities to identify the early warning signs of mental illness, and offer support.
2.8 Mental Health Community Based Program - Program Logic
