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The MHCA and the National Mental Health Commission will be co-hosting a second meeting of the Council of Non-Government Organisations on Mental Health (CONGO) in Canberra on 21 May 2013 for members and stakeholdersto progress the development of appropriate and meaningful mental health indicators and targets at the national level.

At the second CONGO meeting, we hope to gather your views on which national indicators and targets would show whether governments and service providers are making a genuine difference in the lives of people with mental health difficulties. We will also be inviting several academics and thought leaders to contribute.

We hope you can join us for this important meeting.  A copy of the agenda can be downloaded below.

Since the inaugural Council of Non-Government Organisations on Mental Health (CONGO) meeting in Canberra in October 2012, there have been significant developments in mental health at the national level which are likely to create important opportunities for CONGO members to effect lasting impact on both the national reform agenda, as well as on the lived experience of people affected by mental health issues. These include the release of the National Mental Health Commission’s first ever National Report Card on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and COAG’s long-awaited Roadmap for National Mental Health Reform.

This Briefing Paper captures the range of issues agreed by CONGO members at the October meeting, as well as key findings and implications arising out of the Commission’s Report Card and COAG’s Roadmap.

The purpose of this paper is to inform the establishment, in early 2013, of a national leadership group to take forward a reform agenda on behalf of CONGO members – providing a focus for the group itself, and the broader CONGO membership, to begin work on developing and advocating for this important agenda. Importantly, the paper flags a number of guiding principles and models which will ensure that the new leadership group gives effect to inclusive processes to engage with and include stakeholders and people with lived experience.

The MHCA will provide further advice in the New Year regarding arrangements for the establishment of the CONGO national leadership group.

Please direct any questions or comments to policy@mhca.org.au

The open letter to COAG outlines areas in which specific targets should be set, including: early intervention and prevention, participation in education, suicide, levels of stigma and awareness, levels of social participation and timely access to necessary and effective services.

For a copy of the media release: "Mental health sector calls COAG to action", click here.

A copy of the letter can be downloaded here.

Ms Jackie Crowe, National Mental Health Commissioner, co-launched the MHCA Recognition and Respect Mental Health Carers Report 2012 at Parliament House on Wednesday, 28 November 2012 with the Hon Mark Butler, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, and Senator Jan McLucas, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers.

Jackie has worked in the area of mental health at a local, state, national and international level. She is a passionate campaigner for social justice, empowerment, mental wellbeing and improved services for those affected by mental health issues and their families.

Below is a copy of her address at this event.

The Recognition and Respect: Mental Health Carers Report 2012 builds on the ground-breaking work of Adversity to Advocacy: the lives and hopes of mental health carers (2009) and the Mental Health Carers report 2010. The report provides an insight into the lives of some of the most dedicated yet vulnerable members of our community: people who regularly carer for someone with a mental illness.

The report is based on a survey of 508 mental health carers focussing on the 15 key issues identified in the 2008-2009 workshops and describes carers perspectives on the services available to them and the people for whom they care.

For a copy of the full media release, please click here.

For a copy of Jackie Crowe's address at this event, please click here.

On 9 October 2012, the Mental Health Council of Australia and the National Mental Health Commission hosted Australia’s inaugural Council of Non-Government Organisations (CONGO) on Mental Health in Canberra.

The aim of the CONGO was to bring together senior representatives from leading organisations across the mental health, employment, housing and social welfare sectors to discuss how Australia’s non-government organisations can foster a better integrated, better coordinated response to mental health.

The gathering committed to establishing a national vision for Australia to lead the world in mental health by 2022, so that within 10 years Australia is acknowledged internationally as the world leader in mental health services, programs, and outcomes.

Read more in the attached CONGO Communique.

On 9 October 2012, the Mental Health Council of Australia and the National Mental Health Commission hosted Australia’s inaugural Council of Non-Government Organisations (CONGO) on Mental Health in Canberra.

The aim of the CONGO was to bring together senior representatives from leading organisations across the mental health, employment, housing and social welfare sectors to discuss how Australia’s non-government organisations can foster a better integrated, better coordinated response to mental health.

The gathering committed to establishing a national vision for Australia to lead the world in mental health by 2022, so that within 10 years Australia is acknowledged internationally as the world leader in mental health services, programs, and outcomes.

Read more in the attached CONGO Meeting Report.

This summary report is based on presentations and discussion among stakeholder participants as well as further analysis and commentary by MHCA and FaHCSIA staff. Valuable and wide ranging perspectives were captured from both carers and respite service providers, including insights directly relevant to the expansion of the Mental Health Respite: Carer Support program as well as more general issues.

The MHCA 2011-12 Annual Report was tabled at our Annual General Meeting on 9 October 2012.

Mental Health Council of Australia Incorporated full financial statements

This groundbreaking report details the scope and nature of stigma experienced by mental health consumers when seeking support and treatment from mental health and other health professionals.

The Ten Year Roadmap Workshop brought together Government, service providers, consumers and carers from around Australia, to discuss the establishment and priority focus for development of a Roadmap, to build on the 4th Mental Health Plan and to direct policy, planning and implementation in the 2011-12 Federal Budget mental health package.

Change process, holistic focus, workforce development, employment, and stigma reduction were the five key themes highlighted at the ten-year roadmap workshop to be considered in the mental health reform process over there next decade.

The Coordinated Care and Service Integration Workshop brought together service providers from around Australia, to discuss implementation challenges and opportunities related to the coordinated care and flexible funding initiative announced in the 2011-12 Budget.

Government, service providers, consumers and carers came together at the National Mental Health Commission Workshop to discuss the establishment and priority focus for the new commission.  The participants identified many risks and opportunities throughout the workshop.

There is considerable concern about the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers in immigration detention centres, particularly for those who are held for prolonged and indefinite periods. Research evidence and mental health sector organisations support a number of changes to minimise the negative psychological impact of immigration detention.

Adversity to Advocacy: The Lives and Hopes of Mental Health Carers is a landmark report representing the first attempt to monitor, measure and record the experience of mental health carers.

This first national survey of Australian mental health carers reveals the 15 key issues that affect mental health carers and provides the first ever national report card on how well Australia is managing these issues.

This report details the results of a national survey undertaken by the MHCA and beyondblue: the national depression initiative in 2011, which captures the experiences of Australians with lived experience of mental illness in applying for, or making claims against insurance products.

The MHCA held 14 forums across the country between 30 November – 17 December 2010, which enabled the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP to hear about the critical issues facing the mental health sector firsthand from mental health consumers, carers and other stakeholders.

This document provides a summary of the key themes and critical issues raised in these forums.

The Mental Health Carers Report 2010 provides the first quantifiable measure of the issues and concerns of Australian mental health carers.

The survey builds on the groundbreaking work of Adversity to Advocacy: the lives and hopes of mental health carers, where carers attended 116 workshops nationally to identify the key issues which affected their lives and the lives of the people they care for. Fifteen key issues emerged from the workshops and formed the basis of the 50 question survey completed by 756 mental health carers. This survey is the f

This background paper arose from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) 2009 Final Report and its recommendations about future directions for primary health care.

This paper seeks to clarify points of overlap and difference between primary health care and community mental health. It also identifies how their linkages could be strengthened whilst ensuring maintenance of the capacity and integrity of specialist mental health services delivered in the community.

The purpose of this document is to clarify the nature and scope of community mental healthcare, and to provide principles to guide its further development across Australia. It has been developed in consultation with Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) members.

A 2 page summary of the 10 recommendations of the MHCA publication Home Truths.

This landmark report explores the relationships between housing, homelessness and mental health, and considers appropriate models to support and accommodate people experiencing mental illness.

The Life Insurance Industry and Mental Health Stakeholders have been working together since July 2001 to improve the life insurance outcomes for those with a history of mental health conditions. Underpinning this unique collaboration is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which has been in place since March 2003.

This report details the achievements made so far, the issues that are still outstanding and the work that will be undertaken over the next two years under the fourth iteration of the MoU.

This is the second report prepared by the MHCA analysing aspects of the Better Access Program, a key component of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National Mental Health Plan which commenced in November 2006. The Better Access Program enables public access to services provided by psychiatrists, psychologists, otherallied health professionals and general practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS).

This report highlights the barriers to better workforce participation, the economic disadvantages of the current Australian approach, and ways of effectively overcoming these problems.

This report presents an analysis of the first six months of the new program Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule.

Time for Service is the first of a series of MHCA papers presenting solutions to Australia’s mental health crisis. It presents practical solutions that governments should fund and implement now through the Council of Australian Governments (CoAG). The solutions proposed aim to deliver new pathways to new services, offer flexibility and choice, and make a real difference to people with a mental illness and their carers.

This report aims to provide a balanced and informed view on the relationship between cannabis and mental illness. It summarises the research and states the MHCA’s position on activities and directions that governments and the mental health sector should pursue based on the existing evidence.

This report focuses on providing a snapshot of community resilience and wellness within Australian communities. Resilience is typically understood to refer to the ability to bounce back from setbacks and, in relation to people, to readily recover from illness or trauma.

Smart Services is intended as a contribution to improving the evidence about community-based services and the need for further research and evaluation of various mental health services models in Australia.

The quality use of medicines (QUM) seems an ethereal concept in that it is oft-quoted but rarely put into practice. The Council’s goal in holding the workshop that is the basis for this report was anything but ethereal. The workshop’s title, ‘Concrete Ideas for Practical Action’, bears this out.

This document is a summary of the ground-breaking Not For Service report which can be found here.

When it was published, Not For Service was the most significant report on mental health care in Australia for over a decade. It includes the strong views of doctors, nurses, psychologists and other professionals.

Four key themes for a new style of mental health reform are highlighted in this report. These are: promoting early intervention for all severe disorders among young people; providing effective pharmacological and psychological treatments in primary care; maximising returns to full social and economic participation; and investing in innovation, research and sustainability.

This document is a summary of the Investing in Australia's Future report and outlines immediate actions proposed by a wide coalition of health, community and social welfare groups.

The recommendations of this report clearly outlines the priorities for specific service improvements, including the need for national leadership, adequate resourcing and system-wide support for innovation in treatments and service development.