Mental Health Reforms

Following the landmark findings of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 (VIC) has been introduced to better align the landscape of mental health services with community needs. The act has brough on a wide range of reforms that focus on areas of improvement across the sector. Better Health Network’s mental health services have identified multiple areas improvement, leaning on the strengths of legacy organisation structures to support holistic improvement.

The new Act places individuals with direct experience of mental illness and psychological distress, as well as their families, caregivers, and advocates, at the core of the mental health and wellbeing system. This is achieved by introducing new objectives and principles rooted in human rights, along with the creation of dedicated roles for those with lived and living experience in key decision-making and supervisory bodies, both new and existing.

The principle of lived and living experience acknowledges the significance and worth of the contributions made by individuals who have personally faced mental illness or psychological distress, as well as their caregivers and supporters. BHN has historically aligned with the principles of lived and living experience, highlighted though the Framework for Growing, Enabling and Integrating the Lived/Living Experience Workforce.

The key domains of the existing Framework are:

1.   Organisation/program readiness

2.   Leadership and structure

3.   Lived and Living Experience workforce planning

4.   Program and service models

5.   Supporting systems and processes

6.   Partnership and advocacy.

BHN is committed to maintaining a focus on developing and growing the Lived and Living Experience workforce across mental health programs and the broader organisation, with the goal of improving staff and consumer experiences.

Another of the act’s key goals is to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people receive services that are culturally appropriate and considerate, promoting and enhancing their connection to culture, family, community, and country.

These changes will be encapsulated in BHN’s Reconciliation Action Plan. With support from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and community members, the action plan will help ensure that staff are capable, and services are responsive to individual, and community needs. This process will include cultural safety audits, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander focused training for crisis and support responses and continuing and establishing connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait controlled organisations and support services.