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Purro Birik - (Healthy Spirit)
2. Executive Summary
The 'Purro Birri’ Koori
Mental Health Policy Project commenced in October 1997. The primary aim of
the project is to consult with Aboriginal communities and public mental
health services, and propose strategies to improve mental health services to
Aboriginal people in Victoria.
The project brief
documents are:
-
identifies four policy
documents as the context for completing the project. The four Ways Forward,
The National Consultancy Report on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Mental Health (Swan and Raphael 1995);
-
Achieving Improved
Aboriginal Health Outcomes: An Approach to Reform (Victorian Department of
Human Services and Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, 1996);
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Agreement on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (Victorian Minister for Health, Commonwealth
Minister of State for Health and Family Services, Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Commission, and Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled
Health Organisation 1996); and
-
Victoria's Mental Health
Service Framework for Service Delivery (Victorian Mental Health Branch
1994).
This discussion paper
describes the project and the service delivery environment, summarises the
issues raised throughout the consultation process, and finally recommends
improvements based on the information provided and the outcome of the
consultations.
While the consultations
recognised some local examples of services working together effectively,
much still needs to be done to increase the capacity of Koori health
services to respond to the social, emotional and cultural needs of
communities, and of mental health services to consistently provide an
accessible, culturally appropriate, effective response to Koori people
experiencing mental illness.
The issues raised through
the consultations with Koori health services and public mental health
services have been grouped into nine categories:
-
accessibility and
responsiveness of mental health services
-
quality and effectiveness
of mental health services
-
culturally appropriate
service provision
-
service development issues
-
workforce development
issues
-
capability of services
-
accountability
-
community control issues
-
coordination and planning.
This discussion paper
expands on each of these areas.
The improvement strategies
proposed through the consultation process have been grouped as:
These groupings provide the
basis of the four main categories of recommendations:
-
Workforce and Services
Development issues;
-
Local partnership agreement
issues;
-
Coordination and Planning
issues;
-
Training issues.
Resourcing is not used as a
category for recommendations because resourcing issues are generally related
to implementing initiatives identified under the other four categories.
Identification of the
issues outlined in section 5, and the improvement strategies in section 6
has led to the development of twelve recommendations.
Recommendations in relation
to service development
Recommendation 1
That an ongoing community
controlled, social, emotional and cultural wellbeing service development
position be established and located at VACCHO.
Recommendation 2
That VACCHO and relevant
funding bodies give priority to the development of the 'healing place'
concept.
Recommendation 3
That the development of a
vision for the delivery of social, emotional and cultural wellbeing services
be given priority.
Recommendations in relation
to the development of partnership agreements
Recommendation 4
That the development of
local partnership agreements between community controlled Koori health
service providers and mental health services be given priority, and that the
Victorian Mental Health Branch resource VACCHO to provide support to Koori
health services to establish agreements.
Recommendation 5
That the relationship
between the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service Mental Health Network and
mainstream mental health services be further developed to clarify roles and
responsibilities and to ensure an effective, culturally appropriate response
to the mental health needs of Koori people.
Recommendation 6
That the Victorian Mental
Health Branch in consultation with VACCHO identify key issues to be
addressed through local partnership agreements, and that Mental Health
Branch examine options to encourage mental health services to participate
actively in the partnership strategy.
Recommendation 7
That the Victorian Mental
Health Branch in consultation with VACCHO develop a strategy or guidelines
for the provision of mental health services to Aboriginal people.
Recommendation 8
That mental health services
be required to establish a Koori portfolio which reports annually on how
they are developing a better response to the Koori community.
Recommendation 9
That Koori health services
identify a key worker/portfolio holder for liaison with mainstream mental
health services. This person should provide a report to the local Koori
community controlled health service management committee annually.
Recommendations in relation
to improving coordination and planning
Recommendation 10
That a Planning Group be
developed (coordinated by VACCHO), consisting of VACCHO and relevant State
and Commonwealth funding bodies. This group could establish principles to
direct social, emotional and cultural weIlbeing-related funding allocations.
A sub-committee consisting of VACCHO executive and members should be formed
to consult on and coordinate VACCHO's position on funding distribution
issues.
Recommendations in relation
to training
Recommendation 11
That the curriculum
development for the Regional Training Centre, currently being developed by
VACCHO consider the training needs identified in this discussion paper.
Recommendation 12
That the Victorian Mental
Health Branch encourage mental health services staff (including
administrative staff and doctors) to take part in VACCHO endorsed ongoing
Koori cross-cultural training programs.
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