A FREE online book for partners of women with puerperal psychosis (also refered to as post-natal or post-partum psychosis). Written by a carer partner this provides helpful and practical information for carers of women with this relatively rare, but significant mental illness.

Download:: Puerperal psychosis - A carer's survival guide
Also an excellent collection of resources on Post Natal Depression on ABC website

Press Release from Mental Health Council of Australia
Allan Fels appointed Mental Health Commissioner 16 October 2011 

The Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) warmly welcomes the appointment of Professor Allan Fels, AO as Chairman of the Mental Health Commission.
Allan Fels is a Patron of the Mental Health Council of Australia and a long standing advocate for mental health carers and consumers. Professor Fels was Dean of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) and also Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission from 1995 until 30 June 2003.  Prior to that he was Chairman of the Trade Practices Commission from 1991 to 1995 and Chairman of the Prices Surveillance Authority from 1989 to 1992.

“Allan Fels has championed mental health reform and governance issues for many years and his work with the MHCA and other organisations makes him an ideal person to lead the new Mental Health Commission,” said Frank Quinlan, the CEO of the Mental Health Council of Australia.

“Professor Fels will bring his years of experience on administration, leadership, and advocacy to this position and his appointment is warmly welcomed by the mental health sector.

“The establishment of a Mental Health Commission is a key part of the Government’s mental health reform agenda, which includes delivering a Ten Year Roadmap to reform.  The MHCA looks forward to working with Professor Fels in achieving this milestones in mental health, ’ Mr Quinlan said.

National Mental Health Consumer & Carer Forum submission - submitted to the Senate Community Affairs Committee Enquiry into Commonwealth Funding and Administration of Mental Health Services.

Extract from Submission::
It will be imperative that the budget initiatives:

• support the implementation of the Fourth National Mental Health Plan in guiding recovery based approaches to mental health
• acknowledge the considerable change management initiatives required to implement a recovery approach to the development and implementation of mental health services
•  include effective mechanisms to utilise the expertise of mental health consumers and carers to inform the implementation process and involve them in service design and implementation in an ongoing way
• include effective mechanisms to better integrate with disability and community support services and draw from their experience in the provision of psychosocial disability support as an essential element of holistic mental health care
• are monitored closely to ensure that they are implemented in the most strategic way, capitalising on current evidence about what does and doesn’t work in mental health
• are informed by identified population needs
• become a very first step in ongoing reform in the sector, and that ongoing policy includes acknowledgment that more key areas will need to be addressed before the foundation for reforming the mental health system can be considered complete
• build on the COAG National Action Plan on Mental Health 2006-11 and any further COAG initiatives.

In this submission the NMHCCF will discuss the importance of the formation of partnerships with consumers and carers as part of a process to drive the implementation of recovery focussed reforms in mental health and will highlight some of the major gaps that need to be addressed to ensure that this first round of mental health reform initiatives are successful.

Download:: Carer Submission to Senate 

On Thursday 11 August 2011, both Keiran Booth and myself (Warren Jenkins) attended  a Forum, conducted by the Mental Health Council Australia (MHCA), as part of a discussion of how to implement some of the federal government’s new budget initiatives for mental health.
The  Background paper (download below) , sets out the proposal for increased coordinated care for people living in the community with complex care needs.

In brief the paper and proposal sets out  –

1. $549 million will be spent over 5 years
2. This will target the top 24,000 people experiencing severe mental illness
3. An open tender process will be established per region (in the first part of 2012)
4. This will be achieved by the establishment of Care Facilitators
5. Already funded federal programs such as PHAMS will be well placed for this funding
6. Effective partnerships across a range of service providers will be essential.

The forum was attended by approximately 60 people, a number representing larger welfare providers such as Anglicare, Salvos and Catholic Social Services, as well as specific mental health organizations such as MIFA, Mind Australia and ourselves.

Download:
Background Paper Coordinated Care Measure - MHCA forum.doc
Discussion Paper Flexible Care Packages .pdf

For the first time, Australia has a National Carer Strategy – the second element of the Australian Government’s National Carer Recognition Framework.  Along with the Carer Recognition Act 2010, the National Carer Strategy strengthens our commitment to recognise and respond to the needs of carers so that they have rights, choices, opportunities and capabilities to participate in economic, social and community life.

The National Carer Strategy contains a vision, an aim and six important priority areas for action – recognition and respect, information and access, economic security, services for carers, education and training and health and wellbeing.  Collectively, these priority areas outline how the contribution of Australia’s carers will be better valued, supported and shared.

The National Carer Strategy builds on what the Australian Government already provides for carers and complements reforms to improve supports provided through the aged care, disability, mental health, primary health care, hospital and community care systems.

The Strategy was developed in consultation with carers, state and territory governments, service providers and peak organisations.

Download: National Carer Strategy PDF [1MB]

Carer Recognition Act 2010 
The Carer Recognition Act 2010 came into effect on 18 November 2010.

The Act establishes who is a carer, contains a Statement for Australia’s Carers and sets up reporting and consultation arrangements for certain public service agencies.

The Statement of Australia’s Carers sets out ten principles to guide how public service agencies and their funding providers should treat and consider carers in policy development and program and service delivery.

Download::
Carer Recognition Act 2010: text of the Act from ComLaw
For more information on the implementation of the Carer Recognition Act 2010:Carer Recognition Act 2010 Guidelines