As many of you would know the Andrews Government made a lot of noise around reinvesting in mental health care and the delivery of appropriate services across the State. You would also be happy to know that the Government is consulting with the Victorian Psychologists Association Inc. In particular the Union was invited to participate in the first round of consultations and to find out firsthand what the Government is hoping to achieve and how it plans to develop Victoria’s 10 year mental health strategy.
It is pleasing that the Government is seeking to establish a long-term strategy and vision for mental health services, and how they might be delivered into the future. The Government is also seeking to develop a strategy that can guide the continuous improvement and transformation in how Victorian’s emotional and social wellbeing and recovery can be supported.
The Government is also looking at ensuring the 10 year mental health strategy complements and build on mental health community support services, transitioning to the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the development of the next Public Health and Wellbeing Plan.
While the Union is encouraged that the Government knows that our mental health workforce is highly skilled, we will continue to be advocating for the need for better workforce planning and management. The Union took the opportunity to highlight our ongoing concerns about workloads, staffing levels and the growing reliance on contracting out of services to manage tight budgets. It was also an opportunity to make sure the Government understood the need to further invest in the workforce to enable services to be properly delivered.
As the consultation continues, the Union will continue to keep informed of our involvement and its progress.
In the meantime if you have any questions please contact the Union on 9623 9625.
