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Delivering a Healthy WA
North Metropolitan Area Health Service, Mental Health

Community Relations

Consumer and Carer Participation | Complaints Managment | Freedom of Information

Consumer and Carer Participation

The National Mental Health Plan 2003-2008 recognises that consumer and carer participation is an essential component of a quality mental health system. Consumers and carers need to be involved at all levels of policy, planning and clinical service provision to ensure that the mental health system meets the needs of all.

Consumer and carer participation requires further encouragement and support within both public and non-government mental health services. A range of initiatives have been developed in the government and non-government sectors to increase and promote consumer and carer participation at all levels of the mental health care system.

In 2005, following a series of consumer and carer workshops, the Mental Health Network Coordinating Group endorsed the Consumer Participation Plan for Western Australia. In May 2006 initial funding was transferred to the North Metropolitan Area Health Services Mental Health to commence the implementation of the state wide Plan. This funding provides for the employment of a part time Consumer Coordinator and part time project support.

A key element in stage 1 is to establish a State Wide Advocacy, Education, Training and Information Service (SAETIS) staffed by consumers. SAETIS will provide specialist advice on consumer participation and will lay the foundation for a comprehensive and coordinated mental health consumer participation framework in Western Australia. The Coordinator will act as a link between mental health consumers, practitioners and policy makers, and foster effective partnerships between service providers and consumers. It will aim to ensure that consumers are increasingly involved in the provision of mental health services, as well as planning, policy and evaluation, thus paving the way for a more responsive and consumer-friendly mental health system.

Education and training will be a major role for SAETIS, including training for the mental health workforce, consumers and the community. The service will support existing Consumer Advisory Groups and promote the establishment of Consumer Advisory Groups in all mental health services. It will work in partnership with services over time to provide training and to promote the employment of consumer consultants, peer support workers, consumer representatives and consumer participation coordinators in mental health services. An initial role will be to help develop a State code of practice for employing consumers. There will be support for consumer participation in rural and remote areas, working in partnership with country services.

As the frontline of mental health care in WA it is vital that carers are equally involved in service provision, policy and planning. To facilitate this, Carers WA has developed a framework for carer participation and representation.

Carol Scherret
Project Coordinator
Statewide Mental Health Services
Consumer Participation Project
Phone: (08) 9347 6690
Mobile: 0406 402 841

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