Latest Update – 16 October 2023
Review of ACT Government funded mental health services available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the ACT
Alongside Commissioning, the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Division is working to review government-funded mental health services available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the ACT, to identify approaches to enhance culturally appropriate care. This review will inform the development and operation of future Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health services in the ACT and the capacity building of mainstream services to ensure culturally safe practices.
We are inviting our funded NGO services and other organisations that support the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to complete a survey designed to help us gain a deeper understanding of how government funded community organisations provide culturally responsive services to the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
You can access the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T6R6FSW
No identifiable or disaggregated data from this survey will be published. Survey answers from services will not be shared with the parts of government responsible for their funding, as this information will be managed by the project team of this review.
The survey is currently open and will close at 11.59 pm on 26 October 2023.
If you require additional information, please contact mentalhealthsuicidepreventiondivision@act.gov.au
If you have any questions or concerns in relation to this announcement, please feel free to get in touch.
Update on Design phase
The Mental Health Commissioning team would like to extend thanks to everyone who has provided input or participated in the commissioning process to date. The timeline for the Mental Health Commissioning process has been extended and the team is currently working to extend contacts to ensure that through this period there is no disruption to service delivery for Canberrans. The Mental Health Commissioning Team will publish a Listening and Insights Report on the design phase consultation activities so far, which will highlight what has been heard and address the next steps.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in contact with the team.
Contact: mentalhealthcommissioning@act.gov.au
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Mental Health Subsector commissioning for future service delivery
Cycle: 1
Commissioner: ACT Health Directorate
Commissioning phase: Design
The commissioning for Mental Health Services project is now in the Design phase, which will address how commissioned services can address concerns and priorities raised in earlier phases. This will be done in collaboration with the sector through a number of targeted consultation activities.
Through the Design phase we have gathered meaningful feedback from the community about what the ACT Government funded NGO mental health subsector should look like. To ensure this information can be acted on appropriately, and adequate time is given for follow-up with the sector and community, we have decided to extend the timeframe for our commissioning process.
The Minister for Mental Health has said: “Commissioning has the opportunity to make real differences to people’s mental health and wellbeing and their experience of accessing mental health services in the ACT. However, to properly take advantage of this opportunity I believe that we must take the appropriate amount of time to go back to the community with what we have heard and developed so far. This will enable us to further develop an outcomes framework for mental health NGO services and undertake more detailed consultation and co-design with the community.”
“To achieve this detailed work, I have asked ACT health to extend all mental health subsector commissioning contracts for up to 18 months where necessary. This also means we will avoid contract decision-making or changes to services during caretaker period in 2024. The mental health subsector is complex, with many moving parts, and it is vital that we take the appropriate amount of time to engage with the community and ensure we are purchasing the right NGO funded mental health sector for the ACT. It’s also important that we undertake commissioning processes in a way that supports the sector to continue to work in collaboratively across both government and non-government sectors.”
To facilitate this extended timeframe, all current service contracts for mental health NGO services associated with the mental health commissioning process will receive variations for extensions of 12 months, with a further 6 months to be provided as necessary as we progress this highly complex work. In the coming weeks, the Mental Health Commissioning Team will directly contact all affected service providers and work to begin the negotiation of the initial 12-month extension of funding into their current contracts
Background
The ACT Government is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the ACT community and working towards the Territory wide vision for mental health, “A kind connected, and informed community working together to promote and protect the mental health and wellbeing of all”.
This vision informs all our work including the commissioning of mental health and suicide prevention services now and into the future. The mental health subsector delivers a range of programs and services across the spectrum of need in the ACT community including mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention for those with mental health concerns, suicide prevention, and specific interventions, support and recovery for people experiencing mental illness. These services are complemented by programs involved in systemic and individual advocacy, capacity building and research.
Discover and Strategise (completed)
These phases concluded in February 2022 and provided an opportunity for Mental Health Policy and Strategy to engage with carers, consumers, service providers, Peak NGOs, and partners within the ACT Government to highlight what the community sees as priorities, needs, and challenges in the mental health system.
This included looking at what is currently working well in the community mental health sector, what is not working as well, and any service gaps. The workshops and consultations within this phase of commissioning was guided by the Discovery Paper.
Through the Strategise phase the Mental Health Commissioning team ran two workshops to support discussion around the Discovery paper, and ten questions included within the Answers to the Discovery Questions. These workshops provided a number of valuable insights and themes that have been captured in a Listening Report and a Companion Document, which provides the raw answers to every question.
Design (in progress)
The Design phase is where essential collaboration between commissioner, sector partners, service providers and other stakeholders takes place. The Design phase enables us to examine, shape and involved services, and align key service models and characteristics with desired health and wellbeing outcomes for the community. |
Invest (not yet started)
The Invest phase provides an opportunity to define our approach to market and procuring health services which meet the needs of the ACT community, in accordance with the Territory’s Value for Money Considerations.
The Investment Phase will commence in November 2024 and be informed by Design and all consultation that has occurred.
Deliver (not yet started)
The Deliver phase is all about delivering high quality health services, monitoring the reach and impact of health services and drawing on lessons learned to inform future Commissioning cycles.
Integrate (not yet started)
The Integrate phase is about integrating the knowledge and experience gained from previous commissioning cycles into future commissioning cycles as part of a quality improvement and continuous system reform approach.
How to participate
You can have your say by registering and participating in a scheduled commissioning activity.
What we are looking at, listening to, and sharing
We are seeking insights, perspectives and experiences that help us understand:
- What service gaps you have identified
- What emerging needs you have identified
- How your organisation is providing services
- Any new or emerging groups you have identified for targeted services
- What are meaningful measures and indicators
- Lived experiences of people accessing services
- Solutions or ideas or innovations that could meet the service needs
- How to develop better linkages and coordination across service delivery
- How to ensure services are delivering and reporting on outcomes
We will use your views to
- Innovate ways we can address the service gaps
- Refine outcomes in line with the ACT Wellbeing Framework
- Design and improve service models
Related commissioning cycles
We are listening to, connecting with, and drawing from these related commissioning cycles:
Key links
We are referencing the following plans, strategies and frameworks in this cycle:
Page updated: 28 Feb 2024
