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July 2021

MHCV Team Update

Hello everyone!

We hope you've had a great month. We were relieved at the start of the month to hear that the proposed NDIS Independent Assessments have been scrapped. We had heard from mental health carers that there were significant issues with the proposed model and the consultation process, so we were glad to hear that the changes will not proceed. ACT Minister for Mental Health and Disability, Emma Davidson, was a strong voice for the ACT community on this issue so we supported Carer ACT CEO, Lisa Kelly, in writing a letter of thanks to her.

MHCV has been involved in several consultations during July. We contributed to the Carers ACT submission on the Carers Recognition Bill 2021, focusing on carer wellbeing and the importance of formally recognising carers with this legislation. Other consultations included the National Mutual Recognition Project, Canberra Hospital Research Strategy: partnering with consumers and Advice to Governments via Mental Health Australia. MHCV also represented carers on Mental Health, Justice Health and Alcohol & Drug Services (MHJHADS) committees and several other mental health working groups.

Our thanks to Carers who generously contribute their experiences and opinions when asked through this newsletter. We need your experience and opinions to represent your views about what you want to happen in the caring space. Thank you again for your contributions.

All the best,
C Moore and Catherine Vonarx
The Mental Health Carers Voice Team

Canberra Health Services Disability Access and Inclusion Plan
Canberra Health Services is looking for feedback to inform their Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP). They want to hear from carers about your experience of accessibility for yourself and the people you care for at the Canberra Hospital, University of Canberra Hospital, Walk In Centres, Community Health Centres and community based health services such as mental health and dental. They would also like your ideas for what you would like to see in the final DAIP.

You can fill out the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/CHSPatientsAndConsumers

Join us for our first ever conference!

Mental Health Carers Voice presents ‘Caring Together’, a conference for carers and family members of people living with mental ill health.
The conference will include:

Opening by ACT Minister for Mental Health, Emma Davidson.
Keynote from Petrea King, founder of Quest for Life
Presentation from Najla Turk on cultural diversity and caring
Understanding smoking and mental illness
Lived experience of self-advocacy from carers and consumers
Carers contributions to mental health research
Wellbeing workshop and in-seat massage
Plus, join us for a cocktail party after the conference!

Tickets are $25 for carers and consumers and $80 for mental health sector employees. If you are experiencing financial barriers, contact mhcarers@carersact.org.au and we will support you to attend. Click below for up-to-date information and to order your ticket.

Order Your Ticket Here

The Secret Life of Carers

The Secret Life of Carers is a podcast featuring the stories of mental health carers, highlighting their experiences and insights on supporting their loved ones living with mental illness and psychosocial disabilities, and the additional pressures that COVID has introduced.

The podcast is hosted by Jamila Rizvi. Jamila is a best-selling author, sought after public speaker, podcast presenter, and gender equality advocate. She has been named as one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence by the Australian Financial Review.
The podcast is set to launch on 30 July 2021. Watch the Carers Australia website for new episodes when they drop.

Mental Health Month Awards Nominations OPEN!

There are many exceptional people and initiatives working to promote and improve understanding, awareness, service provision, and the general mental health and wellbeing of the Canberra community.

The ACT Mental Health Month Awards aim to recognise the achievements of individuals, groups, organisations, businesses and initiatives in the area of Mental Health in the ACT.

The Awards are a sector-wide initiative coordinated by the Mental Health Community Coalition ACT (MHCC ACT) and implemented by the ACT Mental Health Month Advisory Committee.

Nominations are NOW OPEN for the 2021 ACT Mental Health Month Awards - make sure to read the Nomination Guide, then head to the online form to submit your nomination!

Nominations Close EOD Friday September 10, 2021

To find out more head to the website: www.mentalhealthmonthact.org/awards

Inquiry into Community Corrections

The Justice and Community Safety Committee at the Legislative Assembly has set up an inquiry into Community Corrections. They want to hear from as many people as possible about what is working well in community corrections, and what can be improved, including:

Parole system,
Intensive correction orders,
Sentence Administration Board,
Drug and alcohol treatment orders,
Recidivism outcomes,
Experiences of offenders and their families,
Experiences of victim survivors, and
Any other relevant matter.

We encourage mental health carers who have had interactions with the justice system to put in a submission about their experience. Your submission can be as simple as an email outlining your experience and what you would like to change. Find out more about the inquiry on the Legislative Assembly webpage. Submissions close on August 27th.

There is a useful resource on writing submissions from the Mental Health Legal Centre available here.

Training and Education

Mindfulness course for mental health carers

Do you provide care to someone experiencing mental illness and/or a psychosocial disability? Would you like to learn new skills to help manage the challenges uniquely experienced by carers #CaringThroughCovid?

We are offering a free six-week online mindfulness course for mental health carers. During the 45 minute weekly sessions, an experienced facilitator from Simply Mindful will teach you a range of practices and tips to help improve your wellbeing.

You can also use The Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) tool that is available for free on their website as a self-assessment. The PWI is a survey for individuals to self-assess satisfaction with their life. The survey consists of eight questions about your satisfaction with different parts of your life. At the end of the survey, you will be provided a score out of 100, which indicates your current wellbeing.

The mindfulness sessions start on 27 July 2021. To register visit here

Mindfulness On Demand

Carers Australia, in partnership with Simply Mindful, have created a series of on demand mindfulness sessions for carers who are either unable to attend the mindfulness program, or would like to listen to the sessions at a later date.

The sessions consists of six episode and two bonus episodes which cover managing anxiety, sleep, ‘on the go’ mindfulness and self-compassion. You can find these and more useful resources on the Carers Australia #CaringThroughCovid page.

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