Local Adult and Older Adult Mental Health and Wellbeing Services

In March 2021, the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System released their final report which made 65 recommendations to reform the mental health and wellbeing system over a ten-year period.

A key recommendation was that Victoria establish up to 60 new Local Adult and Older Adult Mental Health and Wellbeing Services. It was imperative that community feedback was sought to make sure the government had a thorough understanding of how consumers wanted to experience Local Services.

Capire designed and delivered the engagement, independent facilitation and reporting to the Department of Health, to ensure diverse community feedback. The need for a human-centred approach that placed people with lived experience at the heart of the design was recognised early on. Capire developed a mix of engagement methods in consultation with the department and lived experience experts to provide flexibility in how and when people could participate. Lived experience peak bodies, Tandem Carers and VMIAC provided peer support.

Close to 800 people shared their views about Local Services over two stages.

Phase 1: Participants were engaged through surveys, interviews and group discussions on how Local Services can provide the best possible treatment, care and support for people with mental illness or psychological distress.

Phase 2: Capire hosted place-based forums for each of the six locations receiving the first Local Services.

Overall participants found the engagement experience positive, with 90% reporting they felt welcome, safe, able to participate and believed their views were valued.

The engagement informed the service model for the first six Local Services, that will support Victorians to access the mental health and wellbeing treatment and care they need in their communities, closer to their support networks. By the end of 2022, the first six Local Services will be set up in Benalla, Brimbank, Frankston, Greater Geelong, Latrobe and Whittlesea.