Our Impact

We’re a non-government, not-for-profit organisation run by a team of passionate people focused on the rights and experiences of support people (mental health and AOD families and friends). We do this by creating programs and surveys to capture your experience. Everything we do at MHFFTas is informed by the lived experience of support people.

We advocate reducing stigma for mental health and AOD families and friends. We advocate for your rights to be understood, heard, and validated. We do this through education, group support programs, and information and referral help.

Take a look below for more details about our recent and ongoing impact.

Advocacy:

  • Presented to 23 organisations across Tasmania
  • Invited to attend the National Lived Experience Participation Forum in Sydney, the National Mental Health Commission Summit in Sydney, and the Mental Health Lived Experience Engagement Network in Canberra
  • Continued to represent and share the experiences of support people on 26 mental health and AOD committees, including the Older Persons Mental Health Review Project Control Group, AOD Reform Project Control Group, Lived Experience Peer Workforce Advisory Group, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Reform Project Control Group
  • Consulted with AOD families and friends and included their feedback in report
  • Launched the hardcopy and digital 70+ self-advocacy toolkit created by MHFFTas Members of Lived Experience Advisory Group (M-LEAG) for support people
  • Ran intrastate self-advocacy workshops across the state including Huonville, Cygnet, Glenorchy, Launceston, Devonport, and King Island

Representation:

  • Supported 10 family and friend representatives to use their lived experience to make change across mental health and AOD services
  • Requests to join the family and friend representation program from 2020/21 financial year increase from 63 to 85

Group support:

  • We continue to facilitate social connection of support people across the state through our peers support programs Safe Spaces with 66 engaged in the program

Education and information:

  • Held online statewide AOD family and friend forum
  • Engage with healthcare professionals and experts in mental health sector to directly share and answer questions from families and friends, including ……
  • Provided information about mental health and AOD supports and services to 3000+ families and friends
  • Continued to keep families and friends informed about government reform and community-managed activities in the mental health and AOD sectors in Tasmania though Conversations with Mental Health Services
  • 2500 newsletter subscribers

Referral help:

  • In 2022 alone, Mental Health Families & Friends Tasmania responded to 590 emails and calls.

Latest news

CEO Communique

May 30, 2023|

CEO Communique - May 2023 Welcome to the June edition of our MHFFTas [...]