The Government is committed to continuing its established process of strong engagement with the Tasmanian Community.

Community consultation is an important part of the annual Budget development process. Input from the community into this process is highly valued by the Government. The consultation process provides all Tasmanians with the opportunity to have input into the Budget decisions which shape the delivery of services to our community.

While Ministers and Government agencies meet with community groups and individuals on a wide range of issues on a continuous basis, this process provides a specific opportunity for input to the 2019-20 Budget development process.

Mental Health Families and Friends Tasmania is proposing actions to deliver on two priority areas for mental health carers that need addressing, one that relates to how Community Managed Mental Health (CMMH) services can work inclusively and consistently with carers; and the other, an initiative to ensure that carers are able to access services and supports across the state.  The proposals are:

MHCTas BPS Proposal 1:

Engaging with mental health carers across the state, including “hidden carers”, is a key concern for MHCTas. To ensure that mental health carers across Tasmania are identified and given the opportunity to access supports and to support each other, MHCTas requests that Government allocates suitable funds to create a Communications and Carer Engagement role which will provide mental health carers with information and support across the state through the community house network and the network of tele-conferencing facilities statewide.

MHCTas BPS Proposal 2:

Building the capacity of Community Managed Mental Health (CMMH) services to improve their family and carer inclusive culture and practice. We know that these organisations want to be more inclusive of carers and families but they don’t know how to go about it. There is clear improvement in their practices around consumer engagement, however carer and family engagement needs more work. We have access to a well-designed tool kit in the form of A practical guide for working with carers of people with a mental illness[1] (which has been undergoing a trial via four demonstration projects – headspace Hobart being one of them. We recommend funding be allocated to MHCTas to work alongside CMMH services to implement the Guide.

Click here to read the full submission.

[1] A practical guide for working with Carers of people with a mental illness (2016), Mind Australia, Helping Minds, Private Mental Health Consumer Carer Network (Australia), Mental Health Carers Arafmi Australia and Mental Health Australia, http://www.mentalhealthCarersnsw.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/A-Practical-Guide-for-working-with-people-with-a-mental-illness-February-2016-1.pdf