Initiatives aimed at improving the mental health literacy of the South Western Sydney community will be undertaken during the next 12 months following a successful co-design process.
South Western Sydney PHN (SWSPHN) invited locals from diverse backgrounds to contribute to the project by sharing their experiences, knowledge and ideas about mental health.
The feedback provided between April and June this year included ideas for long-term changes and immediate priority areas.
It identified recommendations and activities SWSPHN will undertake to improve the mental health literacy responsiveness of the local community, service providers and general practice staff.
The activities include:
- Targeted training and capacity building for general practice and other service providers
- Exploring mental health literacy workshops for community members, particularly culturally and linguistically diverse communities
- Development of an internal mental health literacy communications strategy
- Scoping of a lived-experience “community champions” approach
- Continued implementation of the Embrace Multicultural Mental Health Framework and associated activities
- Creation of a No Wrong Door Framework to complement the existing No Wrong Door Initiative
- Revamp of the Recovery Point app/website, including directory of mental health supports in South Western Sydney matched to a user’s needs and location
- Ongoing commitment to mental health literacy activities through SWSPHN Needs Assessment and Activity Work Plan submitted to the Department of Health
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the project.
If you have questions or would like to be involved in future SWSPHN activities, including those within the mental health literacy initiative, please contact Mental Health Coordinator, Pritika Desai, at pritika.desai@swsphn.com.au