A United Voice for the Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Sector
Advocating for Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Services Across Queensland
Collective Benefit through Collaboration
We are stronger when we work together. Join us to connect, contribute, and shape the future of community mental health.
Integrity with
Impact
Curiosity Fuels
Innovation
We don’t just ask what’s possible. We try it. Our projects turn insight into impact.
Courage to
Disrupt
We speak up where it matters. We work to shift systems, influence policy, and lead change for our sector.
We’re counting down the weeks towards the Connecting for Impact Conference and on Day 2 the Workfo…
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This week’s Membership spotlight shines on Mind Australia, and its Executive Director – Queensland, So…
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The Health Ministers met last Friday to discuss the state of mental health services across the country, and with…
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QAMH member Youth Insearch is a peer-led intervention program that supports young people through their…
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You can’t fix ambulance ramping in hospitals alone.
Queensland’s commitment to cut ramping by 30% by 2028 will not be met through beds and clinical staff only. Lasting reductions require investment before crisis, by strengthening community-based mental health services delivered by NGOs and psychosocial supports that prevent escalation and reduce avoidable emergency demand.
In our 2026–27 Budget Submission, we`re calling for investment that:
• provides flexible, multi-year funding so community-based mental health services can plan, retain staff and deliver consistent support
• brings Queensland’s investment in line with other states, ending the funding gap that has held services back for too long
• supports a stable, skilled workforce, including peer and lived-living experience roles, especially in regional, rural and remote communities
• enables locally led, connected responses across mental health, housing and justice
Read our submission here: https://www.qamh.org.au/queensland-state-budget-2026-27/
Alternatively, click on our link in bio and navigate to Advocacy then Policy Submissions.
@qldgov @qldhealth
@abcnews_au
@abc_queensland
#QueenslandBudget
#budget2026 #mentalhealthadvocate
#communitymentalhealth #ambulanceramping
Thursday 26 February 2026 from 1.00pm to 2.00pm - you are invited to a special online Members Forum.
Supporting Team Wellbeing in Community Mental Health - New, Free Micro-credential For Managers and Team Leaders.
Be among the first to explore QAMH’s new micro-credential, Workplace Wellbeing Leadership in Community Mental Health – funded by the Department of Trade, Employment and Training and designed with the sector for managers and team leaders in community mental health and psychosocial services.
Join Sasha Sullivan, Learning Designer at QAMH, for a walk-through and Q&A on how this practical resource supports managers to:
- foster healthy team climates
- strengthen psychological and psychosocial safety
- recognise early signs of distress
- facilitate access to supports.
If you are part of a Member Organisation and you do not have the link in your calendar, email us at members@qamh.org.au and we`ll make sure you`re included.
@qldgov #microcredentials #mentalhealthcommunity
QAMH is proud to take the lead coordinating Queensland Mental Health Week (QMHW) from 2026. For the past eight years, QMHW has thrived under the strong leadership of CheckUP, in partnership with the Queensland Mental Health Commission. Thanks to this leadership, QMHW has become a powerful, community-led movement driving connection, inclusion and mental health awareness across Queensland.
The transition to QAMH has been carefully planned with the Queensland Mental Health Commission and CheckUP and we are working closely to ensure a smooth handover and a continued focus on strengthening statewide coordination, partnerships and impact.
To help us do this, QAMH is recruiting a Queensland Mental Health Week Project Coordinator. Learn more about this opportunity at the link in bio.
We look forward to working with communities and partners across Queensland. We will share details about QMHW 2026, including dates and theme, very soon.
@qld_mhc @checkup_australia
#queenslandmentalhealthweek
Our Regional, Rural and Remote Roadshow report is being noticed.
Last week, our findings were featured by @7newsqueensland, @indaily.qld and Mental Health Network.
The findings are clear and concerning. Where you live in Queensland still determines whether you can access timely mental health support. Across regional, rural and remote communities, too many people are going without help until they reach crisis point.
Local, community-based mental health services are holding systems together through relationships, cultural knowledge and trust, often in the absence of stable funding or clear pathways. But goodwill cannot continue to compensate for structural underinvestment.
If we want equitable mental health outcomes across Queensland, the answer is not simply more acute beds.
It’s sustained, long-term investment in community-based, place-based mental health supports that reflect local realities.
The conversation has started. It needs to continue.
Read the Regional, Rural and Remote Roadshow report via the link in our bio.
#communitymentalhealth
#mentalhealthequity
#regionalqueensland
#ruralandremote
Our new micro-credential is already delivering results.
Introduction to the Community Mental Health Sector:
- 201 registrations
- 68 completions
- 9 out of 10 learners rated the micro-credential good to excellent for professional learning
In just 2 to 3 hours, participants gain practical, real-world insight into community mental health directly from workers across Queensland.
What you’ll learn:
- Real worker voices and lived experience
- Interactive scenarios and applied learning
- Clear pathways into roles and services
- Core values, skills and practice approaches
- Practical strategies for boundaries and self-care
Build capability and strengthen confidence. Enrol now. Link in bio and below.
https://www.qamh.org.au/courses/introduction-to-the-community-mental-health-sector/
#mentalhealthworkforce #mentalhealthadvocate
#microcredentials
Today our CEO, Emily Wolter, spoke with Channel 7 in Rockhampton about what we heard during QAMH’s Regional, Rural and Remote Roadshow.
Rockhampton has strong community connections and deeply committed local services, but like many regional areas, demand is rising and access to support too often comes too late.
Communities across Queensland told us the same thing: workforce shortages, cost pressures and gaps in psychosocial supports are leaving too many people without help until crisis.
We’re grateful for the opportunity to share these voices more widely, and to keep advocating for earlier, flexible, community-based and culturally safe mental health supports across regional Queensland.
@emilywolter_
@channel7queensland
#ruralqueensland
#regionalqueensland #remotequeensland
Distance apart. Community at heart.
In late 2025, QAMH travelled more than 5,600 kilometres to meet with community mental health service providers across regional, rural and remote Queensland to hear directly what is happening on the ground and inform reform conversations.
What we heard was consistent and confronting:
- People are falling through fragmented systems.
- Early support is missing until crisis hits.
- Community services are holding the system together through goodwill.
- Funding and workforce settings are not fit for regional, rural and remote realities.
- Culturally safe, community-led models work, but access remains uneven.
Despite this, communities continue to show extraordinary resilience and care.
Our 2025 Regional, Rural and Remote Roadshow Report brings together cross-regional insights and clear reform priorities, grounded in what services told us directly.
Read the full report at the link in our bio.
#communitymentalhealth
#ruralqueensland
#regionalqueensland
#remotequeensland
The SCHADS Award has been under review for several years, and QAMH has actively advocated for the community-based mental health sector at every key stage.
In 2024, the Fair Work Commission recognised gender-based undervaluation in the Award, and when a provisional SCHADS structure was released in 2025, QAMH made submissions calling for changes that are fair, sustainable and reflective of the realities of our sector.
While most issues have been resolved, 13 matters remain under dispute, and the Fair Work Commission has released an alternative Award structure for final comment. This is the last opportunity for the sector to influence the SCHADS Award and ensure the classification and pay structure is viable, equitable and fit for purpose.
Organisations are encouraged, where capacity allows, to make a submission directly to the Fair Work Commission on the alternative structure by emailing awards@fwc.gov.au. Submissions close at 5pm on 6 February.
QAMH is also seeking feedback from member CEOs and leaders via a short survey sent by email, to inform our submission on the remaining issues. Please check your inbox and share your views to ensure the community-based mental health sector is strongly represented in this final stage of the review.
#communitymentalhealth
#schadsaward
We’re hiring! QAMH is Queensland’s peak community mental health body, representing 120+ member organisations across the state. We’re recruiting now for three roles to help strengthen community-based mental health supports and drive system reform.
All roles offer flexible working arrangements (including remote work for those working in regional or rural parts of Queensland), salary packaging, professional development, and a supportive, values-driven culture. If you want to work alongside the mental health sector to build capability, influence policy, and create meaningful change, then one of these jobs could be for you.
Current opportunities:
Policy and Impact Officer (Parental Leave Cover): Fixed-term to December 2026. Turn research and project insights into strong advocacy. Shape policy, tell impact stories, and improve mental health outcomes statewide.
Senior Advisor – Peer Workforce Development: Fixed-term to May 2027. Lead statewide peer workforce initiatives, placements, and pathways. A senior, autonomous role shaping lived experience workforce development.
Workforce Project Officer: 0.8 FTE, fixed-term to June 2027. Deliver practical projects under the Workforce Strategy 2024–2029, co-design tools, and support workforce attraction, retention, and wellbeing.
Learn more, view position descriptions, and apply via EthicalJobs.com.au. View link in bio.
#mentalhealthjobs
Cathie and Neal Davies’ incredible 13-year journey began when they both served as onsite Counsellors at the mines and various organisations, offering support through individual and relationship counselling, as well as responding to critical incidents.
Neal’s final year on the job saw him tackle 11 major incidents in just six months, ultimately leading to Chronic PTSD. Neal was not expected to work again, and Cathie gave up her career to become Neal’s full-time carer.
Now, with their wealth of experience they’ve returned to counselling, doing presentations and mentoring families on how to work through the difficulties that come with PTSD. They also recently launched their book Breaking Free of PTSD.
We are proud to have Beyond PTSD as a QAMH Member and wish them the best for 2026.
#breakingfreeofptsd
In 2026, QAMH will focus its advocacy on a clear set of priorities shaped by what our members are experiencing across Queensland and the reform opportunities ahead.
These priorities will guide how we influence investment, system design and the critical role of NGO-delivered community-based mental health services. And through them, QAMH will champion a decisive shift to earlier, recovery focused and psychosocial support delivered in the community, while strengthening the foundations that allow services and workforces to thrive.
Across this work, we will apply a strong rural, regional and remote lens, ensuring our advocacy reflects the realities of thin markets, workforce shortages and access challenges.
Over the coming months, we will spotlight each priority, sharing what it means for Queenslanders, services and the broader mental health system.
#communitymentalhealth
Members are invited to attend Orientation Training live online with LLE researchers and trainers Dr Louise Byrne and Dr Melissa Chapman.
Brought to you by Lived Experience Training, this event is fully funded by the Queensland Mental Health Commission, and co-sponsored by QAMH, QLEWN and IMPACT.
Designed for all staff with benefits for all role types, over 1.5 hours you’ll learn shared language, definitions and concepts as well as gain a shared understanding about Lived-Living Experience work.
Thursday 19th February 2026 from 1:00pm – 2:30pm
Seats are strictly limited for this one-off event. Book yours now at https://livedexperiencetraining.org/live-orientation-training/
@qld_mhc
#QLEWN
#livedexperiencetraining
New staff often fall into “fixing mode” because they care deeply.’
Our new (and free) micro-credential Introduction to the Community Mental Health Sector can support them to move from a feeling of needing to be the expert to walking alongside people they are supporting.
It introduces:
• what person-led practice looks and sounds like
• how to shift from rescuing to walking alongside
• real conversation examples and activities
• the legal and ethical foundations behind collaborative support.
If you want your staff to start strong — aligned with sector values and safe practice — this is an easy, practical tool for onboarding.
Register to complete the micro-credential here at the link in our bio.
@footprintscommunity
QAMH closed out 2025 by contributing to the first consultation on the new Disability Support Quality and Safeguarding Framework, responding to the Disability Royal Commission.
Our submission highlights that effective safeguards must:
- apply across the whole ecosystem, not just the NDIS, recognising the critical role of community-based psychosocial supports
- recognise the realities of psychosocial disability, including trauma, fluctuating needs and relational support
- be co-designed in ways that influence real decisions, led by people with lived experience, First Nations peoples, families and carers
- focus on meaningful outcomes, including wellbeing, reduced crises and fewer hospital admissions
- acknowledge that quality improvement has a cost, and requires fair, predictable and sustainable funding
Developed with Mental Health Lived Experience Peak Queensland (MHLEPQ) and ARAFMI (Queensland), our submission reinforces that accountability must extend to system-level decisions across housing, hospitals and justice, ensuring quality and safeguarding work together to deliver safety, dignity and rights for people with psychosocial disability.
Read the submission here: https://www.qamh.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/QAMH-2025-Submission-Disability-Safeguards-Consultation.pdf
@arafmiltd @mhlepqld
Shine Bright Mental Health is a multidisciplinary mental health organisation supporting individuals and families across the Wide Bay region. They provide therapeutic mental health nursing, DBT groups, trauma-informed women’s programs, SMART Recovery groups, NDIS supports, behaviour support, and community safety initiatives such as the Shine Bright Sanctuary and DV Play Safe sporting-club program.
Shine Bright Mental Health`s passion is creating accessible, safe, and empowering spaces where people can receive professional mental health care without stigma — meeting people exactly where they are and walking alongside them as they rebuild, recover, and reconnect with their strength.
We are proud to have Shine Bright Mental Health as QAMH Members and wish them the best for 2026.
Learn more: https://shinebrightmentalhealth.com/
We’re taking a break to recharge and celebrate the festive season. We`ll be back to support you on Monday, 5 January 2026. Have a happy, safe and restful Christmas and New Year. 🎄
#communitymentalhealth
QAMH Wrapped 2025: A Year of Advocacy and Impact. It was a transformative year for QAMH. We launched a groundbreaking RAP, the community mental health services map, and unveiled our 2025-2030 strategic plan. We made waves with 19 policy submissions, directly shaping mental health and suicide prevention initiatives, the SCHADS Award Review, the Defence and Veteran Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Youth Mental Health Models of Care.
From the launch of major projects like the Peer Work Scholarship Program to hosting our inaugural conference and covering 5,658 km engaging communities across 6 regions through our Regional Roadshow, QAMH continued to drive change in mental health advocacy, leadership, and community empowerment.
And we did all this with your support. Thank you!
#QAMH2025 #Advocacy #MentalHealthLeadership
New to the Community Mental Health sector? Step in with confidence with our new, free micro-credential.
Introduction to the Community Mental Health Sector, helps ease the uncertainty faced by new workers by focusing on values, humanity, and a willingness to learn.
Through real worker stories and reflective activities, new starters will:
• see how their life experience translates into capability
• understand imposter feelings are normal
• recognise why they truly do belong here
• learn the core values driving the sector.
If your team is onboarding new staff, this resource can help them settle, breathe, and step into the work with more confidence. Register for the micro-credential today: https://www.qamh.org.au/courses/introduction-to-the-community-mental-health-sector/
#communitymentalhealth
#mentalhealthworkforce
#microcredentials
Hoping to start the new year in a new job? QAMH is hiring!
Our team is expanding to regional and rural Queensland.
We’re seeking a part-time (0.6 FTE) Operations Support Officer to join our values-driven team. This remote role based in regional or rural Queensland offers flexibility to structure your 22.8 hours each week, with occasional travel to Brisbane for team events.
In this role, you`ll provide high-quality administrative, financial, and coordination support for QAMH’s internal projects and business functions. Key responsibilities include managing systems like SharePoint, Salesforce, and Monday.com, supporting finance tasks, preparing reports, coordinating meetings, and improving internal processes. You’ll also engage with QAMH members in your local region.
We’re looking for someone with strong organisational skills, experience in administration (preferably in not-for-profit or community sectors), and a passion for systems improvement. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and project management tools is essential.
This is an excellent opportunity to make a real impact in the Queensland community mental health sector while enjoying a flexible, collaborative work environment.
Salary: SCHADS Award Level 5, with salary packaging options.
Interviews: Wil take place online in the week starting 13 January 2026.
Learn more and download the position description here: https://www.ethicaljobs.com.au/members/qldalliancemh/operations-support-officer-remote-rural-regional-queensland?keywords=Operations%20support
We are community.
Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by the events in Bondi.
We stand with our communities in care, strength and solidarity.
