Supporting Community Mental Health

The Queensland Alliance for Mental Health is currently undertaking the Community Mental Health Workforce Project.

Funded until 31 June 2021, this state-wide project seeks to build on the sector’s current understanding of the community mental health and wellbeing workforce in Queensland and examine current and emerging challenges facing the sector by conducting a comprehensive review in collaboration with QAMH members and related stakeholders. We know there is a gap in understanding the composition of the community mental health and wellbeing workforce and this project seeks to close that gap by starting with a research project to map the composition and characteristics of this workforce. It also seeks to identify some challenges and issues facing the sector workforce, as well examine any emerging needs, existing gaps and trends.

We also know that the transition to the NDIS has created impacts for the workforce in Queensland and so too, has COVID-19 and this project will seek to consult with frontline workers and service managers in the sector to understand the ways in which these impacts have played out. Our sector readily and capably responded to the COVID-19 pandemic creatively and innovatively and we can learn from these experiences to prepare for any future emergencies.

The findings from this project will inform the community mental health and wellbeing sector and provide an understanding of what skills, training and/or resourcing might be needed for the workforce in relation to workforce planning, and to meet demand during future pandemics or other emergency situations. It will also lead to the development of strategies and recommendations to guide QAMH in its support of the sector. 

QAMH is very excited to undertake this project and we look forward to working with our sector to explore solutions and opportunities that work best for our sector.  

If you or a colleague is interested in participating in this exciting project – please contact hchan@qamh.org.au