Submissions

QAMH welcomes this opportunity to provide input to the Community Mental Health Community Support Services – Psychosocial Supports consultation being undertaken by Queensland Health to explore models, approaches and design elements that build on the current service system. We also welcome broad scale investment in non-clinical supports that build people’s natural resources and personal agency as well as their ability to reduce and resolve issues which may be impacting their mental health, by addressing social determinants.

In this submission, we make the following recommendations to improve Queensland’s Mental Health Community Support Service Programs:

• Fund the gap in psychosocial support services
• Create broad referral pathways, including self-referral
• Ensure contracts for psychosocial supports reflect the true cost of delivering services
• Ensure a seamless service system
• Improve data collection and measurement.

We also suggest that there is plenty of evidence for the effectiveness of existing psychosocial support models and encourage the Government to also consider innovative, peer-led and localised responses when exploring new psychosocial support models and program components.