Mental health in Disability Services Queensland
About Mental Health Branch | Mental Health Recovery | Mental Health Community Organisations Sector Development | Funding | Contact us
About Mental Health Branch
In September 2007, Machinery of Government changes resulted in Disability Services Queensland assuming primary responsibility for funding, developing and implementing, and monitoring of all existing and new mental health programs delivered through non-government service providers.
In response to this, Disability Services Queensland established a Mental Health Branch within the HACC and NGO Contracting Business area.
Mental health recovery
The dominant practice framework underpinning all DSQ mental health programs is Recovery. Recovery is the journey toward a new and valued sense of identity, role and purpose outside the parameters of mental illness; and living well despite any limitations resulting from the illness, its treatment, and personal and environmental conditions. (Queensland Government Position Paper 2005)
Sharing Responsibility for Recovery: creating and sustaining recovery oriented systems of are for mental health.
Guiding Principles for Consumer Participation – A resource document for psychiatric disability support services and consumers (this document is currently on the intranet)
Mental health community organisations sector development
Disability Services Queensland has, as part of this major investment into mental health services, developed a number of initiatives targeted at sector development primarily focusing at three areas:
- workforce development;
- leadership and governance development; and
- infrastructure development.
Work on sector development includes a strong partnership with the Queensland Alliance and other key stakeholders in the government and non-government sectors.
An important component of the sector development work is to identify and link non-government mental health organisations with existing commonwealth and state sector development funding and initiatives. It also aims to identify gaps in existing sector development activities and explore options for addressing them.
Funding
The Queensland Government 2007-08 State Budget committed $58.09 million to DSQ to develop and implement a range of new community mental health programs. Of this, $35.64 million has been allocated over four years to purchase a range of accommodation and recovery-focused lifestyle support services from the non-government sector. In addition to this, $22.45 million over four years has been allocated for non-clinical support for people entering social housing.
Contact us
Email mentalhealthbranch@disability.qld.gov.au
Last updated May 2008