Outcome 11: Mental Health > Performance Information

Result: Indicator met.

In 2007–08, the Department provided funding to beyondblue to complement State, Territory and philanthropic contributions to progress all key outcomes in the Strategic Framework for Action: Opening our eyes to depression across Australia 2005–2010. The Department was also represented as a Board member. Particular highlights included:

• the production and dissemination of a range of new resources (a DVD on men and depression, and fact sheets – Depression and Diabetes, Depression and Arthritis, Depression and Dementia and Grief, Loss and Depression ). These resources are available at <www.beyondblue.org.au>;
• collaboration with Cancer Australia and the National Heart Foundation to provide $10 million to Australia's research community to expand the evidence base in depression, anxiety and comorbidity; and
• the development of beyondblue's National Perinatal Mental Health Program.

Result: Indicator met.

A major achievement was the establishment of 30 headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation youth service models (Communities of Youth Service) nationally, 18 of which were in rural or remote locations. Round one grants were announced on 28 February 2007, establishing the first ten Communities of Youth Service. Round two grants were announced on 8 January 2008 to establish the next 20 Communities of Youth Service.

These Communities of Youth Service will:

• support holistic management of the mental health and substance use problems of young people;
• improve access to appropriate services and ensure better links and coordination between services for young people in their local area;
• bring together local youth mental health, drug and alcohol, primary care and education, training and support agencies; and
• improve access to a range of services for young people and ensure better coordination between these services.

Result: Indicator met.

The Department's KidsMatter partners are trialling professional learning frameworks and resources for mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention in 101 primary schools Australia wide. In addition, the pilot has been extended to four remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander schools in the Tiwi Islands. Evaluation is ongoing with a final pilot evaluation report due in June 2009.

The KidsMatter framework and materials promote social and emotional learning for students; parenting support and education; and early intervention for students experiencing mental health difficulties.

Result: Indicator met.

The Department increased the number of calls answered by phone counselling services and the availability of mental health information by providing:

• funding to Lifeline Australia to expand and improve phone counselling services, increasing call answer rates from 23% in December 2006 to 50% by a counsellor and 85% by call answer service in November 2007;
• funding to Kids Helpline to expand phone and web-based counselling services, effectively increasing call answer rates from 49% in December 2006 to 60% in May 2008;
• funding for web-based information and support services, including depressioNet (<www.depressionet.com.au>), ReachOut! (<www.reachout.com.au>) and MoodGYM (<www.moodgym.anu.edu.au>); and
• free access to new mental health publications, including the National Mental Health Report 2007
  (available at <www.health.gov.au>).

Result: Indicator met.

From 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008, almost 1.9 million services provided by clinical and registered psychologists were subsidised through Medicare, compared with some 600,000 services provided in just the first eight months (1 November 2006 and 30 June 2007) of the initiative. This continues the upward trend in people accessing these services.

Result: Indicator met.

Over 80% of Divisions of General Practice undertook promotional activities with general practitioners and allied health professionals to ensure that their Access to Allied Psychological Services project complemented primary mental health care programs delivered within the divisions catchment area. This was undertaken through a variety of activities including delivery of formal education and training modules, workshops, and practice visits.

Result: Indicator substantially met.

The Department provided an additional nine grants to nine organisations in 2007–08 (above the 51 granted in 2006–07), bringing the total number of grants awarded to 60. These additional nine grants mean an extra 541 places were provided, bringing the total number of places provided under this program to 6,968. Additional places will be provided in the next phase, bringing the total to over 7,000.

Result: Indicator met.

In 2007–08, 75 full-time equivalent scholarships were awarded nationally, made up of 37.5 full-time equivalent scholarships for mental health nursing and 37.5 full-time equivalent scholarships for clinical psychology. In the two rounds to date, over 220 full-time and part-time scholarships have been awarded.

Result: Indicator substantially met.

The majority of the community projects supported by the Department through the National Suicide Prevention Strategy are still in operation and continue to collect evaluation data and perform qualitative evaluations through to completion (expected to be June 2009).

Evaluation of the 21 projects that were finished in 2007–08 and all internal evaluations show they all (100%) achieved a number of positive outcomes in their respective fields.

Result: Indicator met.

Ministers were satisfied with the advice provided by the Department for Australian Government decision-making. This is on par with ministerial satisfaction in 2006–07.

Result: Indicator met.

In 2007–08, policy research focused on areas such as homelessness, care coordination, and consumer and non government sector development. Key areas of policy research progressed by the Department included coordination of the Mental Health Standing Committee's evaluation of the National Mental Health Plan 2003–2008 and the revision of the National Mental Health Policy.

Evidence-based policy research was conducted in a timely and targeted way to ensure that information was available to inform a range of mental health reform agendas.

Result: Indicator not met.

Funds were underspent by 1.9% of budget due to actual expenditure being less than estimated for program 11.1 – Mental Health.

Result: Indicator met.

Throughout 2007–08, the Department presented at a range of stakeholder forums to provide updates on progress and to seek advice from stakeholders on the implementation of the Department's component of the Council of Australian Governments Mental Health package.

Forums included state-based Council of Australian Governments Mental Health Groups, the Indigenous Strategies Working Group, an Implementation Interdepartmental Committee, and the Department's Stakeholder Reference Group. The Stakeholder Reference Group, established to facilitate information exchange and provide advice on the planning and implementation of mental health measures being implemented by the Department, held three meetings this year (28 August 2007, 11 December 2007 and 11 March 2008).

The new Australian Government mental health website <www.mentalhealth.gov.au>, launched in September 2007, provides information on national mental health reform efforts, and mental health and related programs being progressed by Australian Government agencies. Viewers have the opportunity, through this website, to provide comment and feedback to government agencies on issues contained on the website.