Evaluation of the Bringing them home and Indigenous mental health programs
11.2 Good practice principles
Table of contents
- Acknowledgements
- Study Team
- Glossary
- Executive Summary
1. Introduction- 2. Methodology
- 3 Overview of the four programs
- 4 Literature review
- 5 Key outcomes and achievements of the programs
- 6 Key limitations of the programs
- 7 Management and administrative issues
- 8. Workforce issues
- 9. Issues related to the four programs
- 10. Likely future demand
11. Conclusions and suggested future directions- Appendix A: Stakeholders consulted
- Appendix B: Literature review
- References
The following GPPs have been identified throughout the report. Here they are grouped together in relation to particular topic areas. A number of these GPPs have funding implications which would need to be considered.
11.2.1 Location of services
11.2.2 Service delivery issues
11.2.3 Inter-agency relationships
11.2.4 Staff support
11.2.5 Activities to complement service delivery
11.2.1 Location of services
Link-Up, BTH and SEWB RC services should be located in Aboriginal community controlled organisations. Link-Up and BTH services should be located in premises which: provide confidentiality (both in terms of access to the service and within the service); are convenient to access, including by public transport; have a ‘community’ rather than ‘clinical’ feel; and are not near places with negative associations for Aboriginal people.11.2.2 Service delivery issues
- GPP1
- Link-Up and BTH services should provide regular outreach services to clients to ensure that they provide an adequate service to their whole catchment area. First generation members should be given priority access to outreach services by Link-Up and BTH services. SEWB RCs should provide outreach support to mental health workers in these services.
- GPP7
- In most instances, Aboriginal clients prefer to see an Aboriginal BTH Counsellor. In some instances this may not be possible, or clients may prefer to see a non-Aboriginal BTH Counsellor. Where possible, client preferences should be accommodated. Likewise, clients should also have a choice of a male or female BTH Counsellor, as appropriate.
- GPP10
- BTH services should adopt a flexible approach to service delivery that extends beyond the mainstream clinical counselling model. This includes conducting group activities in community settings, encouraging clients to drop into the service on an informal basis, being available at short notice, and offering services on an outreach basis. BTH services should liaise closely with Stolen Generations organisations to ensure that services meet the needs of these groups’ members.
11.2.3 Inter-agency relationships
- GPP4
- All Link-Up and BTH services should establish protocols for referral between the two programs. All new Link-Up clients should be immediately offered the option of referral to a BTH Counsellor by their Link-Up service. Where new clients decline this, Link-Up services should remind them of this option throughout the process leading up to and including their reunion. All clients participating in a reunion should be offered the opportunity to have a BTH Counsellor attend the reunion, and to have post-reunion counselling.
- GPP5
- Link-Up and BTH services should develop and maintain close working relationships with all relevant Commonwealth and State Government, and non-government, programs and services. A particular priority for BTH services is mainstream mental health services.
11.2.4 Staff support
- GPP8
- All BTH and Link-Up staff should be given access to and participate in appropriate training on a regular basis.
- GPP9
- All BTH Counsellors should have access to regular supervision by a qualified mental health professional, either within their team or through an external organisation (on either a one-to-one or team basis).
11.2.5 Activities to complement service delivery
- GPP3
- Link-Up and BTH services should conduct regular awareness-raising activities in their communities to ensure the existence and nature of the program is well-known in their entire catchment area.
- GPP6
- All services funded under the BTH, Link-Up, SEWB RC and Mental Health Programs should conduct regular evaluation and monitoring activities using an ‘action research’ model whereby evaluation findings are used to inform service delivery on an ongoing basis.