Role
The Department of Health and Aged Care and state and territory governments established the Psychosocial Project Group to progress commitments under the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement in relation to future arrangements for providing psychosocial supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
From September 2022 to May 2024, the Psychosocial Project Group conducted an analysis of unmet demand for psychosocial supports outside the NDIS.
On 16 August 2024, Australian Health and Mental Health Ministers agreed to release the Final Report of the Analysis of unmet need for psychosocial supports outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The report is accompanied by the Statement from Australian Health Ministers: Analysis of unmet need for psychosocial supports outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The report estimates, in 2022-23, around 230,500 people living with a severe mental health challenges (aged 12 to 64 years) were unable to access psychosocial supports.
The Psychosocial Project Group are leading the development of a plan with mental health stakeholders to respond to the findings of the report and inform future psychosocial support arrangements outside the NDIS.
More information about the Psychosocial Project role and work remit is outlined in its terms of reference.
What is the Plan?
On 16 August 2024, Australian Health and Mental Health Ministers agreed to work with mental health stakeholders to develop a robust plan for future psychosocial support arrangements (‘the Plan’).
The Plan will bring together the expertise across governments, people with lived experience, chosen supporters/carers, family and kin, service providers, advocates and communities.
The Plan will:
- consider current psychosocial support arrangements, including what is working well
- identify gaps and challenges with current psychosocial supports
- propose immediate and long-term solutions to these challenges
- identify principles, features and opportunities of a future psychosocial support system.
The Plan will be focused on psychosocial supports outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for people living with severe mental health challenges. It will also look at how psychosocial supports outside the NDIS interface with the NDIS.
The Plan will complement other efforts to achieve better outcomes for people living with mental health challenges, including:
- the 2022 National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement
- governments’ response to the Independent Review of the NDIS.
The Plan is being developed at a time of significant reform and changes to the health and disability systems to better support people living with severe mental health challenges.
Governments have not made funding decisions or commitments and are open to fresh ideas and suggestions. The ideas raised in the Plan will be explored further by governments in the context of these broader reforms.
How will the Plan be developed?
The Psychosocial Project Group will develop the Plan in consultation with people across Australia. The Psychosocial Project Group will be consulting with:
- consumers with lived experience around Australia
- chosen supporters/carers, family and kin
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- people impacted by suicide
- service providers
- other key stakeholders.
Further information about consultations and how to get involved will be available in 2025.
The Plan will also draw from, and build on, a comprehensive evidence base. This includes recent consultations and submissions to governments, research and reports, including the Analysis of Unmet Need for Psychosocial Supports outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Members
The Psychosocial Project Group includes representatives from:
- the Australian government
- state and territory governments
- people with mental health lived experience.
| Member | Jurisdiction | Position |
|---|---|---|
Kristen Price (from May 2024) Past member: Sarah Hawke | Australian Government (Co-chair) | Assistant Secretary, Suicide Prevention Branch – Department of Health and Aged Care |
| Sandra Eyre | Queensland (Co-chair) | Senior Director, Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Branch – Queensland Health |
| Amy Wyndham | New South Wales | Director, Community Programs and Partnerships, Mental Health Branch – NSW Health |
| Vincent Ponzio (from October 2024) | New South Wales | Director, Disability and Social Policy, Mental Health Branch – NSW Health |
Emily Ramsey (from October 2024) Past member: Phil Watson | Victoria | Director, Service System Design Adult and Older Adults – VIC Department of Health |
| Ruth Langmead | Western Australia | Assistant Director, Strategic Management – WA Mental Health Commission |
Amy Greenfield (from October 2024) Past member: Gise Paine | South Australia | Principal Project Officer, Service Planning and Performance – SA Department for Health and Wellbeing |
Kate Garvey (from March 2024) Past member: Jane Austin | Tasmania | A/g General Manager, Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Directorate – TAS Department of Health |
| Wendy Kipling | Australian Capital Territory | Senior Director, Mental Health Policy and Strategy – ACT Health Directorate |
Melissa Heywood (from April 2024) Past member: Cherise Daiyi | Northern Territory | Senior Policy Officer, Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Branch – NT Health |
Katrina Armstrong (from October 2024) Priscilla Brice (from October 2024) Heather Nowak (from October 2024) Susan Adam (from October 2024) Past member: Deb Hamilton* | Lived experience representative | CEO – National Mental Health Family, Carers and Kin Peak Body CEO – National Mental Health Consumer Peak Body Consumer representative – Lived Experience Group Carer, family and kin representative – Lived Experience Group |
|
Meetings
The Psychosocial Project Group meets regularly.
Previous reports
The consultation plan for the unmet need analysis project outlined stakeholder consultation and engagement for the project, including timings for national workshops.
The first national virtual workshop with stakeholders was held on 18 August 2023. As outlined in the Consultation Workshop 1 Summary, this workshop tested the unmet need analysis method with stakeholders.
The second national virtual workshop with stakeholders was held on 22 March 2024. Key themes from consultation on the draft estimates of psychosocial need, service provision and limitations are presented in the report.
The project group released project updates to keep psychosocial sector stakeholders informed of progress on the unmet need analysis project.
Contact
