Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System : final report [Website] / Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System.

This is the final report of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. It builds on the Commission’s interim report and articulates a vision for a reimagined system that will support the mental health and wellbeing of Victorians for generations to come. The recommended reforms aim to rebalance the current system so that most services are delivered in the community close to where people live, work and study. A focus on preventing mental illness and promoting good mental health and wellbeing will be central to the redesign of the system, reducing reliance on services alone. When people do need the support of services, most will receive the treatment, care and support they need through community-based services. Hospitals will respond to the needs of people who require highly specialised or acute care, and residential services will support people who need longer periods of rehabilitation following a period of mental illness or psychological distress. Building on the recommendations made in the Commission’s interim report, the reforms outlined in this report will ensure the mental health and wellbeing system responds to the needs of Aboriginal people. It will support the principles of self-determination, with Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing services designed and led by Aboriginal communities. In the new system, services will be comprehensive and holistic and will integrate mental health and wellbeing services with other supports for living well. Two aligned systems, one for infants, children and young people and one for adults and older adults, will be streamed to respond to different developmental needs and stages of life. Reflecting the strong and vibrant diversity of Victoria’s population, the system will respond to the needs of individuals, families, carers and supporters from Victoria’s diverse social cohorts and communities. New leadership will ensure people with lived experience of mental illness or psychological distress, families, carers and supporters have an authentic and valued role in the ongoing development of the system and the delivery of services. New governance arrangements will ensure greater accountability back to people and communities. The historically overlooked and de-prioritised mental health system will be a relic of the past. The Commission’s processes to design the future mental health and wellbeing system have been rigorous and considered. The future system presented in this report has been shaped by the contributions of thousands of Victorians, including those with lived experience of mental illness or psychological distress, families, carers and supporters, people from diverse communities, mental health workers, researchers, service providers and others. Their contributions were broad and covered a wide range of experiences of all parts of the mental health system and those systems that intersect with it such as the education, criminal justice system and the homelessness and housing systems. The deep knowledge of people who have experience of Victoria’s mental health system has been complemented by the advice and expertise of people in other Australian jurisdictions, and from around the world. A wide array of research and data has further enriched the Commission’s understanding and has ensured the system of the future has been designed on the best available evidence. Chapter 39: The work of the Commission outlines how the Commission undertook its task. The knowledge and evidence from these diverse sources underpin every topic in this final report. The report is a companion piece to the interim report. It comprises five volumes. This introduction provides an overview of the full report and is followed by an introduction to the first volume, A new approach to mental health and wellbeing in Victoria. February 2021 Chair: Penny Armytage; Commissioners: Dr Alex Cockram, Professor Allan Fels, Professor Bernadette McSherry. Includes bibliographical references. Brotherhood of St Laurence is mentioned in the Volume two report. And is a bibliographical reference in volume one, volume two and volume three. Brotherhood of St Laurence has written a submission for this inquiry:Submission to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.

Volumes available on website: Summary and recommendations ; Volume 1 A new approach to mental health and wellbeing in Victoria ; Volume 2 Collaboration to support good mental health and wellbeing ; Volume 3 Promoting inclusion and addressing inequities ; Volume 4 The fundamentals for enduring reform ; Volume 5 Transforming the system— innovation and implementation ; Appendicies