A critical missing piece of Australia’s mental health system

A critical missing piece of Australia’s mental health system

Everyone should be able to access the support they need to live well and participate fully in their community. Yet for 500,000 people experiencing significant mental health challenges who can’t access the NDIS, that support simply isn't there.

This is a critical missing piece of Australia's mental health system. And one that requires urgent action – with proposed NDIS reforms standing to make demand for supports outside the Scheme even higher. This lack of access to supports perpetuates deep distress and disadvantage, both for people experiencing mental health challenges, as well as for families, carers and kin providing ongoing care where formal services are unavailable or insufficient.

Psychosocial supports are a critical part of recovery and wellbeing. They help people maintain stable housing, participate in education and employment, build and sustain relationships, and remain connected to their communities. They also play an important role in preventing mental health challenges from escalating into crises that require more intensive and costly interventions.

Governments have previously said they would consider psychosocial supports in the next stage of work on Foundational Supports outside the NDIS, and as a key priority for the next National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement.

As part of our suite of recommendations released last week, designed to inform the next National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, Mental Health Australia is urging governments to address the gap in psychosocial supports to ensure these vital supports are available to everyone who needs them.

Our Principles for Psychosocial Supports Outside the NDIS sets out fundamental principles to guide the design of psychosocial supports outside of the NDIS.

These include:

• establishing appropriate system architecture with robust and representative governance
• service design that embraces a human rights-based approach and delivers equity of access
• commissioning that stewards quality supports 
• prioritisation of workforce development as an essential enabler. 

Importantly, people with lived experience and their families, carers and kin must be at the centre of the design, delivery and evaluation of these supports. Lived experience knowledge and expertise is essential to ensuring services are equitable, effective, responsive and grounded in what people need to recover and thrive.

Health and Mental Health Ministers will meet later this year to shape the priorities for the next National Agreement - coming together at a time of increasing community mental health needs and high and avoidable demands on Australia’s hospital system. We urge governments to respond to these challenges by addressing this longstanding psychosocial support gap in Australia’s mental health system. People living with significant mental health challenges, along with their families, carers and kin, have been waiting long enough for the support they need.