Our voice matters: join the Refugee Experiences in Australia Study now
Have you, or anyone you know, arrived in Australia in the last 10 years and entered with a refugee or humanitarian visa? Take part in the important Refugee Experiences in Australia Study and get paid for your work. With the support of Polaron, the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute in partnership with the Social Research Centre is conducting the study. The goal is to use these insights to improve future settlement programs.
Participants must be over 18 years old, permanent residents, and have arrived in Australia on a refugee or humanitarian visa between 1 June 2011 and 31 December 2023.
The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and is available in English, Arabic, Assyrian, Burmese, Chin, Dari, Hazaragi, Karen, Nepali, Swahili, and Tigrinya. Participants will receive a 20$ e-gift card as a token of appreciation for their time. The survey closes on 7 March 2025.
Join the study here.
Psychological Support Service (PSS) in the Central and Eastern Sydney Region
The PSS is a free psychological service that provides therapeutic care to underserviced populations residing in the Central and Eastern Sydney region. Psychological Support Services (PSS) provides free access to short-term psychological therapy either face-to-face or via telehealth. PSS is for people experiencing mild to moderate mental health concerns who live in the Central and Eastern Sydney region and are experiencing financial hardship or low income, and who may not be able to access support through Medicare subsidised psychological services.
For more information visit the PSS website or download a brochure about this service in Arabic (PDF 374.2KB), Chinese- Simplified (PDF 274.4KB), Chinese - Traditional (PDF 281.9KB), English (PDF 499.3KB), Greek (PDF 302.5KB), Italian (PDF 281.1KB), Korean (PDF 244.1KB), Spanish (PDF 282.8KB) or Vietnamese (PDF 315.2KB).
Happy Lunar New Year 2025
Lunar New Year is being celebrated on Wednesday 29 January 2025. This year is the Year of the Snake, which is all about wisdom, transformation and personal growth. According to tradition, snakes are also associated with good fortune, abundance, fertility, and good health. NSW is now host to some of the biggest Lunar New Year celebrations outside of Asia – and each year the festival grows more vibrant and diverse.
To find out what's happening to celebrate Lunar New Year across NSW visit the Multicultural NSW Lunar New Year webpage here.
Have your say - Restrictive practices legislative framework
The Department of Communities and Justice is seeking feedback on a legislated framework for regulating the use of restrictive practices on people with disability. The aim of the proposed framework is to reduce and, where possible, eliminate the use of restrictive practices. Restrictive practices are actions or interventions that restrict the rights or freedom of movement of a person to change a behaviour which is likely to place the physical safety of the person or others in serious jeopardy. The Department of Communities and Justice has released a Consultation Paper seeking your feedback about key parts of the proposed framework.
For more information and to make a submission click here. Submissions close 5pm Friday 28 February 2025.
Expressions of Interest - BEING – Mental Health Consumers Advisory Group
BEING – Mental Health Consumers is seeking expressions of interest for a Consumer Advisory Group. The purpose of the group is to raise national mental health issues and potential solutions
with the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance (NMHCA) and to provide comment on NMHCA policy concepts.
Meetings will commence in March 2025 and take place monthly (3rd Thursday of each month). Meetings will be conducted via Zoom. Each meeting will run for approximately 3
hours, 10am-1pm with scheduled breaks included. Participants will be paid per meeting attended, inclusive of meeting preparation time.
if you identify as a mental health consumer in NSW and are interested in this opportunity click here for more information. Applications close 7 February 2025.
The Mental Health Service Awards Submissions Now Open
The Mental Health Service Awards of Australia and New Zealand recognise innovation, research excellence, best practice and lived experience leadership in mental health services. They also aim to reduce stigma by acknowledging responsible media reporting of mental health issues and encourage others to promote the importance of mental health and wellbeing. This year a new ‘Public Mental Health Service’ category has been introduced which aims to recognise innovation and leadership in the development and delivery of public mental health services.
Award winners are honoured at a prestigious ceremony each year, as part of TheMHS Annual Conference. They also receive a three- day conference registration, financial support to attend an ‘in person’ conference, and recognition on TheMHS website and media materials.
For more information and to make a submission visit TheMHS website here.
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