Help inform the NSW Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
The Mental Health Commission of NSW is leading the development of a new Strategy for Mental Health and Wellbeing in NSW and they want your input. Whether you're a person with lived experience, a carer, community member, or part of an organisation, your insights matter.
To have your say, read the Consultation Paper for background information and key questions for discussion and then:
• Complete the online survey – It’s quick (5–10 minutes) and can be done anonymously.
• Make a written submission – Submissions close 29 August 2025.
All feedback received will help shape the future of mental health in NSW.
Visit the Mental Health Commission of NSW's website for more information.
New Universal Aftercare Resource Released
The NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation has released a new resource that provides best practice guidance on the delivery of aftercare services in NSW. The resource is aimed at aftercare service providers, their partners, service managers and the workforce who are supporting people after a suicide attempt or during a suicidal crisis. This service delivery model covers:
- the safe and effective delivery of universal aftercare services,
- support for priority populations at an increased risk of suicide,
- suggested governance structures and processes to support service delivery and
- workforce development and support.
View the Universal Aftercare resource here
The State of Mental Health in Multicultural Australia
You are invited to participate in a small-group discussion to assist in building agreement on what are the best approaches for mental health support for multicultural communities in Australia. These discussions are being organised by Western Sydney University and Embrace Multicultural Mental Health as part of a national project. The group discussion will be conducted face-to-face in a community venue and is expected to take approximately three hours. For those who are participating outside of their role in a paid-work capacity, remuneration will be provided.
For more information and to express your interest in participating download a flyer here (PDF 235.9KB).
Have Your Say on Multicultural NSW's Strategic Plan
Multicultural NSW is developing a new Strategic Plan and they want your input. Multicultural NSW wants to hear your ideas about what the organisation should focus on for the coming years. You are invited to share your insights at a community consultation session. Sessions are being held across NSW and online throughout June and July 2025.
Attendance is free. Registration is essential.
Register to attend any of the sessions here
Health Tours Refugee Camp in my Neighbourhood
Led by guides with lived experience and NSW Refugee Health staff, Refugee Camp in my Neighbourhood is an interactive simulation that takes you through the journey of a refugee arriving in Australia. Participants will gain firsthand insight into the challenges refugees face and how these experiences affect their health and wellbeing
When: Wednesday 30 July 2025, 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Time: Morning tours available. Tours take approximately 2.5 hours each
Where: Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University, Rydalmere
Cost: $71.50 (or $38.50 NSW Health Staff - use discount code HEALTH)
More information and buy tickets here
Being - Lived Experience Video Recruitment
Story sharing is one of the most powerful tools there is. Sharing your story means acknowledging what you’ve been through, but not letting it define who you are. It also means seeing how your struggles can lead to something positive. For people going through tough times with their mental health, hearing someone else's story can validate their own experience, helping them feel understood and gives them hope for recovery.
Being (Mental Health Consumers) is looking for volunteers to share their mental health stories on video to expand their library. Being is specifically looking for stories from those living in a rural or regional area, young people (under 25 years), those from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people experiencing homelessness and those who have spent time in a public mental health unit.
If you are interested in sharing your story, download the video recruitment invitation here.
Multilingual Communication Cards for Aged Care Services
The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing have released Communication Cards in over 70 languages, depicting a range of daily activities and situations that can be used to prompt discussion, assist with directions, clarify a client's needs and more.
The Communication Cards cover themes such as Food, Drink, Meals, Religion, Spirituality, Medical, Health Specialists, Personal Care, Sleep, TV, Recreation, Feelings, Pain and Mobility Aids.
Visit the Centre for Cultural Diversity in Aging's website to download the multilingual communication cards.
National Reconciliation Week 27 May - 3 June 2025 Translated Resources
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. Each year, Reconciliation Australia provides translated resources to encourage all Australians to participate in reconciliation.
The dates - 27 May to 3 June - commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey - the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision, respectively.
This year's theme, Bridging Now to Next, reflects the ongoing connection between past, present and future. It urges us to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us. This theme calls on all Australians to step forward together on our reconciliation journey.
Visit the National Reconciliation Week website to download resources in Arabic, Assyrian, English, Hazaraghi, Chinese - simplified and traditional, Greek, Italian, Khmer, Korean, Punjabi, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese.
Australian Federal Election 3 May 2025
The Australian Government has called a federal election for Saturday 3 May 2025. Voting in the election is compulsory for all Australian citizens aged 18 and over.
The Australian Electoral Commission has translated resources into a range of languages to help you understand the voting process. These include:
- Practise Voting Tools in a variety of languages. These tools are designed to help you ensure that your vote will be counted.
- The Voter Story videos in a variety of languages.
- Stop and Consider leaflets in many languages. These encourage you to stop and consider the content and source of any election information you receive in order to avoid false or misleading information.
Expressions of Interest Open - Older People’s Mental Health Community Services
The NSW Ministry of Health and Mental Health Carers NSW (MHCN) is seeking carers to participate in a focus group as part of the review of the NSW Older Persons Mental Health (OPMH) Community Services Guideline. This is a great opportunity for carers to share their experiences and help shape how NSW Health community mental health services provide care to older people across the state.
MHCN is looking for carers of older people (aged 65+) with mental health issues who have accessed or may access NSW OPMH community services.
The focus group will be held Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm, Online (via Zoom)
Remuneration is $88 for participation (includes 0.5-hour pre-reading & 1.5-hour discussion)
Expression of Interest Deadline is 15 April 2025
To apply for this opportunity complete the Expression of Interest form here.
Mental Health Month Small Grant Applications Now Open!
Each year, Wayahead provides a range of small grants to support mental health events during October. These grants are designed to help facilitate initiatives that highlight the importance of mental health within diverse communities and raise awareness of mental health issues in line with the annual theme. Grants are available in the categories of General, Youth, LGBTQI+, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) grants. The CALD grants category encourages individuals, groups or organisations addressing CALD communities to propose projects or events promoting mental health awareness and support. Recipients align their initiatives with the current year's theme and partner with Wayahead to enhance the impact of their events. The theme for Mental Health Month 2025 is 'Taking Steps on Your Wellbeing Journey'.
For further information about the grants and to make an application visit the Wayahead website.
Young Wellbeings
Young Well Beings is an online resource designed by young mums for young mums to support their mental health and wellbeing during the perinatal journey. It’s targeted at young mothers aged 16 to 24 years and it covers a range of important topics surrounding mental health and wellbeing for young people, particularly as they related to young motherhood. Watch a video about the program here.
The content is organised in 5 modules: Mental Health and Wellbeing for Young Mums, Building Confidence, Building My Network, Self-care Strategies and You’ve Got This, where stereotypes and myths about being a young mother are discussed and then how to deal and bust these stereotypes. Each of these modules have downloadable summaries translated into five different languages: Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Punjabi, Vietnamese and Arabic.
Register for the free course 'Young Well Beings' here.
Mental Health Carer Psychiatrist's Crisis Survey
What are the impacts of the crisis in psychiatry and the resignations of many public psychiatrists? Mental Health Carers NSW (MHCN) (and through MHCN the NSW Health, Mental Health Branch) wants to know about the impacts of the crisis in psychiatry and the resignations of many public psychiatrists on you. MHCN would like to understand if the person you care for is not able to access their usual care or has new needs that cannot be met. This survey is designed to take only 4 - 5 minutes of your time. Your input is invaluable and highly appreciated. MHCN will use this research to raise awareness with other stakeholders on the impacts of the psychiatrist workforce crisis from the perspective of mental health carers. Complete the survey here.
Expression of Interest Focus Groups - Peer Association Foregrounding Project
The Department of Health and Aged Care is working to implement the peer workforce 2024-25 Budget measures. This includes establishing a National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Peer Workforce Association. The Department have engaged Lived Experience Australia to update the 2019 Towards Professionalisation Report to inform establishment of the Association. To achieve this Lived Experience Australia is undertaking focus groups across March this year and invite you to express your interest in joining these consultations. These focus groups are open to people in mental health and/or suicide prevention services who are currently or previously employed in designated personal or family/carer lived experience (peer) roles. For more information and to express your interest in joining the focus groups click here.
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement Review
The Productivity Commission has been asked by the Australian Government to conduct the final review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement. The review will assess the impact of programs delivered under the Agreement and make recommendations for the Agreement that aim to enhance the effectiveness, accessibility, affordability and safety of the mental health and suicide prevention system. The Productivity Commission has issued a call for submissions to guide people in preparing a submission. It sets out some of the issues and questions the Commission has identified as relevant at this early stage of the inquiry.
Initial submissions are due by Wednesday 12 March 2025.
For more information and to make a submission visit the Productivity Commission website here.
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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