Career development opportunities you can only find in a health organisation of our size and scale.
The Accredited Persons program was introduced in response to concerns that a scarcity of medical practitioners in some areas was hampering or delaying the initiation of treatment for people with mental health issues.
Accredited Persons are empowered under the NSW Mental Health Act 2007 (the Act). Under section 19 of the Act, Accredited Persons are able to write Schedule 1 Certificates in order to detain and transport a 'mentally ill' or 'mentally disordered' person to a declared mental health facility for assessment. Accredited Persons can also perform an initial mental health assessment when a person presents to a declared mental health facility (i.e. a Form 1 assessment) under s27A of the Act.
Accredited Persons are senior mental health clinicians who have at least 5 years' experience of direct mental health consumer care. Accredited Persons are appointed in specific public health organisations (i.e. Local Health Districts/Specialty Health Networks (LHD/SHN). LHD/SHN's nominate clinicians to complete a two-day training workshop run by Health Education and Training (HETI), where they receive specialised training about the Mental Health Act. Once qualified, they are appointed as an Accredited Person for three years. Accredited Persons are required to complete a reaccreditation course every three years in order to be reappointed as an Accredited Person for a further three years. Please see HETI - Accredited Persons Program for more information.
The InsideOut Institute website contains information and resources on the evidence-based treatments currently available for eating disorders. This website includes a range of resources available for people with a lived experience of eating disorders, families and carers, clinicians and researchers.
Through the InsideOut Institute website, health professionals can gain access to a range of e-learning modules including introductory modules, training on inpatient management, dietetics-specific training and how to conduct meal support. Health professionals working with patients with an eating disorder can access the Essentials Core Competency Training and a range of resources to support the delivery of evidence-based treatment.
In addition, the InsideOut Institute website provides access to e-therapy, with online screening tools and assessments as well as a treatment services database to assist with building treatment pathways.
The development of the Family Friendly Mental Health Services component of the NSW Family and Carer Mental Health Program is focused on supporting local service improvements by enhancing the skills of mental health service staff to work with families and carers as partners in care. District mental health services now employ staff to provide local workforce training and development and provide access to specialist clinical advice. They are also developing structures to allow families and carers to have input into service delivery. Some local variations will occur in what is available, dependent on staff capacity and local need.
As part of the Family Friendly Mental Health Services component of the Family and Carer Mental Health Program, the Mental Health Branch also funded the then South East Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service to run the Working With Families Stage 3 State-wide Training Project (WWF). In 2007, the WWF team developed the Connecting With Carers is Everybody’s Business handbook and DVD. This resource is designed for use by mental health workers across the state to train mental health staff in the basic skills required to connect with and assess family and carer needs and to build strong partnerships between the mental health service and family and carers, with the aim of working towards a better health outcome for consumers of the service.
People with an intellectual disability are at increased risk of developing a mental disorder, compared to the general population. In the past, mental health professionals have often not had access to specific training to respond to this vulnerable group. The University of New South Wales is providing free online training in intellectual disability mental health, in partnership with NSW Health, Ageing Disability and Home Care and the Health Education and Training Institute.
The e-Learning website is a practical, free resource for health and disability professionals with a focus on the fundamental skills and knowledge needed for clinical training in this area. This includes communication, assessment and management of mental disorders. For more information, email: idhealtheducation@unsw.edu.au
For more information, refer to the Nursing and midwifery scholarships.
For more information about mental health nursing, please visit Mental Health Nursing.
Mental Health Professional Online Development (MHPOD) is a learning resource for people working in mental health. Based on the National Practice Standards for Mental Health, it draws on the evidence base for mental health care and contemporary practice wisdom. Aims include supporting the mental health workforce and improving access to evidence-based educational programs.
For more information and access to MHPOD, please visit the MHPOD eLearning Portal.
NSW Health, in partnership with the Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC), offers a scholarship program for peer workers to complete a Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work and other nationally accredited training.
The program was established in 2015 and has delivered over $1.5 million worth of nationally accredited training scholarships to peer workers and aspiring peer workers across NSW.
The Certificate IV is a nationally recognised qualification for people with lived experience of mental health concerns. It teaches people how to use lived experience to support others on their recovery journey.
Information about eligibility requirements and availability of scholarships can be found on MHCC - Scholarships and Funding.
Further information on NSW Health Peer Work initiatives can be found at Peer workers.
To acknowledge the importance of workforce development, the NSW Mental Health Program Council established a Mental Health Workforce Development Sub-Committee specifically tasked to develop a Mental Health Workforce Development Strategy.
Initial emerging priorities for this strategy include the:
Scholarships are available for clinicians and managers employed by NSW Health working with older people with mental health issues.
The Health Education and Training Institute (HETI) offers a number of postgraduate courses specialising in older people's mental health under the umbrella of Applied Mental Health Studies. These courses/subjects are underpinned by recovery-oriented care and include leadership, clinical care, therapeutics, research and clinical supervision.
For further information and the application process, please refer to Older People’s Mental Health Scholarships.
