Noticeboard - General PPEI
The latest news in the area of promotion, prevention and early intervention for mental health.
A complete list of items for this year is available here. Older noticeboard items from last year are still available for your perusal.
| 2008/8/20 |
Profiles of family relationships practices
The Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse (AFRC) is developing a collection of profiles on family relationships practices. Profiles may relate to programs and/or practices conducted throughout Australia that would be of interest to other service providers or practitioners. This may include past and present training initiatives, community awareness strategies, services that target particular groups or any other examples of interesting or innovative practice.
Further information, including the process for submissions, can be found at Family Relationships Practice Profiles. (from AFRC alert)
| 2008/8/12 |
Vietnam veterans' family study
The Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) is seeking Vietnam veterans and their families to take part in a study into their health and wellbeing. The study will look at what effect veterans' service in Vietnam may have had on veterans' families.
The first focus will be on Vietnam veterans and their families, while later studies will look at the families of veterans from more recent deployments. The research includes children, partners, siblings, nieces and nephews. The study aims to identify any common risk factors for veterans and their families, as well as factors that protect families' health and wellbeing. The entire study is expected to take 8 years. It will be completed by 2016.
For more information go to the DVA Family Study webpage.
| 2008/8/6 |
LIFE News: suicide prevention online
Crisis Support Services has just released the first edition of LIFE News as part of the new LIFE Communications: an innovative project that facilitates suicide and self-harm prevention expertise on behalf of the Department of Health and Ageing for the National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS).
The updated LIFE website contains the newsletter, links to the latest LIFE documents plus an online professional development discussion forum. For more information go to: Living is for everyone
| 2008/7/24 |
Indigenous AOD workers' wellbeing, stress and burnout survey
The National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) at Flinders University has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to undertake national research on the wellbeing of Indigenous and non-Indigenous health workers (who see a high proportion of Indigenous clients) working in the Alcohol and Other Drugs field.
NCETA would like to invite relevant Indigenous and non-Indigenous health workers working in the Alcohol and Other Drugs field to share their views on the level of stress and wellbeing that they experience by completing the survey. The results will be incorporated into a final report (due in 2009) for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and will be available on the NCETA website. To participate go to
| 2008/7/22 |
It takes a community: preventing child abuse and neglect (RHEF satellite television broadcast)
This program explores a shift to a preventive focus, looking at the development of services that emphasise protective factors, and which aim to support families and children before abuse or neglect occurs. The program illustrates the belief that a strong community underpins the effective functioning of families, and examines how traditional child health and welfare professionals are re-orienting themselves in the light of this perspective.
The program will be broadcast on Tuesday 29th July 2008. For more details go to Rural Health Education Foundation webpage.
| 2008/7/16 |
National Indigenous representative body
The Australian Government is now seeking the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on a proposed national Indigenous representative body. FaHCSIA will be conducting consultation meetings in every state and the Northern Territory, including remote locations, from end of July until the end of August 2008. Consultations in regional areas will also cater for attendees from remote locations. Written submissions can also be provided. The closing date for written submissions is 19 September 2008.
For more information about the Government's consultations on a proposed National Indigenous Representative Body, please visit the FaHCSIA website.
To assist in considering relevant issues for a National Indigenous Representative Body, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, released an Issues Paper on 12 July 2008 titled: Building a Sustainable National Indigenous Representative Body. (Sourced from HREOC Mailing List.)
| 2008/7/9 |
Changes to Auseinet site
Work is underway to create a new 'search by topic' page on the Auseinet site which will give quicker and easier access to resources across all of our collections. The new page will allow for browsing through publications, activities, notices, and sitelinks via one comprehensive listing of subject headings.
Whilst this re-structure is taking place you may find that some resources have been moved: our priority is to ensure minimum disruption to accessing information. If you are having problems finding resources please contact the Information Officer.
| 2008/7/9 |
From Margins to Mainstream: 5th World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and the Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders
The full conference program (correct as of 8th July 2008) is now available from the Margins to Mainstream website.
The program is streamed using the following themes:
- National & policy approaches to mental health promotion
- Social participation
- Joining promotion, prevention & intervention
- Discrimination
- Mental illness stigma
- Violence
- Access to economic resource.
| 2008/7/1 |
National Child Protection Week
NAPCAN (the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect) are part of a national social change campaign – to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect. NAPCAN’s 'Children See, Children Do' advertisement presents a strong message that we all carry this responsibility. If you would like to download this advertisement or receive an information kit for Child Protection Week (7-13 September) go to Children See, Children Do website.
| 2008/6/26 |
Latest suicide statistics: updated overview available
Auseinet has updated its information paper "Australian Suicide Statistics 2006 - Key Findings", based on data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in March 2008. The paper provides a summary which highlights the levels of, and trends in, suicide in Australia.
To access the paper go to the Suicide Prevention Statistics page of the Auseinet website.
| 2008/6/17 |
Evaluation of mental health first aid educational materials
The University of Melbourne, with the support of an Australian Rotary Health Research Fund, will be evaluating the impact of mental health first aid educational materials on participant's knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards people with mental health problems. They are looking to recruit between 300 - 500 adult members of the general public (18 years and over) who have access to a computer with a CD drive and the internet. Participants will be randomly assigned into one of the following groups: 1) receive an e-learning CD-ROM; 2) receive a hard-copy manual or 3) be added to a waiting list to receive educational materials.
Paticipants will be asked to fill in three online surveys over a seven month period. For more information email Julie-Anne Fischer at ORYGEN Research Centre (ph: 03 9342 3768 or mob: 0401 772 648).
| 2008/6/17 |
Investigating the effects of social exclusion: research participants wanted
An MPsych/PhD student is currently investigating the nature and experience of social exclusion. As part of this research, she has set up an online questionnaire (until 31st of October) to investigate the consequences individuals may experience when they are socially excluded. This research aims to assess the adverse consequences (such as suicide and aggression) of low levels of belonging on an individual and subsequently highlight areas where intervention and support would be useful for the individual's psychological well-being.
For more information go to Investigating the Effects of Social Exclusion.
| 2008/6/17 |
Developing a men's health policy for Australia: setting the scene
The Rudd Government is about to start developing Australia's first ever National Men's Health Policy - in recognition of the fact that men often have poorer health than women, are likely to die earlier, and are at greater risk of suicide.
Over the next twelve months, the Government will be developing a comprehensive policy: they want to know what men consider to be the priorities for their health, and how to build up the evidence base in this area, including opportunities for research over the long term. Consultations will be held throughout Australia, including a forum to be held in Canberra towards the end of 2008.
More information can be found on the National Men's Health Policy page of the Department of Health and Ageing website.