5 Streams of Support

We provide support through:

One-on-one work:
individual care plans

Main Programs

• Pathways Program
  Promoting independent living in the community through rehabilitation and outreach services which provide recovery-based assistance with lifestyle support (budgeting, cooking, personal care); personal goal setting; vocational education, training and employment; and participating in a variety of social and recreational activities More »
  
  
• Prevention & Recovery Program:
  Subacute-care program offering supports that reduce the likelihood
  of admission when care may be best offered at home or in a residential
  environment
  
  
• Life Promotion Program:
  Collaborating with others to develop strategies to address the high rates
  of suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm in Central Australia through
  community-owned and developed initiatives

Other Key Service Areas

• Training and Promotions
  MHACA offers a range of services to help raise community awareness about mental health issues. These include training in Mental Health First Aid, the quarterly newsletter inBalance, community stalls and forums, and the MHACA website.
  
  
• Advocacy and Participation
  MHACA advocates on behalf of consumers, carers and other
  stakeholders at local, state and national levels. We support
  consumers’ participation on advisory committees (to influence
  government policy making and service provision), recruitment
  panels and on the MHACA management committee.
  
  
• Housing Support Program
  MHACA provides long-term supported housing that is appropriate,
  safe and affordable, has security of tenure and is linked with
  support to enable tenants to live as independently as possible.

Advocacy and participation

MHACA has a structured advocacy role and focuses on systems-based advocacy. The Association is represented on several local, state and national organisations and regularly relays information both to and from these networks. These include:

• Mental Health Council of Australia (national peak body)
• NT Mental Health Coalition (state peak body)
• NT Community Advisory Group (to the minister)
• Alice Springs Primary Health Care Collaborative Meeting

Through ongoing involvement in the NT Mental Health Coalition and NTCAG MHACA assists consumers to ‘speak out’ through supporting individuals’ attendance at meetings, training, events and paid participation on panels and forums. Locally, MHACA has focused on extending the range of options for client access to treatment, care and support, and has referred and supported people with personal complaints to the Disability Advocacy Service or the Community Visitor Program.

Partnership activities
Throughout the past few years partnership activities undertaken by management have included:

• SANE Media Consultation Project: Media Stigma Project
• Centrelink: Disability Support Pension Reforms Workshop
• CAMHS: Accreditation Meetings / Executive Meetings / CACAG
• Division of Primary Health Care: Mental Health Interagency Group
• NT Mental Health Coaltion: Mental Health Week Depression Forum
• Running and Walking Club: Fun Run/Walk

Advocacy forums

Advocacy forums MHACA has participated in include:

• CAMHS Executive Meetings
• Division of Primary Health Care Mental Health Interagency Group
• NT Mental Health Coalition
• Northern Territory Community Advisory Group
• Ausienet Consumer/Carer committee
• Mental Health Council of Central Australia

Structures such as our monthly Consumer Lunch Forum provide an informal gathering for consumers to get together, have some lunch and receive information from guest speaks on a range of topics identified by them. A critical focus of the forum is to have consumers drive the event themselves to encourage and create self-motivation and help with task-orientated skills.

Boards, committees and organisations

MHACA is represented on the following boards and committees:

• NT Council of Social Services (NTCOSS)
• Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS)
• NT Primary Mental Health Interagency Reference Group
• NT ACROD

and is a member of the following organisations:

• Northern Territory Community Advisory Group
• NT Mental Health Coalition
• NT Health Consumers Voice
• NT Chamber of Commerce
• NT ACROD
• NT Council of Social Services
• NT ARAFMI

Housing Support Program

Under the Housing Support Program MHACA provides long-term supported housing that is safe, affordable, has security of tenure and is linked with support to enable tenants to live as independently as possible. This is a developing role that is critical to our clients for long term recovery where suitable available accommodation is an issue.

Landlord functions include tenancy agreements, collection of rent, property management. This Landlord role and responsibility operates separately from the Pathways Program, which provides rehabilitation and outreach support to consumers/tennants.

The Program was developed with the guidance of a Housing Steering committee who continue to oversee the operations of the program as required. The committee comprises stakeholders and consumers who are responsible for the assessment of applications and allocation of housing, and who have also guided the development of the MHACA Housing Policy.

The Housing Support Program currently supports three 1-bedroom units and one 2-bedroom unit.