Mental Health Rights Manual
An online guide to help explain your legal and human rights in the mental health and human services systems in New South Wales.
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Words are important. The language we use and the stories we tell have great significance to all involved.
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Mental Health Coordinating Council has initiated a new project to deepen understanding and awareness among key New South Wales decision makers of the work done by community-based mental health organisations.
As the NSW peak body for community managed organisations, we work to build greater knowledge and understanding of the community managed mental health sector and create allies and champions for our members.
MHCC has launched a ‘Connecting with decision makers’ project to help turn the dial towards increased support, and ultimately, more investment in the community-based mental health sector.
Delivering quality services in the community is critical to achieving better outcomes for people living with mental health conditions, yet more investment in the sector is needed and the value of community services is not well understood.
The ‘Connecting with decision makers’ project aims to support the development of firsthand, personal relationships between MHCC member organisations and NSW Members of Parliament. Members are being asked to build new or strengthen existing relationships with local MPs by connecting to MPs in their areas of operation to explain more about the local community-based mental health landscape.
“I believe this collective approach to our key decision makers is an important opportunity for the entire community-based mental health sector,” MHCC CEO Carmel Tebbutt said.
“By meeting face-to-face we hope MPs will learn more about how community managed mental health organisations work to improve the lives of people living in their electorates.”
Firsthand, personal relationships with key decision makers could galvanise important champions and allies within the NSW Parliament for years to come.
MHCC has laid the groundwork for approaches from our Members by writing to each MP with information about the community managed mental health sector. We have produced a set of resources and tools to help develop the relationship further for our Members, including a fact sheet, templated introductory letter and information on how to approach MPs.
This project is one of many actions that Mental Health Coordinating Council takes to keep our sector’s voice at the centre of decisions and in front of decision makers.
