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.
Read moreRecovery Oriented Language Guide
Words are important. The language we use and the stories we tell have great significance to all involved.
See the guide
The Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC) recognises the unique status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the First Australians. We acknowledge the special relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have with their traditional lands and waters, as well as their unique history and diverse culture, customs and circumstances.
MHCC present this Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Protocols and Resources as a means of ensuring safety and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in all our undertakings. MHCC developed this resource for its own internal use as part of its two-year Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The contents areas were developed in consultation with MHCC’s RAP Advisory Group.
MHCC policies and procedures underpinned by recovery and trauma-informed principles guide all organisational activities and practices. As the peak body we seek to implement these core values at every level of engagement with staff, members and the sector utilising a recovery oriented approach that respects diversity in all its configurations. Looking forward, MHCC’s policies will, where appropriate, align with these protocols.
MHCC brings together this material from numerous resources freely available on the internet. We have referenced them accordingly where utilised below. Thereafter they are listed alphabetically in the References section. We acknowledge those resources and authors cited, and thank the organisations that have made them available for all to use.
These cultural protocols provide guidance for MHCC staff and members to inform their work and practices. The main objective is to ensure that they show respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural beliefs and practices in all their endeavours.
MHCC encourage members to use these protocols and practices in their undertakings.
