VMIAC has been funded by the Department of Health to support the implementation of the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022, by developing resources and delivering community education sessions to mental health service consumers.
Phase II of the project is underway and consists of developing the resources and education session content. To ensure the resources reflect the needs of Victoria’s diverse communities, VMIAC has established a Diverse Consumer Advisory Group (DCAG) to provide guidance to project staff. So far there have been three meetings of the DCAG, where members have shared their expertise around key themes and issues to cover in educational materials; how to ensure materials are engaging for a diverse range of consumers, and possible graphic designers and videographers to make sure the resources look and feel right.
Following development of the materials, VMIAC will move onto Phase III of the project, which consists of a series of community education sessions run by VMIAC and the Mental Health Legal Centre. Sessions will be in metro, regional, and rural areas. Online resources, such as videos, will also be made available to consumers during this phase. This is expected to run through July to August and possibly early September. VMIAC will be sharing information about these in-person and online sessions in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!