November 2021: Campus Mental Health Strategy E-Update
We heard a quote recently “Mental Health is everyone’s business.” We love this quote and we’re going to live and breathe it. We feel it goes to the heart of what this Strategy is all about.
We are currently in the initiation phase of the Strategy. In this phase we are focused on recruitment, onboarding, and getting our teams ready and prepared for next year. The team have also been busy working on developing implementation and engagement plans across the Campus and some wonderful work is underway to develop the new website, Mental Health Central.
Our leaders and members of the Strategy Steering Committee have continued to provide us with invaluable support and guidance, as well as our funding support from the RCH Foundation – thank you all.
- Welcome to our new team members
We are really pleased to introduce you to our new Campus Mental Health Strategy team members.
- Cherie Wallace, Dr Catherine Olweny and Emily Cull will be sharing the role of Senior Project Officer Trauma Informed Preventive Care. The combined experience of Cherie, Catherine and Emily in this field is extraordinary, and we are thrilled to have them as part of the team, and excited to see the great work that will come out of this group.
- Briony Norris is our Senior Project Officer Family Mental Health Education and Support. Briony is a paediatric Occupational Therapist and has been a valued member of the RCH OT Team, prior to that she worked in Southeast Asia working to improve health outcomes for young people. Welcome Briony, we can’t wait to see where you take this wonderful role.
- Fran Hardcastle is the Senior Project Officer Consistent and Quality Care. Fran is new to the Campus, a Social Worker by trade, and has previously worked in child and family services. We are looking forward to welcoming Fran when she arrives later in the month.
Together, with Belinda Horton, Program Director, Greg Hammond our Mental Health Central Administrator and Cath Laird Senior Clinical Implementation Lead we will have 7 team members by the end of the month. It is truly exciting to see the team growing and the Strategy taking shape.
- Recruitment continues
We are progressing with the recruitment of the remaining key roles within the Strategy and we are on track to have all roles filled by the end of the year. It has been a demanding recruitment drive through a very challenging time, we’d like to say thank you to all of you who have been involved and supported us through this period.
- Research Lead – interviews underway
- Research Assistant – shortlisting underway
- Advocacy Lead – shortlisting underway
- Advocacy Research Assistant – shortlisting underway
- Academic Lead – Interviews complete, preferred candidate selected
- Senior Project Officer Mental Health Lived Experience – re-advertised
- What’s next?
Once staff across the Campus are back and refreshed in early 2022 we will be rolling out our plans for getting people involved, communications to promote the Strategy and working towards making the Strategy outcomes a reality. We are looking forward to working with you and your teams over the coming months.
Acknowledgement of Country
At Mental Health Central we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, gather and work. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.