About the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing
Improving mental health and wellbeing is both an individual and community issue. The Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing takes a whole of government and community approach.
Our work aims to support and maintain positive mental health in the ACT community. We lead and facilitate a range of activities to understand and address what is required to support the mental health and wellbeing needs of our community.
The office was established in 2018 and has built positive working relationships with the ACT mental health sector and the broader community. We continue to lead change projects with and for the community.
Vision
The ACT vision for mental health is for a kind, connected and informed community working together to promote and protect the mental health and wellbeing of all.
Mission
Our mission is to improve our community’s mental health and wellbeing and enhance the ACT mental health service system through co-design with consumers, carers, clinicians and the community.
Principles
- Collaborative
- Person-centred
- Evidence-informed
- Inclusive
- Innovative
Functions
- Community engagement
- Facilitation, influencing and strategic planning
- Systemic quality improvement and innovation
- Intelligence and monitoring
Fulfilling our mission
To deliver on the mission, our work is based on the ACT Strategic Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing which has 3 areas for action and is underpinned by research, evaluation and quality improvement.
Mentally healthy communities
The areas of action in this theme focus on social and emotional determinants, prevention and early support. This includes:
- promotion of mental health and prevention of mental illness
- early intervention in community and workplaces
- integrated suicide prevention.
Enhancing lives
The areas of action here are to:
- strengthen social connection and economic participation
- integrated personalised mental health supports.
Structure and system capacity
The areas of action here are to:
- enhance workforce capacity, capability and diversity.
- shared responsibility and collaborative action
- deliver innovation and reform.
These themes and areas for action are detailed in our work plan.
Our commitment to lived experience
Lived and living experience (LLE) and the knowledge and expertise that LLE brings, is at the centre of what we do and how we seek to lead. The office endeavours, at all stages of our work together, to engage LLE, both direct LLE and carers, family and kin.
We create settings where the voices of LLE are elevated and amplified, at all levels. The office is committed to lived and living experience leadership at all levels of decision making and to strong development of LLE/Peer Workforce.
Our commitment to community engagement
The office leads many communication and community engagement activities. We developed the Commitment to Community Engagement to guide our engagement activities.
Our project work
We work in partnership with:
- government agencies
- non-government organisations (NGOs)
- parents and carers
- people with lived experience
- the broader community.
Our work plan outlines the key current and future activities being undertaken in conjunction with our partners. The work plans have been informed through co-design processes to ensure the work we are leading and supporting contributes to the mental health and wellbeing of our community.
- Download the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing Work Plan 2023–2024.
- Download the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing Work Plan 2019–2021.
Staff
- Dr Elizabeth Moore, Coordinator General
- Dr Sarah Miller, Deputy Coordinator-General
Dr Moore and Dr Miller are supported by a highly skilled and dedicated team.
Contact us
For more information about our work, email OfficeforMHW@act.gov.au.