Speak Out February 2018

Justice & mental health

Six month update

Recently, members completed a survey about their interest and experience working in mental health and/or justice, and their thoughts about priorities for the Association’s advocacy. We are grateful to the 34 members who responded. Of the respondents, approximately 70% indicated that they work in child/adolescent mental health, 21% in adult mental health, 21% in the youth justice system, 12% in the adult justice system, 9% as a communication intermediary in the justice system, and 12% do not currently work in any of those sectors. With regards to interest, approximately 82% of respondents indicated they would be interested in working in child/adolescent mental health in the future, 38% in adult mental health, 62% in the youth justice system, 32% in the adult justice system, and 53% as a communication intermediary, confirming that there is more interest in working in these fields within the speech pathology workforce than there are current funded positions. When considering the priority actions for the Association, common themes expressed by respondents included: • Increasing the recognition of the value of speech pathology in mental health (infant, child/adolescent and adult services), including the eligibility of speech pathologists for generic mental health roles, and recognition by Medicare and NDIA to be able to provide mental health services; • Increasing the recognition of the value of speech pathology in youth justice settings; • Increasing the recognition of the value of speech pathology in adult justice settings; • Inclusion of mental health in speech pathology training programs; • Need for increased evidence base for speech pathology role in mental health. Other suggestions included: • Production of easy-read information on the Mental Health Act and justice system processes; • Position paper on speech pathologists working in youth justice, and creation of a support network for those working in youth justice; • Training for speech pathologists in public health advocacy. We are grateful for these responses, and members can be assured that the suggestions are being considered, and indeed many are already either under discussion or in progress. To give a brief update, the part-time position of role National Advisor, Justice and Mental Health, commenced six months ago, with projects prioritised in line with the 2030 plan and as opportunities have arisen. Some of the highlights have included: • Meetings with speech pathologists working in the fields of justice and mental health in Tasmania; • Meetings regarding the development of intermediary schemes in Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia; • Presenting to speech pathology students and staff from

• Collaboration with Orygen (The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health) regarding the

development of webinars on topics such as communication and mental health, and the role of speech pathology with young people with mental health conditions. Thank you to the members who have agreed to participate in this! • The formation of a working party to review and update the practice documents (clinical guidelines, position statement, and factsheet) for speech pathology in mental health. Thank you to the members who are giving their time and expertise in collaborating in this! • Attendance at the Mental Health Australia AGM and annual policy forum; • The filming of two interviews, one involving a young man in custody, and one involving a young man in the community with mental health difficulties, as part of a series of videos raising awareness of communication/swallowing difficulties in justice and mental health, and the role of speech pathology in overcoming these. The videos are intended to be used for a variety of purposes, such as social media campaigns and education (e.g., presentations/webinars both for speech pathology students and for other disciplines). We are still on the look-out for other possible case examples, so please get in touch if you have a client in mind! • The submission of responses to the Children, and People with Disability consultation papers as part of ‘The Justice Project’ by The Law Council of Australia; • Participation in the Queensland Youth Justice Speech Pathology Advisory Group, supporting Stella Martin and her team as they develop speech pathology services in youth justice across Queensland; • Supporting members with issues that have arisen in their work with people with mental health difficulties, or in contact with the justice system; • The writing of policy briefs outlining the key issues identified by the Association, and Speech Pathology Australia’s position on the role of speech pathology in justice, and the role of communication intermediaries. It has been a busy few months, with plenty more planned for this year, and while there is no doubt that there is a lot more work to be done to develop speech pathology provision in the fields of justice and mental health, hopefully the actions either completed or underway are helping to keep the profession heading in the right direction. Thank you so much to all the members who have contributed their time, knowledge and expertise so far, and we look forward to future collaborations! Please contact mwoodward@ speechpathologyaustralia.org.au for any questions or comments.

the University of Sydney, University of Newcastle, and Macquarie University on speech pathology and mental health during National Mental Health Week;

Mary Woodward National Advisor, Justice and Mental Health

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February 2018 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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