Service Participation – consumer, family and community

BHS Mental Health Services is committed to ensuring consumer, family/carer and community participation in mental health care decisions, and values the positive  contributions that consumers, family/carers and the community make in contributing to improvements in mental health service quality, equity and management.  

BHS Mental Health Services is committed to:

• ensuring there are mechanisms in place to actively engage with consumers, families/carers and the community in order to  identify their needs and develop appropriate services.
• partnering with consumers, families/ carers and the community in the planning, implementation and evaluation of its service.
• building a culture within the organisation that is responsive to the differing perspectives and needs of a diverse range of consumers, families/carers and the community members
• providing accessible, timely participation strategies that are relevant to a broad range of consumers, families/carers and the community, and
• developing a culturally responsive mental health system.

Consumer participation

Currently there is a formal comprehensive Mental Health Service Consumer Participation Plan to support a range of activities to maximise consumer participation and ensure consumers have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of BHS Mental Health Service.  

These include:

• Ballarat Health Services – Mental Health Services Consumer Advisory Committee
• Consumer focus groups across the service
• Consumer meetings
• Consumer Consultations across the region, and
• Consumer experience surveys.

If you would like a copy of the consumer participation program brochure, so that you can indicate how you would like to be involved in service quality review and reform, contact the Consumer Consultant.

Other activities of the consumer participation program are advertised in the Consumer Connection newsletter.  To be added to the mailing list – postal or email – for the newsletter, contact the consumer consultant on 03 5320 4100.

For more information on all the above contact the Consumer Consultant on 03 5320 4100. 

Family/carer participation

Currently there is a formal comprehensive Mental Health Service Family/Carer Participation Plan to support a range of activities to maximise Family/Carer participation and ensure Families/Carers have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of BHS Mental Health Service. 

These include:

• Ballarat Mental Health Service Family Advisory Committee
• Ararat Mental Health Service Family Advisory Committee
• Horsham Mental Health Services Family Advisory Committee
• Youth Health Action Network
• Indigenous Consultative Committee
• Family and carer workshops
• Family and carer focus groups
• Family and carer Consultations across the region, and
• Family/Carer experience surveys

Other activities of the Family/Carer participation program are advertised in the Family to Family newsletter.

To be added to the mailing list – postal or email – for the newsletter, contact the Family/Carer Consultant on 03 5320 4100.

For more information on all the above contact the Family/Carer Consultant on 03 5320 4100.