Orygen hosted its third Youth Mental Health in Primary Care workshop in Sydney over two days in late February. The workshop was part of Orygen’s work to support Primary Health Networks (PHNs) in their commissioning of services for young people with severe and complex mental health difficulties.
Craig Hodges, who leads Orygen’s National Programs team, said the regular workshops were crucial for PHNs around the country to unite, share experiences and hear presentations from their peers and Orygen experts.
“The latest forum also provided an opportunity for us to introduce our inaugural Youth Mental Health in Primary Care Advisory Group,” Mr Hodges said. “The group’s members will meet with us regularly to advise on the direction and focus of our work in supporting PHNs.
“The needs of each PHN, as well as fostering a collaborative environment, are at the forefront of everything we do, which is why it is so valuable to have an Advisory Group on board.
“Taking into account what PHNs wanted to learn more about, workforce planning and outcome measures were a key focus of the latest forum,” he said.
“Much discussion was generated on the competencies required of the youth mental health workforce and strategies to develop and expand the current workforce to meet future demand.
“It is imperative to build confidence and capacity within each PHN to deliver youth mental health services – now and in the future,” Mr Hodges said.
Other highlights of the workshop included Tania Manser, from Country South Australia PHN, sharing an overview of the challenges and innovations occurring in rural South Australia; Chris Wood, from South East Melbourne PHN, detailing the evaluation framework that is informing program planning in their catchment; and Tim Heffernan, from South Eastern New South Wales PHN, presenting on Coordinaire’s model to engage and develop the peer workforce in the region.