Role of Department of Human Services in health promotion

Page content: Introduction | Health Promotion Priority Setting for 2007-2012 | Program area roles | Regional Public Health teams | Regional Public Health promotion

Introduction

In supporting integrated health promotion programs, the Victorian Department of Human Services aims to:

• Develop and implement statewide policy to support quality and effective health promotion
• Build on the capacity of the service system to plan and deliver effective quality integrated health promotion programs.
• Enable communities and individuals to increase control over and improve their health.
• Support the reorientation of the primary health care system to a population focus underpinned by the social model of health.
• Consolidate and enhance the integrated health promotion infrastructure and resources.
• Reduce duplication and fragmentation of integrated health promotion effort.
• Contribute to the evidence base for integrated health promotion around specific issues and population groups.
• Increase the potential to involve sectors other than health in quality integrated health promotion service delivery.
• Contribute to a reduction of preventable hospital admissions.

Health Promotion Priority Setting for 2007-2012

Thank you to everyone who participated in the consultation process to develop health promotion priorities for Victoria for 2007-2012. The Minister for Health has recently signed off the seven priority issues.

Do you want to contribute to a new framework for promoting health and wellbeing in Victoria?

During August-September 2007, the Department of Human Services and VicHealth are hosting consultation workshops to gather input into a new framework for promoting health and wellbeing in Victoria. The statewide health promotion and equity framework will bring together key health promotion policy initiatives to guide implementation of the health promotion priorities for 2007-2012 and work to address other important health issues.

Four half-day workshops will be held in Horsham, Shepparton, Melbourne and Traralgon. Written submissions will also be invited during the consultation process. A discussion paper outlining the key components of the framework, as well as key questions for your consideration, will be available in the lead up to the workshops in mid August.

Invitation - Do you want to contribute to a new framework for promoting health and wellbeing in Victoria? (64kb, pdf)

Developing a new framework for promoting health and wellbeing in Victoria: A discussion paper (187kb, pdf)

Health Promotion and Equity Framework Response form (109kb, word)

Full details of the consultation process are provided in the attached invitation. For further information contact:
Kellie Horton (kellie.horton@dhs.vic.gov.au)
Department of Human Services
Telephone: (61 3) 9096 5506

Newsletters

For more information please see the communication newsletters attached.

Health Promotion Priority Setting Update 4 March 2007 (811kb, pdf)

Health Promotion Priority Setting Update 2 September 2006 (38kb, pdf)

Health Promotion Priority Setting Update 1 June 2006 (26kb, pdf)

Report of the 2006 consultation priocess and next steps is downloadable below:

Report of 2006 consultation process and next steps (180kb, pdf)

Overheads used in the consultation process are downloadable below:

Health Promotion Priorities for Victoria - April 2006 (165kb, MS Powerpoint)

DHS-RRHACS presentation - Health Promotion Priority setting (483kb, MS Powerpoint)

VicHealth presentation - Health Promotion Priority setting (122kb, MS Powerpoint)

The original discussion paper used to support the consultation is downloadable below:

Health promotion priorities for Victoria - A discussion paper (237kb, pdf)

To receive email updates on the process please email Kellie Horton (kellie.horton@dhs.vic.gov.au).

Program areas roles

Centrally the following Department of Human Services program areas have a number of roles and responsibilities regarding health promotion including:

Aged Care Branch

• information about the branch - http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/rrhacs/agedbranch.htm
• information about aged care - http://www.health.vic.gov.au/agedcare

Office for Children

• information about the branch and activities - http://www.office-for-children.vic.gov.au/
• information about Best Start - http://www.beststart.vic.gov.au

Mental Health Branch

Mental Health Branch funds a Mental Health Promotion Officer position in each DHS region. Auspiced by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. MHPOs work within their Regions as well as at a Statewide level to facilitate and resource a systemic approach to promoting the mental health of young people. Activities include networking, consultation, education and training. The Victorian Network of Mental Health Promotion Officers website is: http://www.youthmentalhealth.org (external link)

Metropolitan Health and Aged Care Services Division

• information about the division - http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/ahs/
• information about Victoria's Metropolitan Health Strategy - http://www.health.vic.gov.au/metrohealthstrategy/

Office of Housing

• information about the branch - http://www.housing.vic.gov.au
• information about Neighbourhood Renewal - http://www.neighbourhoodrenewal.vic.gov.au (external link)

Primary & Community Health Branch

• information about the branch - http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/rrhacs/primarybranch.htm
• information about Primary and Community Health - http://www.health.vic.gov.au/pchtopics/index.htm

Public Health Group

• information about the branch - http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/rrhacs/publichealth.htm
• information about public health - http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/phd

Rural & Regional Health Services Branch

• information about the branch - http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/rrhacs/ruralbranch.htm
• information about rural health - http://www.health.vic.gov.au/ruralhealth

The Better Health Channel is the department’s community-focused Internet site, which provides health and health services information. A range of information is available from the Better Health Channel.

The Health Translations Online Directory enables those working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities to easily find reliable translated health information.

The Department of Human Services currently has eight Regions across Victoria to provide services to people in those Regions. DHS Regions include three metropolitan Regions and five rural Regions.

Regional Public Health Teams

Regions are vital in achieving public health outcomes. In 2002 Public Health allocated additional funds to Regions in order to strengthen Regional capacity for strategic management, strategic planning and leadership in public health and to ensure that core Regional public health functions, including health promotion, are delivered.

Regional public health teams are in place in all Regions across Victoria. Team members typically include a Regional Public Health Manager, a Regional Health Promotion Officer and a Regional Environmental Health Officer, although there are variations on this model. These staff, with key staff from other program areas, form the human services regional infrastructure supporting and leading health promotion development.

Public Health has established a Head Office Regional Support and Development Team within the Partnership Development Section whose primary purpose is to develop effective partnerships between Public Health program areas and Regions through the Regional public health teams.

The Regions are a key setting for health promotion activity, with the regional Public Health Teams responsible for:

• Advising regional key stakeholders on regional health promotion priorities, providing relevant planning information and links to broader policy objectives including neighbourhood renewal and sustainable communities.
• Monitoring integrated health promotion plans (at the partnership and agency level) and providing advice on program quality, effectiveness and accountability in conjunction with Central Office.
• Ensuring that those groups in greatest socially and economically disadvantaged populations, and that programs are tailored to the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse groups where appropriate.
• Coordinating and supporting skills development, training and information sharing programs.
• Facilitating and supporting collaboration across the region among key stakeholders and links with other sources of technical support

Regional Health Promotion

The Regional Health Promotion Officer Network meets regularly to collaboratively build systematic and individual capacity for quality health promotion effort at local and state level. The network has developed a set of core values to underpin its work and assist in meeting objectives relating to the social determinants of health and local, state and national health priorities. These are:

• Addressing the broader determinants of health
• Basing activities on the best available data and evidence
• Acting to reduce social inequities and injustice
• Emphasising active consumer and community participation
• Empowering individuals
• Explicitly considering differences in gender and culture
• Facilitating intersectoral cooperation

Regional Health Promotion Officers contact details - October 2007 (18kb, pdf)

For more information about DHS Regions please visit the Department of Human Services web site.

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