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Definition of Key Terms Used Throughout the Document

Carer
A family member of a participant or any other person who is affected by or has an interest in a participant's welfare. The role of carer may not necessarily be a static or permanent one but may vary over time and will be influenced by the degree to which the consumer is living independently and/or requires care and support from significant others.

Defined Community
The community to which the PDSS provides support. This may be a catchment area population, statewide population or a specific group within the population.

Individual Program Plan
A plan, developed collaboratively by the participant and their key worker that contains:

• A description of the participant's current situation
• The participant's goals and the supports needed
• Detailed strategies for achieving these goals
• Indicators for assessing when and whether those goals have been achieved
• A timetable for review

Key Worker
An identified person with whom a participant has primary contact within the support service.

Participant
A person who attends or makes use of a Psychiatric Disability Support Service. Many participants will also be consumers of public mental health services, however this is not a requirement of accessing a PDSS. The term participant is used in recognition of the active role played in the development and running of programs and activities.

Psychiatric Disabilities
are the consequences of mental illness. They affect the ability of the person to perform the activities and tasks of everyday living and to develop and maintain effective personal and social relationships.

Psychiatric Disability Support Service
are divided into five major service types:

Psychosocial Rehabilitation Day Programs provide structured and semi-structured group based activities, usually in a centre based environment, which aim primarily to create a sense of belonging to a community, peer support and an atmosphere where a range of social and daily living skills can be learnt.

Home-based Outreach Support provides individual rehabilitation support to people in their own homes. It focuses on learning or relearning the skills of daily living and the social skills. These skills will provide the means for the client to maintain their independent living, develop supportive networks outside of their home to reduce isolation and enable them to participate more fully in their community.

Residential Rehabilitation provides a transitional home environment where participants can learn the skills of daily living in a group setting, amongst peers. It assists participants to develop social skills and encourages them to participate in the life of the community and develop the confidence and ability to move on to independent living.

Planned Respite Services provide participants of services and their carers with opportunities for a break from caring responsibilities through short and longer-term activities, which take the carer or participant out of their usual environment and provide the opportunity for each to have new experiences.

Mutual Support/Self-Help Services provide information and peer support to people with a mental illness and/or their carers through shared experiences and coping strategies, providing information and referral services, and promoting community awareness.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation
involves the provision of on-going support that assists the person with psychiatric disability to experience an improved quality of life, learn or relearn the skills of daily living, participate to their maximum extent in social, recreational, educational and vocational activities and live successfully at an optimal level of independent functioning in the community.

Updated 18 January 2001

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