Department of Health

What the Royal Commission said

This recommendation is about putting Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing at the centre of care. The recommendation calls for more Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing teams across Victoria. It supports new scholarships to help grow the Aboriginal mental health workforce. It also calls for the development of an Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Centre. The centre will provide both clinical support and research capacity.

What are the opportunities?

The Royal Commission received feedback from Aboriginal organisations and experts. They reported that:

  • mental health services for Aboriginal people need to be culturally safe
  • the mental health system needs to reflect Aboriginal knowledge and experience
  • Aboriginal people need control over health services they access
  • the workforce needs to reflect the community it serves
  • staff need to be trained in culturally safe practice.

What are we doing?

We are proud to partner with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health OrganisationExternal Link (VACCHO) to design and implement these initiatives.

The partnership ensures a culturally safe and evidence-based approach to our work. It also creates space for Aboriginal people with lived experience of the mental health system to safely contribute.

Guided by our statement of intent, we will deliver three key initiatives:

Expand Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing teams throughout Victoria

Together with VACCHO we will establish and expand Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing teams across 25 Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.

These multidisciplinary teams will involve mental health clinicians, lived experience workers and cultural support. Teams may include other specialists depending on community needs.

Deliver new training scholarships for Aboriginal mental health workers

Together with VACCHO we will expand the Aboriginal mental health workforce by establishing at least 30 scholarships.

These scholarships will support students to complete a clinical mental health qualification. They will also provide study support, networking opportunities and professional development.

Establish an Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Centre

Together with VACCHO we will co-design and establish a new Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Centre.

The centre will bring together clinical, research and evaluation specialists. It will support Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to deliver culturally safe and appropriate care.

The centre will also share research and best practice with the clinical community.

Reviewed 21 March 2024

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