A new early career mental health program will see 1685 early career mental health positions allocated to mental health services across Victoria.
The roles include nursing, psychology, occupational therapy, social work and other allied health disciplines.
These new roles will support mental health practitioners to enter the mental health workforce, in graduate, transition and prequalification positions.
Early career staff will work alongside and learn from the lived experience workforce as part of multidisciplinary teams.
Funding for new disciplines in physiotherapy, speech pathology, dietetics, exercise physiology, and pharmacy will also contribute to a diverse and multidisciplinary workforce.
Victoria is taking steps to grow, retain and diversify the mental health and wellbeing workforce. This will help build a diverse and multidisciplinary workforce to support Victorians access integrated wellbeing care and support.
The program also provides funding for additional senior staff such as clinical educators to provide structured, safe and supported learning environments and supervision in line with national guidelines.
The initiative is part of a range of programs to support implementation of Victoria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Strategy 2021-24.
The first positions will commence in January 2023 and roll out over 3 years.
Reviewed 28 October 2022