For the People, By the People
My Indigenous Australian Mental Health Project:
In collaboration with the Local council, we coordinate between the local indigenous people and the local council and Vocational training institutions to provide respite healthcare to people having mental health difficulty and also providing training to indigenous people to care for them. With funding, assistance with suitable council property or public amenities to set up such a care and training centre from the council, along with skills training will not only guarantee skilled jobs to Indigenous youth, it will help support and care for the disabled. This Project which aims to be implemented in most councils throughout the State and eventually the country. Mental Health Respite means short term residential programs in which people who are discharged from inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations receive transition services in anticipation of placement in a long term residential treatment or community-based setting. The accommodation can also be accessed by people before going into an inpatient facility and also when the caregiver needs a break from their difficult caregiver roles.
Our Respite Accommodation and Care project is based on the “For the People, By The People” theme. It is a well-researched fact that disconnection from one’s cultural heritage might cause one to wonder who they are and where they belong. This may leave them feeling lost and alone. This will help close the gap by:
1. Community Engagement and Cultural Recognition: The respite unit will provide 24/7 care exclusively to the indigenous community for a short period of time as described earlier. Elders will be consulted at every stage to draw up policies to provide culturally appropriate and dignified care to their people.
2. Honouring the Traditional Owners: The venue will not only be used for health care provision, celebrations of events and festivals will be encouraged. It would be considered as a general safe place for the community to participate.
3. Education and Vocational Skills Development, and Employment Guarantee: This is one of the main elements of the proposed project. MMHP will be building cultural specific vocational courses which will be an amalgamation of Indigenous philosophies and outlook and western traditional mental health practice. The aim will be to standardize these courses and be offered to indigenous people to develop skills that are licensed and also practiced as they would traditionally. Participating people will not only get certification they will also be guaranteed employment. Elders will be given a platform to pass on their valuable traditional knowledge to the next generation. They will be encouraged to take classroom sessions. The disabled people will be assessed for their capacity and appropriate vocational training will be provided to at least develop them as peer support workers.
4. Indigenous Business Development: Once the pilot project is fully functional there will be options to set up multiple franchises of such units owned and run by individuals from the indigenous community for the indigenous community
5. Mental Health Wellbeing: Culture can have a positive effect on people’s sense of belonging and identity, and consequently on their mental health and well-being.
7. Community Safety: There is ample research available to show that when health care is provided in a culturally sensitive way there is reduction of violence and vulnerability and increase in healing and sustained wellbeing. Education is also well known to reduce disparity in the community and improve the capability of the community.
8. Financial Resources: In 2021–22, the Federal government was projected to spend $6,3 billion on mental health. In four years, the total financing for the NDIS will reach $166,6 billion, an increase of $8.8 billion. Our strategy may extract and utilise existing financing resources for effective utilization and optimum impact.
