Skip to main content
Home
  • The Legislative Assembly meets on 16/04/2024 (01:00 PM)
    Assembly sit 16/04/2024
  • The Legislative Council meets on 16/04/2024 (01:00 PM)
    Council sit 16/04/2024
  • The Public Administration meets on 08/04/2024 (10:00 AM)
    Committee meet 08/04/2024

Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 1191 asked in the Legislative Council on 3 November 2020 by Hon Colin De Grussa

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

CORONAVIRUS — MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION

1191. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Mental Health:

I refer to 2020–21 budget paper No 2, volume 1, which states —

Western Australians living in rural and remote areas of the State likely experienced heightened risk of isolation and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, which can contribute to a range of mental health issues.

(1) What is the total royalties for regions investment being attributed to non-capital spend by the Mental Health Commission in 2020–21?

(2) Will the minister please table a breakdown of community support hours across WA by region, for the following years —

(a) 2019–20; and

(b) 2020–21?

(3) Will the minister please table the community groups funded by the $54.151 million for community service hours by region and type of programs they offer?

(4) What work, if any, is the Mental Health Commission undertaking to ensure that the high school cohort of year 11 and 12 students in particular are supported during this exam period and the pandemic?

Hon ALANNA CLOHESY replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.

(1) The Mental Health Commission has $16.478 million approved in 2020–21 from royalties for regions funding for non-capital purposes. The table reflects the breakdown by program.

Madam President, the table is program by year, by dollars. I seek leave to have the response incorporated into Hansard.

Leave granted.

The following material was incorporated —

Program

2020–21$'000

North West Drug and Alcohol Support Program

�6,500

South West AOD Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Services

�2,698

Step Up/Step Down Mental Health Facilities:

– Bunbury

2,176

– Geraldton

1,635

– Kalgoorlie

�1,658

– Karratha

�1,811

Total

16,478

 

(2) (a) In total 293 604 hours of mental health support were delivered by Mental Health Commission non-government organisation–funded services in 2019–20. It is not possible to provide a breakdown by region in the time allocated. I respectfully request the member put this part of the question on notice.

(b) The breakdown for 2020–21 is not yet available as reporting is required only on a six-month basis, and is due in February 2021.

(3) It is not possible to provide a breakdown by region in the time allocated. I respectfully request the member put this part of the question on notice.

(4) The Mental Health Commission funds the following mental health and alcohol and other drug prevention services to support year 11 and 12 students.

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services emergency telehealth service provides phone and online video call support for children and young people who are experiencing a mental health crisis, as well as support and advice to families and carers and is available between 8.00 am and 2.30 am, seven days a week. The service is staffed by CAMHS specialists.

The Schools Response program is provided by the Department of Education, Youth Focus Inc and the Department of Health's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in partnership. This program is delivered to the three school sectors and includes counselling face to face, prevention, intervention and postvention. This program involves the strengthening of inter-agency partnerships to support public and non-government schools and young people; coordination and delivery of teen mental health first aid; activation of the inter-agency communication process to facilitate support for vulnerable students upon the verification of a suspected suicide of a young person; formalisation of a suicide postvention feedback and learning process to enable continuous improvement of service coordination when responding to a suspected suicide in schools across the systems and sector; updating and embedding the ''School Response and Planning Guidelines for Students with Suicidal Behaviour and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury''; Gatekeeper suicide prevention training, which is for professionals or paraprofessionals whose roles bring them into regular contact with people at risk of suicide; and teen mental health first aid training to increase awareness, reduce stigma and encourage help-seeking in year 10, 11 and 12 students.

All school staff and agencies interacting with youth at risk of suicidal behaviour can access Gatekeeper suicide prevention training. The ''School Response and Planning Guidelines for Students with Suicidal Behaviour and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury'' is available to guide and support schools in all three education systems/sectors.

In addition, throughout COVID-19, there has been, and continues to be, increased awareness of and access to school psychology services by parents, students and staff through a mixed mode of delivery, including consultation conducted through Webex and by telephone. The School Psychology Service has introduced online services to parents and students using telephone and online videoconferencing to provide a direct service, and this option continues. Parents and teachers have access to mental health and wellbeing information, services and support through the department's Learning at Home website and Connected Learning Hub website. Support specific to students during the exam period has been provided through the School Curriculum and Standards Authority website, including links to supports for mental health and wellbeing.

The PRESIDENT: Members, questions need to be made concise. Perhaps you might think about answers as well.