2 August 2023
Mind Australia is calling for the establishment of a lived experience-led advisory panel dedicated to supporting people with mental health challenges who are seeking NDIS support.
Establishment of the panel is one of 10 recommendations in a Housing with support paper Mind submitted to the NDIS Review, which is due to hand down its findings in October this year.
The proposed “Psychosocial disability expert advisory panel” would be led by NDIS participants and supported by trusted providers, academics and policymakers to make it safer and simpler for participants with psychosocial disability to access support.
Psychosocial disability is a disability arising from mental health challenges which can limit an individual’s ability to function, think clearly, enjoy full physical health or manage their social and emotional welfare.
More oversight and assistance are needed for the nearly one-in-five NDIS participants who experience significant mental health and wellbeing challenges.
An expert advisory panel is needed to address the entrenched gaps and barriers for people with psychosocial disability caused by NDIA policy and NDIS funding and pricing settings.
Mind is a recognised leader in the delivery and innovation of lived experience approaches to mental health support. The proposed panel would value the insights of people with lived and living experience of mental health and wellbeing challenges who had a unique understanding of the NDIS.
Quotes attributable to Gill Callister, CEO Mind Australia (she/her)
“The inclusion of people with psychosocial disability in the NDIS has generated transformative outcomes for many people with significant mental health and wellbeing challenges. However, these outcomes aren't consistently experienced by all NDIS participants.
“NDIS participants with psychosocial disability are marginalised, both individually at service access points as well as collectively in shaping and driving policy debates around reform and scheme improvements that directly impact them.”
“We strongly emphasise the need for any reform to be co-designed with people who have lived and living experience of mental health and wellbeing challenges and psychosocial disability.
“If adopted in full, our recommendations will improve outcomes for NDIS participants, and support expert service providers to continue to innovate and deliver complex psychosocial disability services at scale.
“The recommendations are evidence-based, scalable, and economically efficient solutions to address the needs of NDIS participants with psychosocial disability.”
About Mind Australia
Mind Australia is one of the largest providers of community-managed psychosocial services in Australia with a range of residential, mobile outreach, centre-based and online services. We provide individualised, evidence-based and recovery focussed support to more than 11,000 people experiencing mental health and wellbeing concerns in Australia every year.
Psychosocial supports – like the kind provided by Mind – help people with mental health and wellbeing concerns to manage daily activities, rebuild and maintain connections, engage with education and employment, and participate fully in the community. These are supports that help people take positive steps in their recovery journey.
Media contact:
Mind Senior Manager Communications Tim Doutré: [email protected] or 0447 793 320 (Monday – Wednesday, Friday)
Mind Senior Media Advisor Keagan Ryan: [email protected] or 0408619668 (Tuesday - Friday)