Mental Health Community Support Services (MHCSS) Catchment Based Planning
MHCSS CBP Governance Group – Terms of Reference
Status: Final, March 2014
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1.0
Purpose
The Mental Health Community Support Services Catchment Based Planning governance group will
work within the context of the Department of Health service specification Catchment Based MHCSS
Planning Function to support a collaborative approach to the delivery of MHCSS across the North
Western Metropolitan Region (NWMR). It will provide strategic direction, leadership, guidance and
support for the effective development and implementation of a catchment based plan which:
2.0
Identifies current and projected service gaps and pressures.
Specifies cohesive strategies to improve responsiveness to community needs and population
diversity.
Improves outcomes for people with a mental illness.
Is endorsed by MHCSS providers, clinical services, consumers and carers.
Key functions

Guide and contribute to the development and collation of appropriate data sets to monitor and
track change over time and identify service gaps and access issues for people with a psychiatric
disability living in the service catchment, particularly those facing significant disadvantage.

Support the development of cohesive strategies to improve responsiveness to community needs
and population diversity in response to identified service gaps and demand pressures, taking
into account available resources in the MHCSS program and the community more broadly.

Provide a coordinating point for the range of mental health service related planning and service
coordination activity -such as Services Connect, Primary Care Partnerships, Primary Health Care
Networks/ Medicare Locals and Mental Health Alliances – across the Region.

Collaborate with, and provide guidance for, the engagement of other relevant stakeholders in
the CBP process, including to support the development and implementation of a communication
strategy to inform and engage all stakeholders about CBP and CBP processes.

Ensure that consumers and carers actively participate in the CBP process and inform the
development and review of the catchment plan and are represented in other relevant
planning forums.

Contribute technical, sector specific and generalist expertise to ensure the priorities and
strategies for change remain grounded and appropriate within the context of the delivery of
MHCSS and the broader service system.

Where necessary support and facilitate the formation of relevant working groups to support the
objectives of the CBP.

Contribute to the regular review and monitoring of the CBP and prioritise activities across the
NWMR.
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
Identify and advise on issues, risks and barriers to effective development and implementation
of the CBP.
3.0
Membership
3.1
Roles and responsibilities



Represent their organisation or group to whom they belong.
Have delegated authority to provide direction to the plan, commit to the setting of priorities and
endorse (or organise endorsement) on behalf of their organisation or group for whom they
represent.
Be aware of relevant planning and service coordination and integration work occurring at
catchment/sub-catchment levels and actively foster collaboration, leverage opportunities and
represent the interests and priorities identified through CBP within their own organisations and
in these forums.
3.2
Members
The membership of the Governance group comprises all MHCSS providers and clinical mental health
services across the North West Metropolitan region, consumer working group representatives,
specialist MHCSS providers (ADEC/VAHS), carer support services and carer working group
representatives and an AoD catchment based planning representative.
Relevant organisations are expected to identify an appropriate representative who has the capacity
and knowledge to represent the organisation in the planning process.
MHCSS members are expected to bring knowledge of the suite of MHCSS services it delivers,
including individual client support packages, residential rehabilitation, mutual support and self help,
intake and assessment, carer respite and carer support.
Department of Health representatives will attend and participate in the meetings in an unofficial
status.
A list of members is at Attachment A
3.3
Meeting frequency
It is anticipated that the governance group will meet four times per annum.
Further working groups may be developed from membership of the governance group, or co-opted
representatives of experts.
It is possible that some of these meetings may occur as a joint meeting with the alcohol and drug
CBP governance group to identify and support joint commitments and activities.
3.4
Chair
The Governance group will be chaired by the Director, Advocacy and Partnerships, cohealth.
3.5
Secretariat support
Secretariat support, including coordinating the agenda and meeting papers and taking minutes will
be undertaken by cohealth.
3.6
Governance group support
cohealth will provide support to the Governance group and will undertake the following roles:
2
-
preparing and presenting data and information for consideration by the group.
keeping up to date a document which maps relevant activity, including planning and service
coordination and integration activities.
actively monitor implementation of the CBP and provide appropriate reports
actively support partnerships, and identify opportunities for collaboration, with identified
stakeholders
implement a communication strategy
coordinate working groups
cohealth staff, including the Senior Planner, Catchment Based Planning and the Senior Manager,
Prevention and Population Health Planning will attend the meetings as part of this support role.
4.0 Deliverables
-
-
Establishment and implementation of a robust governance structure and processes which
provides for systemic inclusion of MHCSS providers, Area Mental Health Services (AMHS),
consumers and carers and relevant local health and community planning
structures/stakeholders in the development, implementation and review of the plan.
Consultation and engagement strategy, including a communication plan, to engage key
stakeholders in catchment based planning activity.
Agreed mental health data and information collation and management strategy.
Catchment wide service mapping
Development of an NWMR mental health catchment plan incorporating:
o the development of strategies to improve service access and integration for
individuals and their families; and
o high level performance indicators to track service change and impact.
Attachment A: List of member at March 2014
Attachment B: Diagram 1: MHCSS and AoD Approach to Catchment Based Planning
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Attachment A:
MHCSS Catchment Based Planning Governance Group – Membership, March 2014
MHCSS Providers
Glen Tobias, General Manager Victoria, Neami National
Ian Hardisty, General Manager, Mind North West Office
Chaturi Jayasuriya, Program Manager, Breakthru
MHCSS Consumer Representative Working Group
Neil Turton Lane, Consumer Consultant, Cohealth
Guler Altubas/ Deborak Kacprzak, Consumer representative, cohealth
Fiona Kranenbroek, Consumer representative, Neami
Specialist Community Mental Health Providers
Keith Hitchens, CEO, Action on Disability in Ethnic Communities
Helen Kennedy, Family Counselling Services Manager, Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) –
open invitation to attend.
Clinical mental health services
Bridget Organ, Manager, St Vincent’s Area Mental Health Service
Sharon Sherwood, Manager, North East Area Mental Health Service
Gail Bradley, Manager, Inner West Area Mental Health Service
Joy Barrowman, Manager, North West Area Mental Health Service
Garry Monkley, Mid West Area Mental Health Service
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Diagram 1: Mental Health Community Support Services (MHCSS) and Alcohol and other Drug Treatment Services (AoD) Approach to Catchment Based Planning (CBP)
AoD Consumer
& Family
Forum
Regional Stakeholder Forums
Ambulance, CALD, Child & Family, Courts, Disability, Education, Hospitals, Housing, Local Govt,
Medicare Local (PHN), Neighbourhood Houses, Primary Care Partnerships, Police
Consumer &
Family Rep
Working Group
Consumer
Representative
Working Group
-ISCP services &
VAHS
MHCSS CBP Governance Group
AoD CBP Advisory Group
· State funded AoD providers (6); VAHS
(1), consumer & family reps (2),
Residential service provider reps,
Youth Services
· MHCSS CBP rep (1), other WG reps, DoH
Provide strategic advice, leadership,
guidance, support, and coordination of
planning activity and plan implementation
Quarterly meetings
· ISCP providers (4); VAHS (1),
consumer & carer reps(2-4), clinical
services (4) carer support WG rep (1)
· AoD CBP rep (1), other WG reps DoH
Must be members of relevant alliance, PCP
and Medicare Local/PHN activities
N&W Metro AOD
Steering Group
Leads development of the
CBP, including finalising &
documenting.
Coordinates and resources
Advisory group, and working
groups
Provide strategic direction, leadership,
guidance, support, coordination and
oversight of planning activity and plan
implementation
Existing AOD
catchment
groups. E.g.
YDHF
VAADA
PCP
Working
Groups
Others to be
determined
Carer Support
Services and
Carer Rep
Working Group
Other working
groups as
required (inc
with AoD)
Other working
groups as required
(inc with MH)
Catchment
level
community
forums
MHCSS
Consumer &
Carer Forum
Mental
Health
Alliances
Existing planning mechanisms- opportunity to feed into CBP through Advisory/Reference/Governance groups, undertake special projects,
assist in interpreting data, receive information and potential support from CBP process
Other catchment based /population health plans, e.g. Mental Health Alliance Plans, Local Govt Health & Wellbeing Plans
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