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The Victorian Government recently introduced legislation to establish the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing. This was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.
The Collaborative Centre will be a purpose-built facility in Melbourne. It will bring together people with lived experience, researchers and health professionals to lead improvement in the mental health system.
The Collaborative Centre will:
provide high-quality treatment, care and support services to adults in its local community
conduct research that brings practical benefits to consumers, carers, families, supporters and the community
share knowledge of advances in mental health treatment, care and support
support the mental health workforce with funding for academic positions, internships, traineeships, fellowships and scholarships
support a statewide trauma service.
The expertise of people with lived experience of mental illness or psychological distress will be central to service design, delivery, research and evaluation.
The legislation provides the legal foundations for the new Collaborative Centre. The legislation is unique in its innovative co-director model of executive leadership and its provision for people with lived experience to be represented on the Governance Board.
The Department of Health will announce details of an Expression of Interest process to begin recruitment for the new Board in coming months.