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Fathers' alcohol use and substance use among adolescents
Alcohol dependence or abuse - and even moderate alcohol use - among fathers living with adolescents (youths aged 12 to 17) may increase the risk of substance use among those children. (U.S.) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Young minds: online training in treating depression and anxiety in young people
beyondblue, the national depression initiative, has partnered with the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) to develop an online interactive training program in the identification, diagnosis and treatment of high prevalence mental health disorders commonly occurring in young people between the ages of 12 and 24. The training package is free and aimed at GPs, Practice Nurses, allied health and primary care workers who have an interest in youth mental health prevention and early intervention. Registration details

Community engagement and social connection programs for young Indigenous people
To supplement the two recents reports, 'Keeping up' and 'How young Indigenous people are faring', the Dusseldorf Skills Forum has compiled a list of good practice examples. With high attendance rates and strong community connection and support, these programs are offering educational pathways and social connectedness to disenfranchised young people. To view the programs go to Dusseldorp Skills Forum.

New funding for Raising Children teen years
The Raising Children Network has been granted $4.3 million by the Australian Government to include parenting information on pre-teen and teenage years. Announced by the Minister for Families, Housing, Communities and Indigenous Affairs, the funding will support the development of innovative visual-based and interactive information resources. Parenting Research Centre

New intervention strategy to target underage drinkers In Victoria
As part of the $53.5 million National Binge Drinking Strategy announced last year, the Australian Government has signed a funding agreement with the Victorian Government to operate a pilot program in the City of Wyndham to teach young people about the risks associated with underage drinking. Press release

Internet tool box for rural GPs to access mental health services information
Rural GPs play a significant role in the mental health care of their patients... This article outlines a recent project initiated by the Australian rural Ballarat and District Division of General Practice (BDDGP) to develop and implement an online resource to facilitate local implementation and delivery of the 'Better Access to Mental Health Care' (BAMHC) program. Rural and Remote Health

Calendar

Next 3 events.

Youth connectedness project conference
6 July 2009
Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

Australian social policy conference 2009: an inclusive society? Practicalities and possibilities
8 July 2009
Sydney, AUSTRALIA

3rd Australian conference on spirituality and health: integrating spirituality into the practice of health care
13 July 2009
Adelaide, AUSTRALIA

Latest additions to the calendar Full list.

Strengthening connections and building communities
26 October 2009
Newcastle, NSW, AUSTRALIA

Youth connectedness project conference
6 July 2009
Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

12th Australasian conference on child abuse and neglect (inc. ISPCAN Asia Pacific regional conference)
15 November 2009
Perth, AUSTRALIA

EUFAMI conference: the forgotten children
26 November 2009
Vilnius, LITHUANIA

SPINZ national symposium 2009: culture and suicide prevention in Aotearoa
10 September 2009
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND

Australian Psychoanalytical Society annual conference
2 September 2009
Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

Lifelong learning and empowerment in mental health
11 February 2010
Paris, FRANCE

Growing up in Australia: the longitudinal study of Australian children (LSAC)
3 December 2009
Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

Fourth international Jerusalem conference on health policy: Improving health & healthcare. Who is responsible? Who is accountable?
7 December 2009
Jerusalem, ISRAEL

Factsheets

A range of factsheets and summary style information available on the internet. Check out the full list

Aboriginal families that work well
(full details)
There are many kinds of family and many ways of parenting. Whatever 'family' means to you it
is the most important part of your child's life.

Aboriginal family togetherness
(full details)
Even though today the family unit may have changed we musn't lose sight of the power to love, to respect and to learn from each other.

Building community resilience
(full details)
Brochure on how to build inclusive and resilient communities: explains resilience and vulnerability, outlines principles for building resilience and ideas for how to apply them.

Where's your head at? Get the facts on drugs
(full details)
Factsheets on marijuana, ice, speed, ecstacy, cocaine, heroin and GHB. The impact of these drugs on the brain and body are discussed, along with the consequences of using them, such as mental health problems.

Lifeline stress tool-kit
(full details)
Everyone experiences stress of some kind in varying levels of intensity during their lives. The important issue is how people are affected by stress and how they react or respond to the situation.

Mental health in rural and remote communities
(full details)
Despite the range of social and economic issues affecting rural and remote communities, living
in a rural or remote area does not necessarily indicate a higher risk of mental health problems. Research shows that remoteness itself does not affect the incidence of mental health problems.

Links

These lead to a range of reliable information available on the internet relating to the promotion, prevention and early intervention for mental health (PPEI) and suicide prevention. The full list is available here.

Clear Thoughts - for people who have a learning disability
(Go to website)
'This is a website for three groups of people: 1. People who have a learning disability; 2. Their families and carers; 3. Professionals and those supporting people and families. This website aims to cover lots of topics relating to mental health for people who have a learning disability.

Partnerships for children: Zippy's friends
(Go to website)
'Zippy's Friends is a program that helps young children - five, six & seven year olds - to develop coping and social skills. It is currently running in primary schools and kindergartens in 16 countries.'

The National Mental Health Development Unit [UK]
(Go to website)
'NMHDU, launched in April 2009, consists of a small central team and a range of programs funded by both the Department of Health and the NHS to provide national support for implementing mental health policy by advising on national and international best practice to improve mental health and mental health services.'

Homeless information portal
(Go to website)
A searchable directory of alcohol and other drugs support services in Australia, and an online resource guide to help service providers respond to homeless people affected by alcohol and other drug (AOD) use.

Media

Latest transcripts of Australian based print, television and radio media. Full list.

Holistic healing touch works best
Date Published: Saturday, 20th June 2009
Source: The Australian
Full story: online here

Aboriginal communities are shaping their own path to mental health, building on traditional cultural values. The Indigenous community of Yarrabah in far north Queensland hit crisis mode and residents decided to take matters into their own hands. A community meeting resulted in a number of initiatives to curb suicide and improve the general wellbeing of residents.

Poor diet may lead to mental problems
Date Published: Tuesday, 9th June 2009
Source: The Age
Full story: online here

Children with poor diets are more likely to have mental health problems as adolescents. Dr Wendy Oddy, from the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Western Australia, found that a typical Western diet increased a child's chance of developing emotional and behavioural problems.

Online therapy helps beat the blues
Date Published: Friday, 5th June 2009
Source: ABC - Science
Full story: online here

Internet-based therapies are as successful as face-to-face treatments at combating depression, says an Australian researcher.

Mental health problems more common in kids who feel racial discrimination
Date Published: Monday, 27th April 2009
Source: Media release - Mental Health Foundation, UK
Full story: online here

A new multicenter study involving UCLA and the RAND Corp. has found that perceived racial or ethnic discrimination is not an uncommon experience among fifth-grade students and that it may have a negative effect on their mental health.

What are you doing?

Details of relevant activities and programs from around Australia. Complete list.

Add details about your project by submitting this form.

The new Australian alcohol guidelines: what happens now?
July 16th, 10am -12.30pm, Melbourne. A free interactive seminar and forum will discuss the new guidelines, 'Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol', and provide opportunities to discuss the issues arising from the DrugInfo newsletter and Prevention Research Quarterly.

Happiness Clubs
The Happiness Institute will now be coordinating the organisation of Happiness Clubs around Australasia, moderated and facilitated by volunteers and offered for free. The focus will be exclusively on strategies for boosting happiness and living a good life.

If you'd like to voluteer to run a happiness club in your local area, suburb, town, school or even within your organisation then please send a short application letter including some brief biographical details and noting why you'd like to be involved.

Mad pride youth event
July 10, 2009. The mad pride youth event is a youth specific cultural event that aims to celebrate young people, identity and mental health through performance, visual arts, media and live music. The committee is seeking members aged under 26. The meeting will be held at South Sydney Youth Services.

Healthy and sustainable cities and communities
Oct 12-16, 2009. Flinders University, Adelaide. 5-day short course. An important focus will be on the role of collective action across sectors (community, local government, education, environment, health) in promoting health and wellbeing within the broader context of social, environmental, economic and cultural sustainability.

Consulting consumers
July 20, 2009: Consulting consumers. Aug 4, 2009: Human rights and health care. Oct 27, 2009: Involving consumers on committees. Melbourne. Many organisations and health services consult with consumers regarding quality improvements for their service, programs and policies. When done correctly consumer and community consultation can produce sustainable and positive outcomes for both consumer and services.

Supporting refugee young people in the context of family relationships
2nd July, Carlton. The need to include families in youth work practice is increasingly being recognized as a vital part of promoting the health and wellbeing of young people. Research supports the fact the family connectedness is a protective factor for young people. This meeting will provide an opportunity for youth and settlement workers, as well as community workers and community leaders to come together to discuss and reflect this type of work and explore the potential to strengthen family relationships.

Loss and grief through child abuse and domestic violence
Sept 3, 2009. 9:30am - 4:30. 'This course defines loss and grief using Worden's task approach. It examines issues particular to children's losses and how they may present. In particular, the ambiguous losses of child abuse, neglect and domestic violence. The overlay of trauma is also examined and Judith Herman's model applied.'

Casting light: scripts for young adults from people living with mental illness
Casting Light includes thirteen dynamic, challenging and engaging theatre scripts for young adults with a unique feature - they are all based on the stories of people who live with mental illness, either personally, or through caring for a family member with mental illness. The scripts come with support material and links to further information. The resource has been specifically designed to be teacher-friendly, providing the complete package for educators looking to explore mental health issues in the classroom.

Engaging Adolescents: practitioner training
June-Nov, Australian venues. Engaging Adolescents is a one-day practitioner training course for practitioners to help parents manage difficult behaviour in adolescents. It will help parents to develop a better understanding of the emotional and developmental changes that their teenagers are going through, and more importantly, it provides them with practice in the skills of managing challenging behaviour and holding difficult conversations with their teens. The Engaging Adolescents course provides professionals with skills for conducting a three-session program for parents.

Resources Catalogue

The database provides details of a wide range of resources relating to mental health and wellbeing. The full database can be searched here.

For more details click on title.

Fourth national mental health plan: an agenda for collaborative government action in mental health 2009-2014. Draft 2 June 2009
2009, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra, ACT.
The fourth national mental health plan sets an agenda for collaborative government action in mental health for the next five years. Draft version for final comment.


New South Wales Aboriginal mental health worker training program: implementation review
2009, NSW Health & Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health, Casuarina, NT.
The program aims to enhance the Aboriginal mental health workforce in NSW and is already showing that it can build and sustain a workforce through the approach of coordinating work and study for the Trainees within a system of peer support, supervision and mentoring.


Housing and associated support for people with mental illness or psychiatric disability
2009, Social Policy Research Centre, Sydney, NSW.
Examines how housing and support services for people with mental illness or psychiatric disability can support recovery. The recovery approach to mental illness emphasises a person living a positive life despite any limitations resulting from the illness.


Bring it! Young carers forum 08: final report
2009, Carers Australia, Sydney, NSW.
Discusses the needs and concerns of the 380,000 young carers under the age of 26 in Australia, highlighting key messages and directions for the future that will assist young carers to care, study, work and access support.


Long term conditions collaborative: improving self management support
2009, Scottish Government, Edunburgh, Scotland.
Support for self management to encourage people to take decisions and make choices that improve their health, wellbeing and health-related behaviours.


Indigenous families and children: coordination and provision of services - Stronger Families and Communities Strategy 2004–2009
2009, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, ACT.
Examines service provision and service coordination, identifies factors that facilitate or hinder service provision and outcomes, and considers sustainability issues.


Independent evaluation of headspace: the National Youth Mental Health Foundation: interim evaluation report
2009, Social Policy Research Centre, Sydney, NSW.
Presents data from 2008... when many of the Communities of Youth Services had only recently opened and the components were still developing resources and refining support.


A call for change: toward a recovery-oriented mental health service system for adults
2005, Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Toronto, Ontario.
An outline of what is currently known about the elements of a recovery-oriented mental health system with a set of indicators by which the process and outcomes of transformation may be evaluated.


Promising practice profiles: final report
2009, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne, Vic.
Part of a growing trend to identify, document and disseminate descriptions of best practice or 'what works' in order to improve outcomes for children and their families.


Helping someone with problem cannabis use: mental health first aid guidelines
2009, National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC), Randwick, NSW.
Designed to inform members of the community how to recognize when someone’s cannabis use has become a problem, how to provide initial support and information, and how to guide the user to seek professional help.