Caring, Kindness and Getting it Right!
Tracks
PRINCE ROOM - In-Person Only
| Tuesday, March 17, 2026 |
| 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM |
Overview
Sandra Volvricht & Kim Whitehead, CAMHS South Australia
Presenter
Kim Whitehead
Service Manager
CAMHS South Australia
Caring, Kindness and Getting it Right!
Presentation Overview
The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service is a free community-based tertiary mental health service provided through the WCHN across South Australia, providing care to those with severe and/or complex mental health needs. Northern Country CAMHS forms one of the community-based teams of the service with 6 main sites and outreach commitments from each site. Geographically the team covers a large section of South Australia encompassing the Mid North, Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula, and the Far North.
A Mental Health workforce such as NCC requires strong scaffolding and the ability to debrief, reflect and rebound from the pressures of the role. Explore innovative strategies and technologies aimed at assisting clinicians to enhance tertiary mental health services for young people within regional and remote communities, while minimising risk of burn out.
Enhanced access to quality mental health support for young people in remote areas by strengthening clinician capability and safeguarding their wellbeing will be presented.
We aim to highlight the effectiveness of investing in clinician capacity and wellbeing through high quality supervision, at several levels and a robust onboarding program.
Discuss outcomes, challenges from our pilot onboarding project for new and experienced clinicians within the team.
The importance of collaboration between other healthcare providers, including those in our own organisation to help mentor and support clinicians working in regional areas.
We will briefly reflect on our experiences of DIDO and FIFO service provision models which have emerged as practical solutions to deliver services, however, have also created more awareness around worker wellbeing.
We discuss our learnings from a service delivery point and the need for workload balance within the tertiary arena of Mental Health provision to young people.
We will conclude with the importance of administrative support on clinician job satisfaction, productivity, and client outcomes.
Three Key Learnings:
1. Understanding of strategies to assist in management of high-level workloads and associated stressors when working within a tertiary mental health service
2. Understand the value of being curious and reflective, about your own wellbeing
3. Understand the importance of gradual onboarding, which underpins wellbeing
A Mental Health workforce such as NCC requires strong scaffolding and the ability to debrief, reflect and rebound from the pressures of the role. Explore innovative strategies and technologies aimed at assisting clinicians to enhance tertiary mental health services for young people within regional and remote communities, while minimising risk of burn out.
Enhanced access to quality mental health support for young people in remote areas by strengthening clinician capability and safeguarding their wellbeing will be presented.
We aim to highlight the effectiveness of investing in clinician capacity and wellbeing through high quality supervision, at several levels and a robust onboarding program.
Discuss outcomes, challenges from our pilot onboarding project for new and experienced clinicians within the team.
The importance of collaboration between other healthcare providers, including those in our own organisation to help mentor and support clinicians working in regional areas.
We will briefly reflect on our experiences of DIDO and FIFO service provision models which have emerged as practical solutions to deliver services, however, have also created more awareness around worker wellbeing.
We discuss our learnings from a service delivery point and the need for workload balance within the tertiary arena of Mental Health provision to young people.
We will conclude with the importance of administrative support on clinician job satisfaction, productivity, and client outcomes.
Three Key Learnings:
1. Understanding of strategies to assist in management of high-level workloads and associated stressors when working within a tertiary mental health service
2. Understand the value of being curious and reflective, about your own wellbeing
3. Understand the importance of gradual onboarding, which underpins wellbeing
Biography
Kim Whitehead commenced in mental health nursing in New Zealand, training at Carrington Hospital Auckland as a Mental Health Nurse. Taking on further training with a bachelor’s degree Nursing Practice at Flinders University and a Graduate Diploma Rural and Remote MH at Uni SA.
In 2009, Kim transitioned from Adult Mental Health Services to the CAMHS Northern Country Service, bringing her expertise and compassion to the forefront of adolescent mental health care. Her journey within the service has been marked by significant milestones, including role of clinician, clinical coordinator and now Service Manager to the Northern Country team.
Ms Sandra Volvricht
Clinical Coordinator
CAMHS South Australia
Caring, Kindness and Getting it Right!
Presentation Overview
The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service is a free community-based tertiary mental health service provided through the WCHN across South Australia, providing care to those with severe and/or complex mental health needs. Northern Country CAMHS forms one of the community-based teams of the service with 6 main sites and outreach commitments from each site. Geographically the team covers a large section of South Australia encompassing the Mid North, Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula, and the Far North.
A Mental Health workforce such as NCC requires strong scaffolding and the ability to debrief, reflect and rebound from the pressures of the role. Explore innovative strategies and technologies aimed at assisting clinicians to enhance tertiary mental health services for young people within regional and remote communities, while minimising risk of burn out.
Enhanced access to quality mental health support for young people in remote areas by strengthening clinician capability and safeguarding their wellbeing will be presented.
We aim to highlight the effectiveness of investing in clinician capacity and wellbeing through high quality supervision, at several levels and a robust onboarding program.
Discuss outcomes, challenges from our pilot onboarding project for new and experienced clinicians within the team.
The importance of collaboration between other healthcare providers, including those in our own organisation to help mentor and support clinicians working in regional areas.
We will briefly reflect on our experiences of DIDO and FIFO service provision models which have emerged as practical solutions to deliver services, however, have also created more awareness around worker wellbeing.
We discuss our learnings from a service delivery point and the need for workload balance within the tertiary arena of Mental Health provision to young people.
We will conclude with the importance of administrative support on clinician job satisfaction, productivity, and client outcomes.
Three Key Learnings:
1. Understanding of strategies to assist in management of high-level workloads and associated stressors when working within a tertiary mental health service
2. Understand the value of being curious and reflective, about your own wellbeing
3. Understand the importance of gradual onboarding, which underpins wellbeing
A Mental Health workforce such as NCC requires strong scaffolding and the ability to debrief, reflect and rebound from the pressures of the role. Explore innovative strategies and technologies aimed at assisting clinicians to enhance tertiary mental health services for young people within regional and remote communities, while minimising risk of burn out.
Enhanced access to quality mental health support for young people in remote areas by strengthening clinician capability and safeguarding their wellbeing will be presented.
We aim to highlight the effectiveness of investing in clinician capacity and wellbeing through high quality supervision, at several levels and a robust onboarding program.
Discuss outcomes, challenges from our pilot onboarding project for new and experienced clinicians within the team.
The importance of collaboration between other healthcare providers, including those in our own organisation to help mentor and support clinicians working in regional areas.
We will briefly reflect on our experiences of DIDO and FIFO service provision models which have emerged as practical solutions to deliver services, however, have also created more awareness around worker wellbeing.
We discuss our learnings from a service delivery point and the need for workload balance within the tertiary arena of Mental Health provision to young people.
We will conclude with the importance of administrative support on clinician job satisfaction, productivity, and client outcomes.
Three Key Learnings:
1. Understanding of strategies to assist in management of high-level workloads and associated stressors when working within a tertiary mental health service
2. Understand the value of being curious and reflective, about your own wellbeing
3. Understand the importance of gradual onboarding, which underpins wellbeing
Biography
A compassionate healthcare professional with a background in nursing and social work. Over the years, Sandra specialised in paediatric nursing, serving in various capacities at country hospitals, Women’s, and Children's Hospital, and CAFHS Woodville.
Whilst working in Child Protection in Coober Pedy, Sandra expanded her expertise by obtaining a bachelor’s degree in social work from Deakin University. This led to her moving into the specialty of mental health with CAMHS South Australia where she has worked for the last 20 years in various roles and is currently Clinical Coordinator of Northern country CAMHS.
