National Snapshot of Workforce Capacity to support Parent, Family and Child Mental Health in Australia
Tracks
Prince Room
| Tuesday, March 21, 2023 |
| 11:30 AM - 11:50 AM |
Overview
Helen Francis, Emerging Minds
Speaker
Helen Francis
Manager, Partnerships & Implementation
Emerging Minds
National Snapshot of Workforce Capacity to support Parent, Family and Child Mental Health in Australia
Abstract
Background
The National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy calls for a workforce competent in child mental health across the wellbeing continuum. Whilst there is growing awareness of child mental health as a workforce capability, there is greater scope for connection and innovation within practice settings.
Methods
An Australia wide survey of over 1500 health and human services workers was conducted in 2020/2021 to explore knowledge, confidence, skills and practice across various facets of child mental health.
Outcomes
The results tell us Australian health and human service workers are aware of child mental health concepts, with varying levels of skills and practice throughout the workforce but that there is much room for improvement. This is especially true of infant mental health capability where high levels of self-reported competence exist only in small pockets of specialised workforce. Many workforces that intersect with families, where these skills might be expected to be highly relevant, rate themselves quite low on aspects of child mental health practice. The survey indicated that knowledge is the greatest predictor of practice, but that knowledge often doesn’t translate to practice. Engagement with professional development resources coincides with improved capability, suggesting a way forward to increase child and infant mental health capability and empower practice.
Conclusions
Child mental health as a workforce capability is in its infancy. There is great potential for the development of a knowledgeable and skilful health and social workforce, that can apply a solid grounding into innovative practice with children and parents across the wellbeing continuum. This survey provides a baseline to track changes in capability as investments in child mental health continue at the policy level. It also acts as a starting point explore how the scope and demands of different roles facilitate or block key workforces from developing child mental health capabilities.
The National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy calls for a workforce competent in child mental health across the wellbeing continuum. Whilst there is growing awareness of child mental health as a workforce capability, there is greater scope for connection and innovation within practice settings.
Methods
An Australia wide survey of over 1500 health and human services workers was conducted in 2020/2021 to explore knowledge, confidence, skills and practice across various facets of child mental health.
Outcomes
The results tell us Australian health and human service workers are aware of child mental health concepts, with varying levels of skills and practice throughout the workforce but that there is much room for improvement. This is especially true of infant mental health capability where high levels of self-reported competence exist only in small pockets of specialised workforce. Many workforces that intersect with families, where these skills might be expected to be highly relevant, rate themselves quite low on aspects of child mental health practice. The survey indicated that knowledge is the greatest predictor of practice, but that knowledge often doesn’t translate to practice. Engagement with professional development resources coincides with improved capability, suggesting a way forward to increase child and infant mental health capability and empower practice.
Conclusions
Child mental health as a workforce capability is in its infancy. There is great potential for the development of a knowledgeable and skilful health and social workforce, that can apply a solid grounding into innovative practice with children and parents across the wellbeing continuum. This survey provides a baseline to track changes in capability as investments in child mental health continue at the policy level. It also acts as a starting point explore how the scope and demands of different roles facilitate or block key workforces from developing child mental health capabilities.
Biography
Helen is responsible for leading the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health Partnership and Implementation strategy. She has vast knowledge of Human/Community Services with a combination of over 30 years executive management experience, identifying service gaps, developing community partnerships, advocating for quality training and systems support to improve knowledge skills and practice across service sectors. She has lead Action research, community consultation, community development, co-design and workforce development capacity building initiatives.
Before joining Emerging Minds, Helen was at Australian Centre for Child Protection, University of South Australia as the Project Manager of a national workforce development initiative the Protecting and Nurturing Children: Building Capacity Building Bridges (BCBB) Initiative.
