Population Needs Analysis to Design Workforce Development Models to Address Inequities in Child Mental Health
Tracks
Ballroom 1 - In Person & Virtual via OnAIR
| Tuesday, March 25, 2025 |
| 11:05 AM - 11:25 AM |
Overview
Dr Melinda Goodyear & Mr Brad Morgan, Emerging Minds
Presenter
Dr Melinda Goodyear
Manager, Research And Evaluation
Emerging Minds
Population Needs Analysis to Design Workforce Development Models to Address Inequities in Child Mental Health
Abstract
Australia is grappling with significant workforce shortages and capability gaps in child mental health support, particularly in rural and remote areas. This Emerging Minds presentation underscores the potential to develop a robust and locally tailored workforce that can offer culturally sensitive and accessible mental health services for children and families.
The presentation will provide an overview of the workforce stocktake project aimed at identifying needs and opportunities for supporting child mental health throughout Australia. This project employs data from research, stakeholder consultations, and various data sources to assess the Australian workforce's competency in meeting the current and future mental health needs of infants and children. The analysis has generated a population-level insight into the equity issues related to access and opportunities for seeking child mental health support across different regions. Key learnings include the importance of locally developed workforces with contextual understanding, the significance of flexible funding, and the need for system-level solutions.
In the presentation, we propose several recommendations for building workforce capacity to enhance equitable access to early intervention support for children and their families.
These initiatives draw on advancements in rural generalist approaches, expansions in primary healthcare models, and other strategies to support and enhance the competencies of Australian professionals who regularly interact with children and their families.
This effort also led to the creation of a comprehensive national competency framework that adopts an ecological, transdiagnostic approach to child mental health, guiding workforce policy directions and implementation strategies.
The presentation will provide an overview of the workforce stocktake project aimed at identifying needs and opportunities for supporting child mental health throughout Australia. This project employs data from research, stakeholder consultations, and various data sources to assess the Australian workforce's competency in meeting the current and future mental health needs of infants and children. The analysis has generated a population-level insight into the equity issues related to access and opportunities for seeking child mental health support across different regions. Key learnings include the importance of locally developed workforces with contextual understanding, the significance of flexible funding, and the need for system-level solutions.
In the presentation, we propose several recommendations for building workforce capacity to enhance equitable access to early intervention support for children and their families.
These initiatives draw on advancements in rural generalist approaches, expansions in primary healthcare models, and other strategies to support and enhance the competencies of Australian professionals who regularly interact with children and their families.
This effort also led to the creation of a comprehensive national competency framework that adopts an ecological, transdiagnostic approach to child mental health, guiding workforce policy directions and implementation strategies.
Biography
Dr Goodyear leads development and implementation of the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health's research and evaluation strategy, and manages the Research and Evaluation team at Emerging Minds. She specialises in codesign and capacity building of research and evaluation methodologies to support the translation of evidence into practice. Also as a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University, she has developed a research specialty in how to support and promote child and family mental health. She has over 100 career publications on research supporting families experiencing adversity and children and young people with mental health issues.
Mr Brad Morgan
Director
Emerging Minds
Population Needs Analysis to Design Workforce Development Models to Address Inequities in Child Mental Health
Abstract
Australia is grappling with significant workforce shortages and capability gaps in child mental health support, particularly in rural and remote areas. This Emerging Minds presentation underscores the potential to develop a robust and locally tailored workforce that can offer culturally sensitive and accessible mental health services for children and families.
The presentation will provide an overview of the workforce stocktake project aimed at identifying needs and opportunities for supporting child mental health throughout Australia. This project employs data from research, stakeholder consultations, and various data sources to assess the Australian workforce's competency in meeting the current and future mental health needs of infants and children. The analysis has generated a population-level insight into the equity issues related to access and opportunities for seeking child mental health support across different regions. Key learnings include the importance of locally developed workforces with contextual understanding, the significance of flexible funding, and the need for system-level solutions.
In the presentation, we propose several recommendations for building workforce capacity to enhance equitable access to early intervention support for children and their families.
These initiatives draw on advancements in rural generalist approaches, expansions in primary healthcare models, and other strategies to support and enhance the competencies of Australian professionals who regularly interact with children and their families.
This effort also led to the creation of a comprehensive national competency framework that adopts an ecological, transdiagnostic approach to child mental health, guiding workforce policy directions and implementation strategies.
The presentation will provide an overview of the workforce stocktake project aimed at identifying needs and opportunities for supporting child mental health throughout Australia. This project employs data from research, stakeholder consultations, and various data sources to assess the Australian workforce's competency in meeting the current and future mental health needs of infants and children. The analysis has generated a population-level insight into the equity issues related to access and opportunities for seeking child mental health support across different regions. Key learnings include the importance of locally developed workforces with contextual understanding, the significance of flexible funding, and the need for system-level solutions.
In the presentation, we propose several recommendations for building workforce capacity to enhance equitable access to early intervention support for children and their families.
These initiatives draw on advancements in rural generalist approaches, expansions in primary healthcare models, and other strategies to support and enhance the competencies of Australian professionals who regularly interact with children and their families.
This effort also led to the creation of a comprehensive national competency framework that adopts an ecological, transdiagnostic approach to child mental health, guiding workforce policy directions and implementation strategies.
Biography
Biography not provided
