Victoria to gain mental health workforce upskilling centre

From 1 July, the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing will become responsible for the professional development and upskilling of Victoria’s mental health workforce, the Victorian Government has announced. Established following the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System and the first of its kind in Australia, the Victorian Collaborative Centre is described by the government as bringing together cutting-edge mental health research, innovative service delivery and lived experience leadership — to drive system transformation.

The Victorian Collaborative Centre, following the Royal Commission’s recommendation, was given responsibility under law to coordinate learning and professional development across the whole mental health and wellbeing sector. Building on the contribution of the Centre for Mental Health Learning (CMHL), the CMHL’s programs will transition to the Victorian Collaborative Centre and create a single source for mental health learning and development resources across Victoria — a transition intended to give certainty to the mental health workforce.

“The workforce is the backbone of our mental health system and delivering this recommendation will support them to continue developing their skills and deliver the best care possible,” Victoria’s Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt said. “The Victorian Collaborative Centre will play a significant role bringing together lived experience, research and innovation to help us grow and develop our world-class mental health workforce.”

The Victorian Collaborative Centre will work closely with local mental health services to ensure their workforces are getting the opportunities they need. It will work to ensure there is no gap in training and development opportunities for the mental health workforce.

You can learn more about the work of the Victorian Collaborative Centre here, via the Victorian Government’s website.

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