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Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations Partnering with Consumers, Families and Carers Standard

Service providers develop, implement and maintain systems to partner with consumers, their families and carers. These partnerships relate to the direct delivery of care as well as the planning, co-design, measurement, review and evaluation of mental health services. The workforce uses these systems to partner with consumers, their families and carers.

The intention of this standard is to create services in which there are mutually valuable outcomes by having:

  • Consumers as partners in their own care, with their families and carers, to the extent that the consumer chooses
  • Consumers, their families and carers as partners in planning, co-design, delivery, measurement, review and evaluation of mental health services

Partnering with consumers in their own care

Consumers are partners in their own care, with their families and carers, in line with the model of care and to the extent that they choose. Systems that are based on partnering with consumers in their own care, and with their families and carers, are used to facilitate the delivery of care.

Rights

Action 2.01

The service provider uses a charter of rights that is:

  1. Consistent with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights such as the Mental health statement of rights and responsibilities
  2. Consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  3. Respectful of the consumer’s autonomy, including their right to intimacy and sexual expression
  4. Made available to consumers, their families and carers
  5. Incorporated into everyday practice
  • Include education and training about legal and human rights in employee orientation and induction and record this in a workforce training register
  • Provide members of the workforce with resources outlining consumer and carer rights for use in their day‑to‑day work
  • Provide ready access to copies of the charter of rights, communicated in appropriate languages or formats, to all consumers, their carers and families, and obtain a signed copy from the consumer, their family or carer to confirm that they have read and understood their rights
  • Workforce onboarding to include the provision of a copy of the charter of rights
  • A code of conduct informed by consumer rights
  • Charter of rights to be included in consumers’ welcome packs
  • Training and resources that include human rights
  • Charter of rights posters in service delivery environments
  • Consumer charter of rights available in different languages and formats to best meet the communication needs of each individual consumer
  • Feedback from consumers, carers and families about their awareness of the charter of rights
  • Checklist confirming consumers receipt of the charter of rights and their understanding of those rights

Action 2.02

The service provider has systems and processes to:

  1. Actively prevent the abuse and or neglect of consumers
  2. Actively prevent the abuse and or neglect of families and carers consistent with their service model and legislative obligations
  3. Actively prevent the exploitation of consumers and where relevant, their families and carers
  4. Actively prevent discrimination against consumers and where relevant, their families and carers
  5. Respect and protect the dignity of consumers, their families and carers
  6. Ensure the cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
  7. Act upon allegations and incidents of violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation or discrimination and support and assist each affected consumer
  8. Report back to consumers, families and carers about the outcomes of actions taken regarding allegations and incidents
  • Ensure there are clear and accessible pathways for consumers to report any incidents of abuse, neglect and exploitation and support them making complaints
  • Provide feedback informed by open disclosure principles to consumers, families and carers to assess whether the response to allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation, and whether they felt safe and heard throughout the process
  • Establish processes for members of the workforce and consumers which enables information and feedback to be freely shared
  • Provide members of the workforce access to regular practice supervision to ensure their practice is evidenced‑based and free from harm
  • A values statement which includes a zero‑tolerance approach to abuse, neglect and exploitation of consumers, carers and their families
  • Code of conduct which has been signed by all members of the workforce and volunteers
  • Processes for informing consumers and carers on how to report adverse incidents
  • Responding to allegations and incidents of violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, or discrimination in a timely way
  • Advice on recording, reviewing, and investigating any allegations or incidents, and what action your service is taking to prevent future incidents
  • Registering quality improvement actions initiated and implemented following historical allegations or incidents involving violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, and discrimination
  • Evidence of co‑creation of safety and wellbeing planning processes with consumers, their families and carers
  • Register of complaints and reviews of outcomes from complaints 

Action 2.03

Where a service provider has access to a consumer’s money or other property, systems are in place to:

  1. Ensure that it is managed, protected and accounted for
  2. Ensure that a consumer’s money or other property is only used with the consent of the consumer and for the purposes intended by the consumer
  3. Support the consumer to access and spend their own money as they determine
  4. Ensure a record is available to the consumer and to any family members to whom the consumer consents to have access
  • Ensure your organisation has processes in place to make certain that members of the workforce do not provide information or guidance regarding consumer finances which extends outside of their role and responsibilities
  • Train members of the workforce to embed supported decision making into their practice approach
  • Consult with the consumer and their support network when money and property are being managed on behalf of a consumer and document these communications in their records
  • Train members of the workforce to understand and make use of Work Development Orders (WDOs) as a means of reducing debt
  • Facilitate access to capacity‑building activities for consumers in decision‑making and managing finances
  • A code of conduct which includes provisions for the ethical management of consumer funds and property
  • Policy on identifying a consumer’s capacity for making decisions about their finances
  • Documentation of the management, protection and accountability of a consumer’s money and property
  • Work and development orders for workers, consumers and carers

Action 2.04

The service provider upholds the rights of the consumer to access a member of the workforce of their preferred gender, where possible 

  • Identify consumer needs and preferences during intake processes and consider these when allocating workers to support them, including consumer preferences regarding cultural needs and gender
  • Ensure your organisation reflects a diverse workforce to help meet the needs and preferences of consumers
  • Ask all consumers what pronouns they use and their preferred names; preface this by having workers introduce themselves with their pronouns to help establish a safe environment
  • Train members of the workforce in the use of gender and sexuality inclusive language, and inclusive and affirmative practice
  • Utilise practice supervision as an opportunity for members of the workforce to reflect on their practice and acknowledge their personal and cultural prejudices and bias
  • Policy on supporting consumer choice and control including identifying their preferences regarding workers allocated to them
  • Training for consumers and members of the workforce on gender and sexuality inclusivity, and diversity inclusive services available
  • Review on demographic data reflecting local community
  • Review of access or care experienced by specific groups

Action 2.05

The service provider upholds the rights of the consumer and their family and carers: 

  1. To access advocacy and support services
  2. To access interpreter services
  • Train workers about how and where to provide referrals to advocacy organisations, such as the Mental Health Advocacy Service offered through Legal Aid NSW, or ADACAS
  • Identify the consumer’s possible need for appropriate interpretating or translation services and arrange as required
  • When appropriate, include carers in family meetings and discussions about support planning and outcomes
  • Establish processes to ensure that the interpreter is effectively engaged and does not have any conflict of interest in relation to the consumer, family or carer
  • Documented process for accessing consumer advocates
  • Documented process for accessing the Translating and Interpreting Service
  • Training on how to use an interpreter service
  • Information packages or links to resources that are available for consumers in different formats and languages
  • Register of translating and interpreting services used and frequency of use
  • Training frequency and attendance for members of the workforce about delivering care for diverse populations

Action 2.06

The service provider advocates for the rights of consumers, families and carers and promotes opportunities to enhance the consumer's positive social connections with family, children, friends and their valued community

  • Promote social connections when developing care and recovery plans with a consumer, their families, carers and peers
  • Promote reconnections with families and social networks where possible and if desired by consumers
  • Support consumers’ connections with their children and access to advocacy services to assist in family law or child protection matters
  • Develop partnerships with other CMO services and community‑based services providing social activities to facilitate referral pathways for consumers, their carers and families
  • Social inclusion activities
  • Training and resources about social activities
  • Evaluation of de‑identified register listing referrals to social and cultural groups to support social connectedness

Informed consent

The service provider has strategies and processes to:

  1. Support the consumer to make informed choices, exercise control and maximise their independence relating to the care being provided
  2. Ensure that informed consent processes comply with legislation and best practice
  • Clearly document discussions about service options, as well as risks and benefits to providing supports, or decision‑making activities which are kept in a consumer’s records
  • Ensure that informed consent policies are reflective of any relevant legislative requirements
  • Provide information in a way that they can be understood by consumers before asking for consent
  • Accommodate a diversity of needs, such as disability, literacy, cultural and linguistic diversity when seeking and communicating about informed consent
  • Record when and how information about informed consent has been provided; clear documentation is necessary especially when a consumer, their family and carers refuse to provide, or are unable to provide informed consent
  • Establish strategies to support workers communicating information to consumers regarding decisions that have been made without their consent
  • Provide signed copies of informed consent documentation to consumers, their families and carers
  • Policy on how and when consent is to be obtained
  • Standardised consent form
  • Training and resources that include how to support informed consent from consumers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
  • Documented information or resources about consent processes that are provided to consumers, carers and families
  • Evaluation of the number of signed consent forms attached to consumer records

Supported decision making and planning care

The service provider has processes:

  1. To assist consumers, families and carers and the workforce to participate in supported decision making as the default approach
  2. To partner with consumers, their families and carers to develop advance care plans, including safety planning
  3. To identify and work with a substitute decision-maker if a consumer does not have the capacity to make decisions for themselves
  • Provide information about supported decision making and substitute decision‑making to consumers, carers and families
  • Ensure members of the workforce are trained to understand and embed supported decision making in their practice
  • Establish a process that determines whether an advance care plan for a consumer is in place
  • Use an evidence‑based process to assess a consumer’s decision‑making skills that is aligned with recovery‑oriented practice
  • Policy for determining when a consumer may need assistance in making choices and working with a substitute decision‑maker should the consumer require this
  • Supported decision-making model or tool
  • Example of an advance care plan template
  • Resources available to consumers and members of the workforce regarding supported decision making

Health literacy

The service provider takes account of the health literacy of consumers, their families and carers, and ensures that communication occurs in a way that supports effective partnerships.

Communication that supports effective partnerships

Action 2.09

The service provider uses communication mechanisms tailored to the diversity of consumers, their families and carers

  • Communicate in a language and format that meets the communication needs of the consumer
  • Ensure members of the workforce have resources and receive training in health literacy and meeting diverse communication needs
  • Train members of the workforce to ensure they have a good understanding of the common health issues that frequently affect consumers
  • Policy for establishing the preferred communication methods for consumers, families and carers
  • Information in a variety of languages, audio mechanisms, and easy‑read documents
  • Intake form with details of preferred communication supports

Action 2.10

Where information about the service or mental health is developed internally, the service provider co-designs this with consumers, their families and carers

  • Demonstrate the use of co‑design in governance, leadership and service delivery activities
  • Allocate funds in the budget to appropriately remunerate lived experience partners in co‑design partnerships 
  • Policy setting out the organisation’s codesign framework and provisions for co‑design processes
  • Training and resources that include support for consumers and carers to participate in co‑design
  • Evidence of consumer and carer participation in co‑design processes, such as through meeting minutes
  • Documented advisory or reference group composition demonstrating lived experience representation 

Action 2.11

The service provider communicates information to consumers, their families and carers:

  1. In a way that meets their needs
  2. In language and formats that enable it to be understood by people with diverse communication abilities
  • Communicate in a language and format that meets the communication needs of a diversity of consumers and carers
  • Document the consumer’s language and communication needs and preferences during intake processes, including any supported decision‑making requirements
  • Provide written information in accessible formats: Easy English, braille, large print, audio, captioned video content, and resources in Word and PDF format, other languages
  • Practise flexibility when communicating with consumers and consider the appropriateness of timing and environment when sharing important information to ensure it is best understood
  • Engage with consumers, carers, and families to co‑design and develop information resources and tools to support communication
  • Policy documents or processes for the use of plain language, communicating health literacy, and addressing the needs of consumers, carers and their families
  • Training and resources that include use of interpreters, plain English and Auslan
  • Feedback from consumers and carers about whether communication processes meet their needs
  • Evidence of resources and training provided to members of the workforce and consumers
  • Evidence of consulting with diverse communities to seek their advice concerning communications

Accessing healthcare service information

The service provider makes information available to consumers, families and carers on alternative service providers when the service is closed, after-hours or in an emergency

  • Include crisis support options on the homepage of your website which cover a variety of possible crises that might lead consumers to seek support – for example, suicidal ideation, housing stress, domestic violence, substance use, emergency health issues
  • Ensure information is freely and easily accessible to consumers who do not have or use digital technology
  • Inform consumers and carers about out‑of‑hours alternatives and provide information flyers or wallet cards
  • Policy documents or processes for provision of crisis or afterhours support
  • Training and resources that include brochures and wallet cards with emergency contact information
  • Evaluation of observable website information including after‑hours support page

Partnering with consumers, families and carers in co-design and governance

The service provider partners with consumers, their families and carers in the co-design and governance of mental health services.

Partnerships in governance, planning, co-design, delivery, measurement and evaluation

Action 2.13

The service provider:

  1. Partners with consumers, their families and carers in the governance, planning, co-design, delivery, measurement and evaluation of the services
  2. Has processes to involve a mix of people that reflect the diversity of consumers, their families and carers
  • Create a consumer and carer advisory group to support review of policy, procedure, and other documentation relevant to service delivery to consumers
  • Promote lived experience representation on boards and other governance roles
  • Identify the diversity of consumers who use the services and who are part of the local community and ensure these groups are represented in any partnership activities
  • Policy for consumer and carer engagement in practice development and service design
  • Training and resources that include support for consumers and carers to participate in co‑design
  • Documented meeting agendas and minutes to demonstrate lived experience partnership in co‑creation of the design and evaluation of services
  • Feedback from consumers engaged in partnerships with the service provider about their experience being a part of the collaborative process

Action 2.14

The service provider provides orientation, support and education to the workforce, consumers, families and carers to support co-design in the governance, planning, design, delivery, measurement and evaluation of the service

  • Employ a facilitator or coordinator to engage with, support, and build the confidence of, current and potential partners in co‑design processes
  • Develop pathways for consumers and carers to train as and become employed as Lived Experience and peer workers
  • Provide education, training and support for consumer and carer partners who provide representation on advisory groups, boards or in other governance roles, to ensure they understand the role and function of these groups within the organisation and to support them to participate effectively
  • Educate members of the workforce about the role of consumer and carer partners, to ensure they are included and respected
  • Policy documents or processes for systemic consumer and carer engagement
  • Training and resources that include why and how to support partnering with consumers, carers and families in governance, planning, design, measurement and evaluation
  • Documented feedback from consumers and others participating in co‑design processes

Action 2.15

The service provider partners with consumers, families and carers on the development and delivery of training and education for the workforce

  • Implement a policy that involves consumers, their families and carers as well as peer workers in the development and delivery of workforce training and reimburses them appropriately
  • Establish co‑design workshops in the development of training and professional development
  • Employ lived experience trainers and educators, supervisors and evaluators
  • Policy documents or processes that incorporate the views and experiences of consumers in the development of training the workforce
  • Co‑led training for the workforce
  • Number of lived experience education workshops
  • Minutes from training development meetings
  • Evidence that peer workers are offered career pathways to develop and deliver training to members of the workforce including other peers

Promotion and prevention

The service provider develops strategies to promote mental health and wellbeing and address early identification and prevention of mental ill health that are responsive to the needs of its target population and local community

  • Identify the mental health and wellbeing education priorities relevant to your service’s target population
  • Use evidence‑based screening tools to support the early identification of mental health conditions
  • Ensure that all promotion and prevention strategies include culturally appropriate services that are available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and are accessible to people from CALD communities
  • Design all prevention and promotion strategies using a trauma‑informed, recovery‑oriented framework
  • Provide programs and interventions to support carers and families supporting a person living with a mental health condition
  • Provide education to the community on the signs and symptoms of a wide range of mental health conditions to enhance early help‑seeking behaviours
  • Policy for supporting the promotion and prevention of mental illness
  • Promotion and prevention material displayed in the service and on the service website and in the wider community across broad‑based community services – for example, housing, employment, education
  • Easy read posters in service delivery sites which include promotion and prevention measures – for example, health promotion, early warning signs, self‑care, social connectedness

Last updated: 29 April 2026