Standards for Psychiatric Disability Support Services
(November 2000)

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• Foreword
• Introduction
• Definition of Key Terms Used Throughout the Document
• Standard 1-Rights
• Standard 2-Safety
• Standard 3-Participant, Community and Carer Involvement
• Standard 4-Promoting Community Acceptance
• Standard 5-Privacy and Confidentiality
• Standard 6-Prevention and Mental Health Promotion
• Standard 7-Cultural and Gender Awareness
• Standard 8-Integration Standard
• Standard 9-Service Development
• Standard 10-Documentation
• Standard 11-Delivery of Support

Foreword

On 3 December 1996 the Australian Health Minister's Advisory Council's National Mental Health Working Group endorsed the National Standards for Mental Health Services. The standards provided a guide for the development of new services and for service enhancement and continuous quality improvement in existing services.

The National Standards for Mental Health Services were, however, predominantly designed for clinical services and were not seen as entirely relevant to the Psychiatric Disability Support Services (PDSS) Sector. Staff from the Mental Health Branch and VICSERV undertook to tailor the National Standards to reflect the rehabilitation and support focus of PDSS.

The Standards for Psychiatric Disability Support Services reflect this focus and provide the PDSS sector with a common set of service standards to promote service quality and improvement. The standards, adapted from the National Standards for Mental Health Services, are a further recognition of the specialist nature of rehabilitation and support provided by PDSS.

The Standards for Psychiatric Disability Support Services are outcome focussed and seek to achieve the best possible standard of support and rehabilitation for people with psychiatric disabilities. The standards can be used to enhance service delivery, to improve quality and to establish models of best practice.

Implementation of specific standards for PDSS is a further step in an ongoing process of promoting the delivery of quality services to people with a mental illness in Victoria.

Hon John Thwaites MP
Minister for Health

Updated 18 January 2001

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