Our vision
We are transforming Victoria’s mental health system so Victorians living with mental ill health, and their families and carers are supported to live full and contributing lives.
With our partners in the sector, we are working towards our vision for the future: a mental health and wellbeing system that delivers inclusive, personalised, compassionate, integrated care so all Victorians are supported to live and experience the life they want.
The first phase of reform
We have established the foundations to transform Victoria’s mental health and wellbeing system in the first phase of reform.
Through our $6 billion investment, we have integrated lived experience voices across the system, protected consumer and carer rights and provided more people care when and where they need it.
Victorians can now access more early intervention programs in the community and receive support and care from a much larger and more diverse workforce than ever before.
We invested in our infrastructure pipeline, long term workforce reforms and more mental health beds to meet critical demand. We established the legal foundations for the reformed system and delivered new and improved services to meet the needs of Victorians.
Our progress has been substantial despite increasing demand for mental health and wellbeing supports in the wake of bushfires, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic, which occurred post the release of the Royal Commission’s final report in 2021.
The next phase of reform
The next phase of reform celebrates and builds on all we have achieved and learned in the foundation years of reform.
As we move from the first phase of implementation into the next, we remain focused on delivering reforms that drive lasting change.
We aim to address demand, drive performance, and focus on prevention and early intervention, especially for young Victorians and our regional and rural communities.
We’ll continue to build and retain our highly skilled workforce and embed lived and living experience in all levels of the mental health and wellbeing system.
The Victorian Government is committed to delivering each recommendation from the Royal Commission.
To learn more about our progress and priorities, read The Next Phase of Reform.
Read more about the Royal Commission on the About the Royal Commission webpage.
Read more about the engagement activities and advisory groups that help guide reform on the Engagement and advisory groups webpage.
An overview of our priorities
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Promotion and prevention are key to achieving our vision for the future mental health and wellbeing system. This priority is about early intervention and programs that improve wellbeing with more supports in the community, so we can shift away from crisis and acute services.
Program Recommendation Statewide Wellbeing Strategy 2 Suicide prevention and response strategy 26.2b Statewide peer call-back service 31.2 Distress Brief Support 27.3 LGBTIQA+ Aftercare Service 27.2a Postvention bereavement support 27.2b Gatekeeper training 27.1b, 27.1c Diverse Communities Blueprint and Framework 34.1, 34.3a, 34.3b Social Inclusion Action Groups (SIAGS) 15.1, 15.2, 15.3 Delivering the Diverse Communities Grants Program 34.4 Rainbow Door 34.4 Social prescribing trials 15.4 Growing the Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing workforce IR 4 Partnering with VACCHO; and establishment and expansion of social and emotional wellbeing teams 33.1, 33.4, IR4 -
The workforce is the backbone of our system. This priority is about growing and supporting the diverse, multidisciplinary workforce Victoria needs in the reformed mental health and wellbeing system.
Program Recommendation Growing the workforce IR 7, 36.2, 36.3, 57, 58 Growing the lived and living experience workforce IR 6.1, IR 6.2, IR 6.3, IR 6.4 Addressing regional workforce needs 40, 39.1a Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing scholarship program IR 4 Workforce strategy 57 Workforce safety and wellbeing 59.1, 59.2, 59.3 Mentally health workplaces 16 Workforce capability 58 -
Lived and living experience perspectives are critical to ensuring our programs and services meet the diverse needs of those seeking support. This priority is about growing lived experience leadership and embedding lived experience perspectives that reflect the rich diversity of the community.
Program Recommendation Lived and Living Experience Leadership 28.1, 30.1 Lived Experience Residential Service (The Healing Place) IR 5 Lived Experience Agency 29 Lived Experience Website 6.4 Legal and non-legal advocacy 56.2, 56.3 Supports for Young Carers 32.1 ,32.2, 32.3 -
We are moving the system towards community-based service models, improving options for Victorians and delivering mental health and wellbeing care closer to home. This priority is about delivering services that are connected, inclusive and locally accessible to further improve Statewide and Area Services (community and bed-based services)
Program Recommendation Co-design of two Aboriginal Healing Centres and the co-design of the NEST Framework model 33.1, 33.4 Community redesign (NGO Partnerships) 3.2b, 3.2c Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drug integration 35.1a, 35.1b, 36.2 Youth bed-based reforms 21.1, 21.3 Infant, Child and Youth Aboriginal services 33.2, 33.3,33.4 Infant, Child and Youth age streaming 19.1, 19.2, 20.1, 20.2 Meeting the needs of diverse communities in Locals and Areas 5.3 Emergency Department service capability framework 8.3a, 8.3b Access Policy and Intake Guidelines 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7 Headspace integration 20.3, 20.4 Accessible statewide services 3.2d Service capability framework 3.5 Health-led crisis response 10 Crisis system, entry to respite 8, 9 New Mental Health and Wellbeing Local Services (Adult & Older Adult) 3.2a Infant, Child and Family Locals 19.3 Adult forensic 37.2 Transforming Trauma Victoria 23, 24 Balit Durn Durn Centre IR 4 Expansion and reform of adult bed-based services IR 2, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3 -
This priority seeks to support services to learn and improve so all Victorians can access high quality care. With improved performance management and system stewardship we will have the legal foundations and funding reforms in place to support services.
Program Recommendation Statewide service and capital plan 3.3, 3.4, 47.2, 47.3 Funding reform 48.3 Information capture and sharing 61.1, 61.2, 61.3, 30.4 Contemporary Information and Communication Technology 62, 60 Outcomes Framework and Performance design and implementation 1 North West Disaggregation Chapter 5.3 - RCVMHS final report Volume Regional governance 4 Regional service and capital plans 3.3, 3.4, 47.2, 47.4 Removal of rigid service catchments 3.3, 3.4 -
Through education and training we will raise awareness of the objectives and principles of Victoria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022. New system leadership, accountability and a rights-based approach will guide service providers and decision-makers to deliver better and more consumer-focused mental health and wellbeing treatment, care and support.
Program Recommendation Supporting consumer rights and advocacy 56.1, 56.2, 56.3 Mental Health and Wellbeing Act Implementation 42.1, 42.2, 34.2 Victorian Collaborative Centre IR 1, 63 Review of compulsory treatment criteria and alignment of decision-making laws 43, 56.4 A focus on system safety 52 A focus on gender and sexual safety 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4 The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission 44.1, 44.2, 30.2, 41.1, 53, 28.2 Towards eliminating seclusion and restraint 54.1, 54.2, 54.3, 54.4 Reducing compulsory treatment 55.1, 55.2, 55.3, 55.4 Quality and safety system architecture 52, 53
Reviewed 04 December 2024