Disability and mental health

This submission follows Mission Australia's appearance as a witness at the Disability Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability Public Hearing 26 on Homelessness. It covers topics and issues raised in the hearing from the perspective of Mission Australia services in NSW.

Mission Australia’s submission addressed our response to the NDIS’ Interventions for Children on the Autism Spectrum paper. It noted our support for the principles and standards outlined in the paper, but also our belief that these should be universal and applied to interventions for all children, regardless of disability or developmental delay.

National Mental Health Commission is developing a Children’s Mental Health Strategy. Mission Australia’s submission highlighted the need to provide holistic and wrap around supports to children and their families, address stigma and shame and increase flexible service delivery options to meet the needs of children and families.

Based on our experience, this submission highlighted the need to improve access to a range of health services including access to alcohol and drug related services, mental health services, gap between aged care and palliative care, building a lived experience workforce, use of technology and importance of funding Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisations to deliver services in these communities.

Mission Australia made a joint submission with Brotherhood of St Laurence to the Department of Social Services consultation process on the National Disability Strategy. The submission included a range of recommendations to ensure people with disability are at the centre of strategy development.