CCI Plays a Leadership Role in the Development of First Mental Health Research Framework for WA

CCI Plays a Leadership Role in the Development of Western Australia’s First Mental Health Research Framework

The Mental Health Commission recently published Western Australia’s first Mental Health Research Framework 2024-2028, which provides guidance to support collaborative mental health research across the state. The vision is for Western Australia to be a global centre of excellence in mental health research translation over the life course, by building and sustaining a vibrant, innovative, collaborative and impactful mental health research community.

Initial research priority areas, which leverage existing strengths in WA, include:

  • Aboriginal peoples social and emotional wellbeing
  • Infant, child and adolescent mental health
  • Older adult mental health

A range of additional priorities and populations are identified as existing or potential areas of strength in WA. The Framework articulates specific goals across four strategic agendas that will support the mental health research community in WA to thrive.

  1. Growing partnerships to build collaborative gain for the future
  2. Lived experience-centred mental health research priorities
  3. Supporting people for mental health research
  4. Leveraging the ecosystem for mental health research

The full Framework can be accessed here: https://www.mhc.wa.gov.au/media/5061/wa-mental-health-research-framework.pdf

CCI’s research Director, Professor Peter McEvoy, co-led the Co-Designed ROAdmap for MEntal health Research Strategy (Co-ROAMERS) project with consumer and community involvement advocate Mr Ben Horgan. The Co-ROAMERS project, funded by the Office of Medical Research and Innovation in WA Health, undertook an extensive consultation with the WA community to identify mental health research priorities. A modified Delphi Study was used to provide an equal voice to people with lived experience (consumers, carers) and mental health professionals (healthcare workers, researchers, policy-makers), which ensured the final priorities achieved broad consensus. The project also developed a tool to assess lived experience research capacity and culture, and discovered that research capacity and culture in mental health services lags behind their physical health service counterparts. Importantly, the projected was guided by a lived experience advisory group throughout, and consulted with lived experience and professional reference groups across 22 research domains.

The Co-ROAMERS informed the development of the Mental Health Research Framework 2024-2028. The Mental Health Commission is in the process of finalising it’s new Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs Strategy 2025-2030, so it will be important to see the Research Framework integrated within the broader strategy.

The Research Framework was designed by the sector, for the sector, so now we all need to work together to bring the Framework to life.

World class mental health research is already being conducted in WA by world class researchers, and we hope that the Framework will help to attract funding that will help the research community build on existing capacities to improve outcomes for all.

 

Last Updated: 26/11/2024