Caring With Integrity is our inaugural project making waves in the world of mental health through its multifaceted and human-rights based approach
In this project, we will deliver care packages that contain essential items - such as comfortable clothing, toiletries, comfort items, personal hygiene products, and hand-written notes - alongside specially developed and curated resources that educate people on their rights as a person in the mental health system.
Caring With Integrity will also operate within communities, where it will host events and educational sessions ranging from mental health film screenings to carer support sessions and even sessions for educators.
What are the fundamental components of 'Caring With Integrity?'
For people receiving treatment/ experiencing mental health challenges
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Creation and delivery of Integrity Packages - personalised care packages that are created for people receiving inpatient care in psychiatric units across Australia. These packs contain a combination of comfort and personal care items, alongside tools and resources that inform people of their rights and how to protect these rights.
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Resource development and distribution – the creation of resources by our team of Lived Experience advocates in collaboration with established mental health organisations. These will take the form of brochures and booklets that inform people receiving mental health treatment of their rights and responsibilities as patients. These will aim to improve patients’ mental health literacy.
For people providing treatment/ working within mental health spaces
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Professional development, education, public speaking and other forms of outreach - including providing talks at seminars, professional learning opportunities and workshops for clinicians to gain Lived Experience insight. This will also be taken to national mental health conferences such as the WAPSN conference and the TheMHS conference.
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Resources to help clinicians understand mental health challenges, informed by Lived Experience – this will take several forms, but perhaps most notably we propose creating resource folders for nurses, which will contain co-designed pamphlets, fact sheets and guidelines as to how to better support patients experiencing distress.
For communities (schools, community groups, universities, general practitioners etc.)
- Community engagement events (such as quiz nights, mental health film screenings, a launch event, and information sessions) to raise awareness, raise funds, and contribute to the public’s understanding of mental health
For people who have Lived Experience of mental ill-health and who want to use their Lived Experience for societal change
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Empowerment and leadership development - through opportunities for the Integrity Army volunteers to participate in professional development and training.
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Connection with community - interconnecting Lived Experience advocates through networking events, and through ensuring that the Integrity Army is a safe, respectful and compassionate social space.
Australia always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
We here at Integrity Initiative are honoured to live and breathe on Whjadjuk Noongar boodja, a part of the sacred, rich and diverse country in Boorloo, Western Australia.