Mental Health Matters Awards

Awards Information

The Mental Health Matters Awards are unique awards designed to recognise the achievements of individuals and organisations who have worked to improve understanding, awareness, service provision and the general mental health of our community, over the past 12 month period.

The Awards acknowledge the high standard and ongoing commitment demonstrated by those involved in innovative and effective programs which address key mental health issues at a local, regional or statewide level. Further, the Awards encourage individuals and organisations to continue to strive for excellence in their daily work and to continue to enhance their skills and experience within the mental health field.

Award Winners receive
• a prize of $1000 for the winner in each of the ten award categories
• an award plaque
• recognition on the Mental Health Association NSW website and in the next Mental Health Matters quarterly magazine.

Media Release

12 October 2011

Announcing Mental Health Matters award winners for 2011

smashing the stigma around mental illness

The NSW Minister for Mental Health will today announce the winners of the Mental Health Matters Awards at NSW Parliament House. Winners include the NSW Police Force,the STiGMA art-therapy initiative, and Lyndon Outreach Service - for engaging Aboriginal communities on mental health.

“Over a million people in NSW will experience or be affected by a mental illness each year so it’s vital that we encourage Australians to seek out early intervention and prevention, and that we dispel the stigma around mental illness,” said President of the Mental Health Assocation NSW, Dr Meg Smith OAM.

The NSW Police Force will be presented with the award for ‘Excellence in Service or Program Delivery’, acknowledging the work of its Mental Health Intervention Team (MHIT), which is on target in its goal of training 10 per cent of frontline police officers over five years to interact better with people living with a mental illness.

It is estimated that police officers across New South Wales respond to approximately 36,000 incidents a year where mental illness is an associated factor; equating to an average of 102 incidents a day.

The MHIT has been training police officers in an intensive four-day program that aims to equip these officers with a practical and operationally relevant skill set. The program has a high emphasis on mental health awareness, communication and de-escalation techniques and seeks to promote safer and more dignified outcomes when police respond to incidents involving people living with a mental illness.

“Responding to incidents and crisis events within where mental illness is a factor can be complex and challenging. Our frontline Police Officers have reported feeling more confident in these situations after completing the training,” said NSW Police MHIT Manager, Inspector Joel Murchie.

The Awards are co-ordinated by the Mental Health Association and funded by NSW Health in order to publicly recognise those individuals and organisations across the state who are working in innovative ways to improve understanding, awareness, and service provision in the mental health sector and for people with mental illness.

The theme for Mental Health Month this year is Wellbeing; Invest In Your Life;acknowledging the multi-faceted nature of health which includes four areas: physical, mental, social, and spiritual health.

Media Contact: Natasha Webb, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0412 795 784