Workforce Development Framework

In this episode, we sit down with the Director of the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health, Brad Morgan, to discuss why supporting the mental health of children under 12 years is so important. Brad is trained as an occupational therapist and brings with him a wealth of wisdom and experience, having previously led the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness (COPMI) initiative. Tune in to learn why the mental health of children often flies under the radar and the approach that the National Workforce Centre is taking to support practitioners and other professionals to strengthen children’s mental health.

'These standards outline capabilities that all mental health professionals should achieve in their work.  They are intended to complement discipline-specific practice standards or competencies of the professions of nursing, occupational therapy, psychiatry, psychology and social work.' - The Commonwealth Department of Health

Over the past 20 years, Australia has emerged as a leader in campaigns that have focused on increasing mental health literacy, particularly for adult/adolescent depression and anxiety disorders. But what about child mental health literacy, which refers to adult knowledge and beliefs about mental health problems for children under 12 years of age? Aside from the recent work of the Emerging Minds: National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health (NWCCMH) and beyondblue's Be You initiative, there has been a noticeable lack of focus on child mental health literacy both in Australia and internationally.