Three artists and two languages combine to make magic

Three artists and two languages combine to make magic - don't miss these gigs!

When three award-winning songwriters join forces, you're in for something special. This trio's mix of acoustic guitars, mandolin, dobro and a compelling voice will take you on a sublime journey. The interplay of Noongar and English words melded with gorgeous music produces a unique experience of warm, beautiful acoustic tones. You don't need to understand all the words: it's a heart thing.

Drawn together through a common commitment to helping those in the Wheatbelt communities to find their voice through songwriting, Gina Williams, Guy Ghouse and David Hyams have struck upon a special musical project of their own. In recent times Gina has been writing contemporary songs in Noongar language, many of which will feature in their performances. And it's this passionate approach to creating beautiful songs which make their performances so evocative and connected.

All three artists are known for their work with other high profile, award winning WA Acts; Gina Williams and the Lubbly Sings, Guy Ghouse with Desert Child and David Hyams with the Miles to Go Band. This exciting musical partnership takes what they do to a whole new level, combining Guy and David’ skills on acoustic guitars, mandolin and dobro, with Gina’s compelling vocals.

Keep an eye out for their progress – they'll be well worth watching. 

Keela Dreaming Festival, Kellerberrin, Saturday March 2 (from Noon)

http://www.canwa.com.au/articles/news/keela-dreaming-festival-2013/

Kulcha, Saturday March 9, 8.30pm

http://www.kulcha.com.au/1302_february_april/index.html#Gina%20Williams%20with%20Guy%20Ghouse%20&%20David%20Hyams9

The Ellington Jazz Club, March 10, 6pm

http://www.ellingtonjazz.com.au/index.php/schedule/month/03/show/2369

Nukara Festival, Midwest, March 16, from 5pm

http://www.nukarafarm.com.au/About-Nukara/News/2013-Music-Festival.aspx

launch-of-the-social-determinants-of-health-alliance

"The Social Determinants of Health Alliance (SDOHA) is a collaboration of like-minded organisations from the areas of health, social services and public policy established to work with governments to reduce health inequities in Australia. Abundant evidence shows that the higher your income or level of education in Australia, the better your health will tend to be. People in the most disadvantaged social groups are also far more likely than those in the higher socio-economic groups to have long-term physical or mental health problems. They are less able to gain an education or maintain a job to retirement and are more likely to die at a younger age." SDOHA

Formally launched in Canberra last week.

http://socialdeterminants.org.au/

Mental Health Blog - Australia & New Zealand

The Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association is an incorporated non government, not for profit organisation. The advisory board representatives have a wide background in Mental Health issues in Australia and New Zealand. We aim to EDUCATE professionals - ADVANCE knowledge for Carers and Consumers - ADVOCATE for improved services. Free to Join

Mental Health and the Australian Population

In the E‐Mental Health Strategy for Australia, released by the Federal Government in 2012, the following statistics were provided;

"Approximately 17.2 per cent or 3.8 million Australians are estimated to be affected by mental illness in any one year – meaning that they experience symptoms at diagnostic levels, for either brief or extended periods.  This estimate excludes dementia and alcohol/drug-related disorders, except where these are concurrent with a mental disorder. The figure rises to about 20 per cent, or 4.4 million people, when alcohol and drug-related conditions are included.

A further 15 per cent of the population have experienced a mental disorder previously in their lives but not had symptoms over the past 12 months at a level that would warrant a formal diagnosis.  In total, approximately one in three (32 per cent) of Australians will experience a mental illness during their lives.  When alcohol and drug use disorders are included, this figure rises to 45 per cent of the population.

Anxiety disorders and depression are the most common disorders, affecting approximately 9 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively, of the adult population each year.  Collectively referred to as ‘high prevalence’ illnesses, these disorders include diverse conditions (for example, post traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, obsessive compulsive disorder and depression), with differing treatment requirements and outcomes.

It is these disorders, in mild to moderate severity, that the evidence shows can be effectively treated through online programs.

Mental illness also includes other less common or ‘low prevalence’ conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  Together, these two disorders affect approximately 1 per cent of the adult population in any one year, and 2 per cent over the course of a lifetime.  Prevalence rates vary across the lifespan and are highest in the early adult years, the period during which people are usually completing education, establishing families and independent working lives."

The 14th International Mental Health Conference will focus on the complex mental health issues ofDepression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Dementia. It will be held at Outrigger, Surfers Paradise on Monday the 5th and Tuesday the 6th of August 2013.  Optional workshops will be held on Wednesday the 7th of August.

Link to this blog:

http://anzmh.blogspot.com.au/

my blog stats

Interesting ... I won't get too excited about the Australian number as I'm in and out of my blog regularly and this is over a year. Total page view history: Australia 988 United States 310 Russia 37 United Kingdom 32 Germany 26 Ukraine 26 South Korea 13 Malaysia 3 Greece 2 Canada 1

MHPOD: Mental Health Professional Online Development

About MHPOD

Welcome to MHPOD: Mental Health Professional Online Development

MHPOD is a new learning resource being developed for people working in mental health. Based on the national practice standards for mental health, it draws on the evidence base for mental health care and contemporary practice wisdom. Aims include supporting the mental health workforce, and improving access to evidence-based educational programs. Clinicians, consumers, carers and educators across the country have contributed to MHPOD, and we hope that you will find it useful. A number of sample topics are available here. We welcome your feedback.

MHPOD Available Through the APS, ACMHN, AASW and OTaus

Registration for MHPOD for mental health practitioners not working in public mental health has been available through the following professional organisations throughout 2011/12:

Occupational Therapy Australia
Australian College of Mental Health Nurses
Australian Association of Social Workers:  http://www.aasw.asn.au/

MHPOD

Click on the following link to further explore:

http://www.mhpod.gov.au/

Investing in care: Recognising and valuing those who care

The Australian Human Rights Commission is focused on addressing 
sex discrimination and promoting gender equality in Australia – and 
ensuring the economic and financial security of all women. 
The Investing in care: Recognising and valuing those who care 
report examines the impact of unpaid caring responsibilities on 
workforce participation and retirement incomes and savings.

Background

In 2009, the Commission examined the gender gap in retirement savings
 in the report, Accumulating poverty? Women’s experiences of inequality 
over the lifecycle. The report identified  three strategies to redress women’s 
disadvantage in the current retirement income system including recognising 
and rewarding unpaid caring work in the retirement income system.

The research aims to expand on the findings made in the Accumulating poverty?
report by:

Examining the nature of unpaid caring work in Australia and the barriers it 

creates for women’s equal participation in the workforce;

Identifying and analysing the different models and measures of valuing 

unpaid work and assessing the possible impact of such measures on the 

gender gap in retirement savings; and

Identifying and assesses the contemporary mechanisms in the workplace

that support caring work.

Research Partners

The Australian Human Rights Commission engaged the Social Policy 
Research Centre (SPRC) at the University of NSW to undertake the 
research. The SPRC conducts research on all aspects of social policy
and contributes to policy development and evaluation.

For more information about the research project download the 
project Fact Sheet.

Why recognise and value unpaid carers?

There are nearly 5.5 million unpaid carers between the ages of 15 to 64 years
in Australia.^[1] They can be divided into two main groups - parents (who include 
biological, step, adoptive, or foster parents, and grandparents or guardians 
with caring responsibilities for a dependent child); andcarers (who include 
people caring for a family member or friend with disability, chronic illness or 
frailty due to older age).

In Australia, it is more common for women to provide care in all age groups
between the ages of 18-74. Women are also more likely than men to have 
care responsibilities involving greater time and intensity. In the 15-64 years 
age group 72.5 per cent of primary carers were women.^[2] As women undertake
the largest share of unpaid caring work, the undervaluing of unpaid caring work
has had the greatest impact in economic terms on women’s retirement income
and savings.

Average (mean) superannuation payouts for women just over half (57%) those 
of men.^[3] While this gender gap is also the result of gender inequalities over a
lifetime, a significant contributor to the gap is reduced workforce participation 
due to unpaid caring work. Women who are unpaid carers have considerably
lower rates of employment and are more likely to work in part-time and casual
jobs. Less than 23 per cent of female primary carers were in full-time employment 
at any point across the age groups. ^[4]

Unpaid care work is essential to families and communities and a 
valuable part of Australia’s social and economic fabric.
Meaningful recognition of the importance of unpaid care work to 
society as a whole, is vital to the well-being and quality of 
life those who receive care and those who provide it. Investing in care 
will also help to generate significant social and economic benefits, 
including ensuring quality care is accessible, generating greater efficiency 
and productivity in businesses, improving gender equality and increasing 
the workforce participation and financial security of unpaid carers.

Reform options for investing in care

The research examined models and mechanisms used to valued unpaid care 
in 24 countries. Based on the research the report identified a number of potential 
reform options for recognising and valuing unpaid caring work.

The report proposes a combination of mechanisms for adoption in Australia, 
including:

Strengthening legislation to recognise discrimination based on family 
responsibilities including caring. Introducing mechanisms like carer 
assessments to determine a carer’s support needs and carer cards for 
accessing services and entitlements which would allow unpaid carers to
participate in society on a more equal footing.

Ensuring that unpaid carers have the right to request flexible work 
arrangements and that employers are obligated to reasonably accommodate
their requests.

Ensuring that income support reflects the variable costs of providing care and 

does not penalise unpaid carers for engaging in education and training or 

participating in the workforce.

Expanding and strengthening leave provisions for all unpaid carers to ensure 

that they can maintain their attachment to the workforce while also undertaking 

their care responsibilities.

Properly resourcing and coordinating services for unpaid carers across 

jurisdictions and care sectors to ensure that unpaid carers and those they 

care for receive the benefits of these services.

Introducing workplace initiatives and changes to workplace culture to support 

unpaid carers undertake their work and care responsibilities.

Reforming the current system of retirement income and savings, including 
the age pension and superannuation that is tied to paid work, to account for 

the inequity of retirement incomes and savings that leaves many women in 

poverty in older age, especially women who are or have been unpaid carers.

Download

The Investing in care: Recognising and valuing those who care report 
comes in two volumes:

Volume 1 outlines the main findings of the research;
Volume 2 contains technical papers on specific aspects of unpaid care.

There is also a Community Guide which summarises the issues and 
options for reform.

The Commission has also produced Supporting carers in the workplace: 
A toolkit. The Toolkit provides practical examples of mechanisms that 
workplaces can use to support unpaid carers and help them to meet their 
caring responsibilities.

• Volume 1: Research report
• Volume 1: Research report
• Volume 2: Technical papers
• Volume 2: Technical papers

• Community Guide
• Community Guide

• Toolkit
• Toolkit

• Fact sheet about the project
• Fact sheet about the project:

http://humanrights.gov.au/sex_discrimination/VUCW_australiaResearchPrj/index.htm

Click here to read more about caring in Australia – and what we all 
have in common

---

[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics, Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, 
Australia 2009, Basic CURF, Version 3, CD-Rom (2009). Findings based on 
SPRC’s analysis of ABS CURF data.

[2] Australian Bureau of Statistics, Caring in the Community, Australia, 
Catalogue no. 4436.0 (2012), p 21, Table 8. At http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4436.02009?Open
Document
(viewed 14 September 2012).

[3] R Clare, Developments in the level and distribution of retirement 
savings (2011), p 10.

[4] Australian Bureau of Statistics, Surveys of Disability, Ageing and 
Carers (SDAC);Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population 
and Housing (from 2006 onwards).

Fieldwork placements in legal settings

Fieldwork Placements in legal settings: why not?

I've often thought about law and social work as an excellent combination for some social workers.

Community legal centres, law firms, public legal offices and so on ....
I'm aware that Slater & Gordon have a Social Work presence in Melbourne office, I've been in touch with the Social Worker there.

Social workers are everywhere beyond the usual or traditional places we are expected to be found, Schools, Unions, Electorate Offices ... 

I came across this excellent article which prompted me to write this post. 

http://www.socialworker.com/home/Feature_Articles/Field_Placement/Thinking_Outside_the_Box%3A_Social_Work_Field_Placements_in_Legal_Settings/

The New Social Worker Online

http://www.socialworker.com/home/index.php

lanie