Evaluation of the Queensland Mental Health Community Support Services (MH-CSS) Program
About the project
In October 2020, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research (QCMHR) was commissioned by the Mental Health Alcohol and other Drugs Branch (MHAODB) to undertake an independent evaluation of the MH-CSS programs, with the aim of informing their future design, delivery and sustainability. The objectives of the work are to
- develop an evaluation framework; and
- undertake a program-level evaluation of the four programmes to explore their process, outcomes and impact.
Background
Under Connecting Care to Recovery 2016-2021: a plan for Queensland’s State-funded mental health and alcohol and other drug services (Connecting Care to Recovery), Queensland Health has prioritised strategies and investment to more effectively meet the needs of individuals experiencing severe mental illness (either episodic or persistent) across the continuum of care. This includes investment in Mental Health Community Support Services (MH-CSS) – non-clinical, holistic recovery-focused psychosocial wraparound support services delivered one to one, peer to peer, or group-based, according to the individual’s recovery needs.
In Queensland, MH-CSS are delivered through non-government organisations (NGOs) and are an integral service system component along a continuum of care for individuals which includes Community Treatment, Community Bed-Based, and Hospital Bed-Based services. From 1 July 2019, Queensland Health invested in four new MH-CSS programs across Queensland to be delivered by NGOs:
- Individual Recovery Support Program (IRSP),
- Group Based Peer Recovery Support Program (GBPRSP),
- Individual Recovery Support – Transition from Correctional Facilities Program (TCFP),
- Individuals at Risk of Homelessness Program (IRHP).
Project team
Dr Zoe Rutherford, Project Leader
Ms Meaghan Enright, Research Officer
