Copmi Program, Central Sector - Sutherland Shire and St George LGA

South East Sydney & Illawarrah Area Health Service

Contact

Moira McGuire

Email: Moira.McGuire@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au

Telephone: 02 9522 1002

Fax: 02 9522 1080

Address

Caringbah Community Health Centre - on campus at Sutherland Hospital 430 The Kingsway Caringbah Sydney South

NSW 2299

Program Description

CLINICAL ROLE
- Joint family assessments with adult mental health staff.
- Joint work with Child and Family staff as needed.
- Short term counselling with children and teenagers - debriefing and education about mental illness.
- Consultancy with children's carers/parents regarding child management issues.
- Periodic group work with children and teenagers, dependent on numbers
- Psycho-education and support focus-evaluated


COMMUNITY SERVICE LIAISON
- Partnership with an interagency committee running a COPMI camp and children and teenagers fun days - the camp Kookaburra program.
- Referral of teenagers to local area peer support program for COPMI.
- Consultancy to personnel from other services regarding copmi issues.

CONSULTANCY ROLE
- Providing consultation to adult mental health workers and child youth & family staff regarding copmi issues.
- Assist adult mental health staff to develop care plans for the children.
- Attend care planning meetings for other services such as child protection services and schools.

EDUCATION ROLE
- Provide training for health professionals and other service personnel regarding copmi issues and copmi inclusive business practice.
- Provide training to wider local community-service personnel and lay people regarding copmi issues.
- Provide training to wider target group at State and national forums.
- Provide training to peak body training groups such as Institute of Psychiatry and schools of nursing (this is in development).

SERVICE DEVELOPMENT ROLE
Service development role with adult mental health Teams service re copmi inclusive practice i.e.
- talking to children and teenagers about mental illness.
- the impact of mental illness on parenting.
- Copmi Care Planning Committee for mental health staff.
- reviews of children and teenagers at risk
- checklist for staff in making service referrals regarding Copmi

RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
- Develop resources for staff information and training regarding copmi issues.
- Develop resources for Clients regarding copmi issues.
- Currently developed resources include a comic book for young people called 'Something On My Mind'.
- A handbook for primary school children and teenagers called 'Talking With Kids About Mental Illness'.
- A single-bed-sized quilt made up of children's art work about living in families affected by mental illness (The Copmi Quilt).
- Training cards made up of laminated A5 graphics from the quilt with discussion points for each graphic (training questions are in development).
- A handout for staff titled 'Copmi Inclusive Practice for Mental Health Workers' - can be used by other mental health units.
- A resource manual for mental health staff on copmi issues - community services.
- Posters - 'Mental Illness in a Parent Affects the Kids Too'.

RESEARCH ROLE (proposed 2009)
- undertake research numbers and profiles of copmi in the system.
- undertake research regarding staff compliance with copmi inclusive practice.

SERVICE LIAISON ROLE
- between child and adult services regarding referral pathways.
- between adult mental health services and other community services such as schools/child protection.

STATE COPMI NETWORK ROLE
- attend state meetings.
- review state policies and documents re copmi with State network members.

Evaluation Information

None

Evidence

None

Any other information

The program currently has one full time copmi worker.

All services from this program are free and after hours appointments for families are available if required.

Content updated Mar 2, 2010

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