Mental Health Month

Mental Health Month is celebrated each year in the month of October in NSW. This awareness month encourages all of us to think about our mental health and wellbeing, regardless of whether we may have a lived experience of mental illness or not. This month also gives us the opportunity to understand the importance of mental health in our everyday lives and encourages help seeking behaviours when needed.

This year the theme for Mental Health Month is Share the Journey. Click here for our Share the Journey Classroom Activity. Don’t forget to send in a photo of your displays to win some chocolates and a mini bandaged bear! Email us at schoollink@chw.edu.au.

An Update from CHW School-Link

Click here to view our latest email link to readings, resources and training that will help support you and other professionals working with children and young people with intellectual or developmental disability and mental health issues. As our MHCAIDD journal is bi-annual, a short email with current information between editions is planned for further information sharing. We hope you enjoy this format as much as the journal.

Disability Advocacy NSW

In response to the ongoing challenges people are facing with the NDIS, DA NSW have developed two very useful recourses for people who need help with reviewing NDIS decisions in relation to Plans and Access.

1.     NDIS Help – Not enough support in your child's plan

2.     NDIS Help – I can’t access the NDIS

DA NSW also have a team of NDIS Appeals Officers who are available to provide free independent support throughout the review process for people in the Penrith, Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and Lithgow LGA’s.

http://da.org.au/

Latest Journal is now ready!

Highlights include:
• Behavioural Phenotypes: The changing role of the neurodevelopmental psychiatrist; genetic simplification only serves to illuminate complexity by Associate Professor David Dossetor and Dr Deepa Singhal
• The Children's Hospital at Westmead School-Link Satisfaction Survey results 2017/8 by Kim Eisler
• The Medicine Cabinet: Guanfacine by Judy Longworth
• Interview with Barbara Lewis, Manager of the Carer Support Service at the Royal North Shore Hospital
•Conference Review: European Association for Mental Health in Intellectual Disability 2017, Luxembourg by David Dossetor
• Readings and Resources

New Resources from CID

The Council for Intellectual Disability has announced two new resources: the My Health Matters folder and me360 cards.

Each me360 card asks a question that will help people with a disability think about their strengths and goals, and what they need to live a good life. The cards are useful during times of change and when planning for NDIS meetings. If you are a school or an organisation that works with young people and would like to know more about this resource, contact CID at info@nswcid.org.au.

My Health Matters helps explain to doctors and other health people what is important. My Health Matters is an Easy Read folder, made by people with intellectual disability for people with disability. To get a my health matters folder, visit the CID order form.