Child mental health community of practice (pilot)

North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN), Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) have partnered to co-design, implement and evaluate a community of practice (CoP) for child mental health.

The CoP aims to improve the skills of community clinicians (GPs, paediatricians and mental health clinicians) in infant, child and adolescent mental health in our region. The CoP includes a particular focus on the new Head to Health mental health hubs in our region:

• Northern hub: operated by DPV Health in Broadmeadows.
• Western hub: operated by IPC Health in Wyndham Vale.
• Central hub: operated by Clarity Health Care in Brunswick East.

Through a telementoring model, the CoP aims to improve the capacity of primary and secondary care clinicians to identify and manage infant, child and adolescent mental health presentations.

MCRI will evaluate the CoP to understand whether the expected outcomes (below) have been achieved.

The project is supported by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (West Division).

The expected outcomes of this activity are:

• improved ability of GPs, psychologists and paediatricians to “hold’ children whilst awaiting specialised services
• reduced fragmentation of services
• reduced clinician burnout
• improved confidence in managing child and adolescent mental health difficulties
• reduction in referrals to the Royal Children’s Hospital Mental Health and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).