Children Of Parents with a Mental Illness (COPMI) Initiative Update 19th April 2002

Reference Group                                                                                                                                                       

The COPMI Reference Group will meet for the first time in Melbourne next Monday, 22^nd April.  As we will usually meet by telephone conference, the Holding It All Together conference has provided a wonderful opportunity for most members to meet face-to-face.

The role of the Reference Group is to provide guidance and advice with regard to strategies for implementation of the project to support, promote networking and facilitate the achievement of the project outcomes. 

Members of the Reference Group, to be chaired by Mr. Phil Robinson, Chair of the AICAFMHA Board of Directors, are: 

• Ms. Vicki Cowling, Mental Health Promotion Officer, Maroondah Hospital, Victoria
• Ms. Rose Cuff, Maroondah Hospital Area Mental Health Service, Victoria.
• Ms Carlie Dean, Programs Manager, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry programs, South Eastern Sydney Area Health Service, New South Wales.
• Ms. Dallas De Brabander, Mental Health Branch, Department of Health and Ageing, ACT.
• Ms. Vrinda Edan, mental health services consumer, Victoria.
• Prof. David Hay, Professor of Psychology, Curtin University, W.A.
• Ms. Michelle Hegarty , Project Officer, Child and Youth Mental Health Service, Queensland.
• Dr. Nick Kowalenko, Clinical Director, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, New South Wales.
• Ms. Verity Newnham, National Coordinator, National Divisions Youth Alliance, Australian Divisions of General Practice, ACT.
• Ms. Angela Obradovic, Inner West Area Mental Health Service, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria.
• Representative, Consumer Consultants Project, Hobart, Tasmania. (To be confirmed)
• National Mental Health Working Party Representative (To be confirmed) 

The COPMI Project Management Group (representatives from the project partners, AICAFMHA ? Ms. Sue Garvin, COMIC ? Ms. Paola Mason, University of Queensland ? Prof. Graham Martin and AUSEINET - Ms Jennie Parham) and I will attend meetings as observers. 

National Consultation Group 

In addition to the Reference Group, the COPMI project is currently identifying members for a National Consultation group to assist in communication and consultation with a wide range of key stakeholders regarding the project process and outcomes.  The National Consultation Group will generally communicate by e-mail, or, where this creates difficulties for participants, by facsimile or the postal service.  Different ?streams/sectors? in the National Consultation Group (eg justice, welfare, education, consumers, young people, GPs, professional advisors, indigenous people, rural and remote areas, culturally and linguistically diverse, mental health networks and services and NGOs) will be asked to identify consultation strategies that they believe would be most effective for their specific area. 

Elizabeth Fudge
Project Manager,
COPMI Initiative
Ph (08) 8161 6859
Fax (08) 81616983
fudgee@wch.sa.gov.au

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