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AICAFMHA:
promoting mental health for young Australians
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd
ABN 87 093 479 022

AICAFMHA E-News in Brief Issue #3.20

News in Brief - Issue #3.20 (25/10/2003)

AICAFMHA News / What's On? / Mental Health News / Resources / Back to E-News index

AICAFMHA News

The COPMI Project fortnightly update can be viewed online here.

Planning for the joint 5th National Infant, Child & Adolescent and 14th TheMHS Mental Health Conference is well underway. AICAFMHA Discussion list subscribers can look forward to being asked to assist in development of the youth program during the coming weeks. Pre-registration for this conference event is available. The conference will be held at the new Gold Coast Convention Centre from 1-3 Sept 2004 with pre-conference workshops on 31 Aug 2004.

In response to subscriber feedback, we have started a glossary of acronyms which often appear in News In Brief and other publications. The glossary can be accessed from the News In Brief index page. Suggestions and additions welcome!

What?s On?

Of particular interest to those who work in child protection and related fields comes:
The "Signs of Safety" approach to working with families
A 2 day workshop presented by Andrew Turnell
Venue: 4th Floor, Union Building, Adelaide University, North Terrace
Date and Time: Tuesday and Wednesday 28th - 29th October 2003, 9am - 5 pm
Places are limited so please book by Friday 24th October by telephoning 8231 9977
Following the booking, post your registration and fee to the AASW office at GPO Box 1549, Adelaide 5001
or you may email your details to aaswsa@aasw.asn.au
All monies need to be paid in advance.
Flyer/registration brochure (Word) available here.

THE THIRD NSW ELDERLY SUICIDE PREVENTION NETWORK CONFERENCE
"WHAT'S RESILIENCE GOT TO DO WITH IT?"
7 November 2003, Carlton Hotel, Parramatta (Western Sydney)
6 November 2003, Westmead Hospital: Preconference presentations/workshops
Ph: 61 2 9840 4120 Fax: 61 2 9840 3703
Email: espnconference@wsahs.nsw.gov.au

Following on from the success of the Youth in Mind: Youth Mental Health Care in General Practice conference, held as part of the 2002 National Divisions' Network Forum, the National Divisions Youth Alliance (NDYA) is hosting a 'virtual reunion' in the form of an on-line discussion forum for GPs, Division youth health officers and other organisations/agencies with an interest in youth and mental health.
For more information on the reunion please click on the link provided below: http://ndya.adgp.com.au/site/index.cfm?display=636

The QUT Summer School conference "Lifecourse Perspectives on Health" being held on 17-19 November 2003, offers an exciting program of relevance to those in health, behavioural and social sciences, including maternal, child and community nursing, psychology, education, sociology, criminology, child-care and related disciplines. The conference will provide an overview of leading Australian and international research and research applications in the following areas:
DAY 1: Lifecourse and longitudinal studies of health and development including, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood, the Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study, the Mater-UQ Study of Pregnancy and the Port Pirie Cohort Study. In a keynote address Professor David Fergusson will discuss findings from the Christchurch and Dunedin birth cohort studies.
DAY 2: School-based interventions featuring 12 studies covering depression prevention, the promotion of resilience, physical activity and healthy nutrition, and the evaluation of the Queensland preparatory year of school trial.
DAY 3: Translation into practice: covering a range of initiatives that involve the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based programs and factors affecting the reorientation of services and policies to support a healthy start to life.
The closing discussion by Ms. Robin Sullivan, the Queensland Commissioner for Children and Young People, will consider the challenges of translating policy and research into practice.
A general description of the program is available at: http://www.hlth.qut.edu.au/ph/summer_school/courses.jsp
Program and speaker details can be accessed directly from: http://www.hlth.qut.edu.au/ph/summer_school/downloads/Lifecourse%20Perspectives%202003.pdf

Mental Health News

Latest news on the Commission for Children and Young People's website
Nominate for our Young People's Reference Group
Each year the Commission appoints 12 young people under 18 years of age to the Young People's Reference Group to help it keep in touch with the views of young people in NSW. Members of the Reference Group come from all over NSW and have different backgrounds and interests. Applications for the 2004 Young People's Reference Group close on 14 November, 2003.
For more information and to download an application form, go to http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/arcade/involved.html

The MHCA 24 October Newsletter produced fortnightly is now available.
Access here, or view at http://www.mhca.com.au/cgi-bin/db.cgi?db=docs&uid=default&docs=1&Type=NL in a few days.

The Spring 2003 issue of Exchange is now online at:
http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/exchange . Exchange is the magazine of the NSW Commission for Children and Young People.

Wednesday, 22 October 2003: Media Release
Overwhelming support for the National Agenda for Early Childhood
On this Universal Children's Day the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Larry Anthony, said the Australian Government's consultations with key early childhood stakeholders overwhelmingly supported better resources and information for parents.
Mr Anthony today released Towards a National Agenda for Early Childhood - What You Told Us. The document outlines feedback from public consultations from the discussion paper, Towards the Development of a National Agenda for Early Childhood, released in February 2003.
Details at www.facs.gov.au/early_childhood .

In Ireland the Centre for Early Childhood Development & Education has produced a report "An Audit of Research on Early Childhood Care and Education in Ireland 1990 - 2003" which will come very helpful for many looking for references. More information can be found on www.cecde.ie .

** Infant Mental Health Postgraduate Diploma/ Masters Degree
Commencing 2004
Contact (Adelaide): Dr Anne Sved Williams - Helen Mayo House - 08 8303 1451
View flyer.

Starfish , NZ will be hosting a visit by Dr Simon Wilkinson Senior Lecturer, Sogn Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Oslo, in February 2004.
He will be presenting a one day workshop entitled;
COPING AND COMPLAINING, ATTACHMENT AND THE LANGUAGE OF DI-SEASE.
Venues (TBA) for the programme will be on Waiheke Island Friday 20th February and and Christchurch 27th February respectively.
Cost for the day will be $150. This will include lunch. Bring a togs if you are coming to Waiheke!
Contact in Christchurch is Nikki Coleman, Mainland Starfish Tentacle, Tel. 03 3322677
View flyer.

Resources

From ABC Health Updates:
YOUR STORY: STAYING ALIVE
What do you do if a close friend tries to commit suicide? Who is there to help you, the helper? This week, Health Matters publishes Lesley's story, about how she supported her friend through a very bad time. Thankfully there is a happy ending.
http://www.abc.net.au/health/regions/yourstories/suicide.htm

HIGH RISK KIDS (Background Briefing: 19/10/2003)
There is a growing underclass of seriously troubled children in Australia - kids so dysfunctional they need constant supervision.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s972712.htm

We are delighted to announce that YoungMinds, the children's mental health charity, has a new redeveloped website. It has been fully redesigned and relaunched to mark World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2003.
http://www.youngminds.org.uk
The new website is easy-to-use and packed with invaluable information and features.

The South Australian Health Promoting Schools Communication Network SAHPS.net is an electronic communication network for individuals and organisations interested in Health Promoting Schools in South Australia.
Membership is free.
By joining SAHPS.net you will be able to:
* Find out what others are doing and what is happening in Health Promoting Schools. * Share with members some of your own examples of effective practice in HPS. * Promote your upcoming HPS workshops or events. * Ask members for information about a particular issue, resource or support that might assist you.
http://www.sahps.net/

rtcUpdates for October 2003.
CONTENTS OF THIS UPDATE:
** 2004 BUILDING ON FAMILY STRENGTHS CONFERENCE--Call for Papers
** FOCAL POINT--Fall Issue on Wraparound and Summer Issue on Cultural Competence
** FORUMS--Quality and Fidelity in Children's Mental Health Interventions
** RTC PUBLICATIONS & PRODUCTS--Recently Produced & Newly Available Downloads
** NEW ON OUR WEBSITE--Findings and Resources
** DATA TRENDS--Recent Research Summaries
** FROM THE WEB--Online Information and Sites of Interest
Once again, there's something for everyone in this issue.
View here.

Health Canada - Mental Health Service Systems
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/mentalhealth/sevice_systems.htm
This site offers access to documents of interest to planners, policy makers and service providers in the field of mental health service delivery.