The 2018 National Roundtable on the Mental Health of People with Intellectual Disability was hosted at UNSW Sydney in March 2018 and brought together 130 clinicians, academics and sector representatives to workshop recommendations to improve mental health services and outcomes for this population. Demonstrating an inclusive approach, the Roundtable was held in partnership with the lead advocacy agency Council for Intellectual Disability, included people with intellectual disability, carers and representatives from relevant agencies. Pre-roundtable “roadshows” with government agencies were conducted nation-wide to engage and set the scene for the Roundtable. Attendees completed a survey prior to the event to identify progress, barriers and enablers in agency and sector work in intellectual disability mental health. On the day, key research findings were presented and groupwork was facilitated using innovative technology. Subsequent to the Roundtable, leads for each table had the opportunity to provide further information arising from their work.
Sector leads at a national and state level were successfully engaged to raise awareness of the mental health needs of people with intellectual disability, to generate a set of clear and actionable recommendations for the sector, and to act as a catalyst for ongoing improvement in mental health services. The series of practical recommendations developed for eight key elements of an effective mental health care system are being summarised in a Communiqué to enable participants to influence their sphere for improvement of mental health supports and outcomes for people with ID.
Citation: Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry (2018) COMMUNIQUÉ - Recommendations from the National Roundtable on the Mental Health of People with Intellectual Disability. Sydney: UNSW. ISBN: 13 978-0-7334-3825-7 (Print); 978-0-7334-3826-4 (Online)
The Communiqué can be downloaded here: https://t.co/H2mehrqDJ6
An easy read version of the Communiqué can be downloaded here: https://t.co/gVrgLqqcAs