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In February 2019, the Victorian Government launched a Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.
Amaze collaborated with Yellow Ladybugs and Different Journeys to prepare a submission that made four practical, community-led recommendations to develop specific, specialised mental health supports for autistic people, to create a more autism-friendly system. Click here to read our submission and recommendations.
In November 2019, the Royal Commission released its interim report. The Royal Commission has acknowledged that their work is not complete, but have made nine recommendations in this report. The full report, and an overview of the recommendations, is available on their website.
The Victorian Government has committed to implementing every recommendation made by the Royal Commission.
Amaze has welcomed the acknowledgement of the experiences of autistic people in the interim report. Importantly, the Royal Commission has included some of the responses of the Amaze, Yellow Ladybugs and Different Journeys community consultation survey of autistic people, their families and carers. Amaze also appreciates the Royal Commission’s recognition of research regarding the vulnerability of autistic people to mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression, and of the experiences of people with complex support needs. The acknowledgment of the need for services to have an understanding of intersectionality is also welcome. The inclusion of this information in the interim report is important. This will hopefully lead to action being taken through the Royal Commission to take crucial steps to improve the support available for autistic people with mental health conditions.
Next Steps
The Royal Commission will not be asking for formal submissions on the interim report, but it has announced that more public hearings will be held in April/May 2020. Amaze will continue to advocate for the mental health needs of autistic Victorians as this process continues.
Support
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