Authors: Daughters of Charity Services (WA) Ltd
Year: 2001
Event: 2001 TheMHS Awards
Subject:
Type of resource: TheMHS Awards
Award state: WA
Award level: Bronze
Award category: REHABILITATION/RECOVERY PROGRAM OR SERVICE
Abstract: Ruah Inreach Mental Health Service is a professional community-based support service operated under the auspices of Daughters of Charity Services (WA) Ltd. Ruah Inreach (formerly known as the De Paul Community Support Service) had its origins in 1993 as a mental health reform initiative. Daughters of Charity Services (WA) was invited by the Health Department of WA to pilot a twelve-month outreach service for people with a psychiatric disability, to reduce hospital admissions due to social factors and to work with individuals to improve the quality of their lives. After the twelve-month pilot, the service was significantly expanded to operate across a number of Health Regions in the Perth metropolitan area. Today Ruah Inreach is the largest non-government community-based professional support service in Perth. It has worked with approximately 800 different individuals in the eight years of operation. Ruah Inreach Mental Health Service is a non-government professional community-based support service operating in Perth, Western Australia (WA). It provides disability and psychosocial support for people who have a mental illness or are experiencing early episode psychosis. Ruah Inreach had its origins in the early 1990s on the wave of national and state mental health reform. Consequently it reflects leading-edge principles and a paradigm of client-centred, community-based service provision incorporating both rehabilitation and recovery goals. The agency has an impressive track record from management through to direct service delivery and community development processes. It devotes significant time to staff supervision, training and service model quality improvement. Ruah has been party to a number of significant innovative partnership services in work with: Aboriginal people; individuals and families first presenting with psychosis; and people with a psychiatric disability seeking to strengthen their links with the broader community. As an agency it has also contributed significantly to mental health reform activities in WA. Description of Facility/Organisation: Ruah Inreach’s 2000/2001 service contract with the Health Department involves four distinct programs areas and is valued at $1.4 million: 1. A support service for people with a mental illness living in the community, that works with 140 individuals at any one time. 2. Specialist work with people presenting with early psychosis that works with 20 individuals and families at any one time. 3. Specialist recreation work, working with approximately 14 individuals at any one time. 4. Specialist work with people with a mental illness living in inner-city homeless persons hostels, working with approximately 20 individuals at any one time. In reporting period of 1999/2000 Ruah Inreach worked with a total of 298 individuals. The staff configuration is: - 20 professional Community Mental Health Workers - 1 Specialist Recreation Worker - 1 Clinical Service Manager - 1 Executive Manager At the end of 1998 Ruah Inreach initiated a community development and linking program which now operates under the name Urban Network. This program employs 3 part-time Community Resources Workers, while the Ruah Inreach Executive Manager provides management and supervision support.
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