Mental health program receives WA Govt funding

Comprehensive mental health support resources for Western Australian workplaces will be developed as the consequence of a newly established partnership between the state government and the University of Western Australia.

The WA Government will provide $500,000 in funding for the program, which is designed to promote mental wellbeing for workers across the state.

The Mental Health Commission has partnered with the university's Centre for Transformative Work Design, to develop evidence-based activities and resources within the centre's state-wide Thrive@Work strategy.

The assessment tools, training modules, educational materials and other resources will assist WA workplaces to promote positive mental health and wellbeing, and support employee mental health.

"Workplaces have the potential to impact on people's mental health both positively and negatively,” said Mental Health Minister Roger Cook.

"This funding will assist the centre to better support organisations throughout WA address the health and wellbeing of their employees and create thriving workplaces."

The funding will also support the implementation of the Western Australian Workplace Mental Health Standards, a set of voluntary guidelines for organisations seeking to be mentally healthy.

The development of the standards has been commissioned by the Mental Health Commission as part of the implementation of the Suicide Prevention 2020 strategy.

"With one in five of us experiencing mental health issues in any given year and the many hours we spend at work, it is critical that workplaces know how to create environments that help their employees thrive," said Cook.