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Recent months have seen an unprecedented rate of activity at the Learning Centre, so much so that we're dizzy from the pace!
Exciting training partnerships have been embarked upon after many months of negotiation, and a brand new workshop has been launched (more about this below)! All this work is culminating in increased training accessibility and skills acquisition to support professionals in the care and support of suicidal individuals.
A somewhat timely recognition of our hard work has been received with the Learning Centre Suicide Risk Assessment and Management in Emergency Departments (SRAM-ED) program selected as a finalist in two categories at the Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD) Excellence awards! We look forward to hearing the results of the awards ceremony later this year, but regardless of the outcome this exciting news validates our hard work and bolsters our efforts to keep surging forward.
In other news our new Lived Experience and Training Team (LETT) established in January, have been busy consulting with the workforce to identify priority training and development needs, and are commencing work on Better Care Together funded initiatives. The team will be expanding later in the year with the recruitment of a Lived Experience Educator (part-time); this role will further support the team to develop and deliver training to upskill the Queensland Health Lived Experience workforce (more from the LETT team below!).
Many of our core courses are also undergoing important reviews and redevelopment, and by the end of the year we should see our eLearning suite offering even more accessible content.
Spring is here and we are simply buzzing with excitement, read on to find out what we've been getting up to, and what else is on the horizon. |
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New course announcement!
We are pleased to announce the first stage release of our brand new workshop QC18 Suicide Prevention Skills: Core (SPS:C), which is now live and taking enrolments for both face-to-face and online classroom sessions.
This course replaces previous suicide prevention courses QC2/QC32 EARS and QC28/QC35 YEARS (Note: QC2 EARS remains available in limited locations through to the end of 2024).
This new course is for all workers who support people at risk of suicide, to build their skills and confidence to compassionately respond to suicidal thoughts and behaviours. The skills, knowledge and models taught in this course are applicable to caring for people across the lifespan.
The course includes on-demand access to five instructional videos which provide bite-sized learning for each of the core models of suicide prevention practice.
The videos were reviewed by Mindframe Australia who provided incredibly positive feedback:
“Firstly, we would like to commend your team’s efforts and the process you have undertaken in developing the video[s] to make it as safe and relevant as it can be. Well done on breaking down a tricky topic into practical, straightforward advice…… one of the team mentioned they wished these videos were available nationally”.
Get ahead and check out QC18 SPS:C now - make a booking! |
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More resources for educators
For a number of years now, we have been incrementally building a suite of resources to aid educators in their development and implementation of duties associated with their role. This growing suite is the QC58 Developing Educators Program found in our LMS.
The latest edition to this page is a guideline and collection of templates to aid in the development of training resources, created by our in house instructional designer!
Provided are detailed instructions on how to utilise the templates to create your own workshop material, and checklists to ensure you've covered all bases.
View Developing training resources from the QC58 page menu (login required). |
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Stigma Reduction Program
Our LETT is currently developing an eLearning product with guidance from a reference group consisting of lived experience clinical and non-clinical staff from across the state.
The product aims to explore how each of us can contribute to the reduction of stigma. By enhancing our understanding of stigma and its impact, and with the introduction of supportive and inclusive communication techniques, and application of practical strategies we hope to change the landscape and Shatter the Stigma.
This will be the first product in a suite of interpersonal competency-based learnings and is due for release as part of Mental Health Week, October 2025.
We'll keep you posted on more updates as they unfold. |
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eLearning update
In our previous newsletter we announced the re-release of an eLearning module that was previously coupled to a workshop. Work in this space continues as we decouple more 'blended' courses to make our training more sustainable and user-friendly.
The latest redevelopment will see the release of the following high demand module for more accessible learning:
- QC44 An Introduction to Group Facilitation
This eLearning will remain as a pre-requisite to the QC27 Group Facilitation workshop which is currently undergoing review but has extremely limited availability. By making the eLearning more freely available, we are hoping to address the growing need for learning in this space. |
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Other resources to support your learning
The Resources area of the Learning Centre LMS has also undergone some redevelopment.
It is home to some older materials that despite their early development date, still contain practical information, and now new content has been added.
The RE01 Child and Youth Mental Health Resources has recently been expanded to consolidate material from a decommissioned child and youth learning resource, and to also include a brief catalogue of links to external resources and eLearning.
A brand new resource has also been added. RE09 Suicide Prevention Resources is the location of 5 key videos that were developed as pre-enrolment learning for our new QC18 SPS:C workshop mentioned above. It was recognised that these videos would be incredibly useful for people who may not be required to attend the QC18 workshop but are still interested in acquiring foundational knowledge about core suicide prevention models. This resource allows ease of access to the videos without requiring an enrolment.
Don't overlook the Resources area of the LMS if you are looking for more professional development material. |
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Nationally recognised qualifications for the Lived Experience workforce
The Learning Centre is laying the foundations to deliver CHCSS00103 Mental Health Peer Work Skillset and additional units of competency (UoC) from the CHC43515 Certificate IV Mental Health Peer Work. While delivery of this qualification is still some time away, when we do commence it will support the entry level workforce with foundational knowledge and skills to practice safely and meaningfully in Queensland Health Public Mental Health Services.
Staff are invited to submit expressions of interest to be involved in collaborative working groups focusing on contextualising the content of each of the units of competency in this qualification for Queensland Health. For more details and to register your interest, please refer to the EOI via this link or the QR code. |
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QC18 Train-the-trainer event
At the beginning of August, the Learning Centre held a 3-day intensive train-the-trainer at Anderson House for the new QC18 SPS:C workshop (in case you missed it, more about this is in our new course announcement above).
Learning Centre educators and small advanced selection of our accredited training partner educators (TPEs) from across Queensland participated in this intensive upskill to learn the finer details of facilitating our new course. All those who participated will now be engaged in delivering QC18 SPS:C across the state as part of our staged release model (scan the QR code below to find out more about this model). Metro South and Townsville HHS TPEs have now successfully transitioned from QC2 EARS deliveries to QC18 SPS:C in their local services.
Phase 2 of this model will include a collaborative feedback cycle; to consider, review and integrate feedback from these deliveries to further refine the course package and take it into the next phase.
The final stage will see the upskill of our remaining contingent of accredited training partner educators at a second QC18 train-the-trainer event in early 2025 (invitation only).
We look forward to expanding the reach of our new suicide prevention training to the workforce, and thank everyone for their support so far on this journey!
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Scholarship applications open soon!
Are you planning on studying a post graduate degree in mental health, alcohol and other drugs in 2025? We have exciting news for Queensland Health Registered Nurses and Allied Health clinicians, working closely with people accessing mental health, alcohol and other drugs services.
Starting from the 2025 study year the Mental Health Scholarship reimbursement has increased to: up to $1250 per unit/subject with a cap of $6250.
From January 2025, extra visa classifications have been added to the eligibility (155, 157, 175, 189, 190, 191, 192, 202, 407, 444, 457 and 485).
Additional funding has also been allocated via the Better Care Together plan, to support and incentivise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and culturally and linguistically diverse Queensland Health staff to further develop mental health competencies through postgraduate studies. For the 2025 year of study we are able to offer an extra 14 scholarships.
These Scholarships aim to break down barriers by providing financial assistance to those pursuing a higher education while enhancing recovery oriented practice. if you're looking for even more encouragement, read the feedback below from a previous recipient.
The next round of scholarships applications open on 23 September 2024. For more information visit the scholarships website or to be added to a mailing list for reminders email the scholarships coordinator. |
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SRAM-ED update
The Learning Centre continues to support suicide prevention training for Emergency Departments via SRAM-ED implementation across the state. Along with our exciting nomination for the AITD Excellence Awards (mentioned above) the following excerpt from our Annual Report demonstrates the value of the program.
Through this training package, nurse educators, clinical nurse coordinators, and regional adversity clinicians provide emergency department staff with evidence-based knowledge and skills for engaging with individuals presenting to the ED in suicidal crises.
Topics covered in the course include contemporary language about suicide, strategies for sensitive questioning, compassionate care, and safety considerations.
More than 1100 staff have completed the blended course.
Staff who have completed the course are saying that they:
“connect more with patients - using trauma informed considerations [use] appropriate language … able to ask the more direct questions [are] more confident with asking people about suicide think through the words I use to respond empathically to a disclosure [are] direct in questioning but understanding and look out for the signs in every patient not just mental health patients.”
Evaluation data demonstrates that after SRAM-ED training learners reported significantly more 'positive' attitudes (e.g. empathy) and greater confidence in providing care for individuals in suicidal distress compared to before the training. |
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MHPOD news
Looking for more bit sized learning?
MHPOD is an eLearning platform funded by the Australian Government and all state and territory governments, that provides free training based on the National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce.
With new content being added regularly, you will find a broad range of learning covering different mental health topics including recovery, cultural awareness and eating disorders.
Users can track their activities, and count their learning towards Continuing Professional Development points.
To learn more, see the Mental Health Professional Online Development (MHPOD) Program. |
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Learning outcomes
To further demonstrate the value of our training, the following provides a summary from our 2023 annual report regarding training quality and statistically significant learning outcomes.
Evaluation data for our new or updated courses demonstrate the following outcomes when comparing before training responses to after training:
- SRAM-ED learners self reported significantly more ‘positive’ attitudes (e.g. empathy) and greater confidence in providing care for individuals in suicidal distress
- supervision training significantly improved learners’ knowledge of foundational supervision concepts and self reported preparedness to engage in supervision tasks
- updated eLearning courses significantly increased learners’ knowledge and self reported confidence related to capacity assessment, risk assessment, and risk management.
Additionally, on completion of these courses:
- more than 90% of surveyed learners reported high confidence in course content and skills
- more than 85% of surveyed learners felt confident and committed applying learning at work
- at least 85% of learners reported high satisfaction.
Do yourself a favour and enrol in our training now. Even if you have attended or completed a course before, the evidence shows there is always something new to learn. |
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What's coming next?
In our next edition we look forward to announcing:
- Plans to develop new training for the Queensland Health Lived Experience workforce
- The release of even more updated courses.
If you did not receive this newsletter email directly, and wish to be included in our contacts to receive our training event notification emails and other future correspondence, click on the subscribe link at the bottom of this email. |
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Queensland Centre for Mental Health Learning, Ellerton Drive, Wacol Qld 4076
West Moreton Hospital and Health Service, RTO code 40745
ph: 0436 613 469
qcmhltraining@health.qld.gov.au
www.qcmhl.qld.edu.auABN: 64 468 984 022
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