The Mental Health Commission (Commission) contracts Individual Advocacy (IA) services that represent the rights and interests of people with a mental illness, on a one-to-one basis, by addressing instances of discrimination, abuse, and neglect. Individual advocates work with people with mental illness on either a short-term or issue-specific basis.

We contract four service providers to deliver IA services – Carers WA, Multicultural Futures, Ruah Legal Services Limited and Health Consumers Council.

In late 2022, the Commission appointed a consultant to conduct an independent review of the IA program area. The IA Review outcomes provided a clear roadmap to guide our decisions for this program area.

A six-month extensive stakeholder engagement process took place between January and July 2023, with a diverse range of stakeholders. Workshops, focus groups and individual consultations were held with service providers, peak bodies, people with lived experience, an academic researcher and other State Government agencies.

The IA Review summary report provides a summary of the findings and recommendations. The Final Consultation summary report provides a summary of key themes categorised by each stakeholder group.

Download Summary Report Download Consultation Summary

All information gathered through the IA Review process was analysed and an Implementation Plan developed to guide how the recommendations will be progressed.

The progression of actions continues to occur in a staged manner, with activities undertaken in partnership with IA service providers, relevant government agencies and the broader sector.