Psychosocial supports

Psychosocial supports

South Eastern Melbourne PHN (SEMPHN) has commissioned new psychosocial support services in 2019 to assist people with severe mental illness. 

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can provide support to people with psychosocial disability, but there are people with severe, episodic mental illness who may not be eligible for the NDIS.

These new psychosocial supports, to be funded by the Australian Government, are intended to address the needs of people who are not eligible for the NDIS and who may otherwise ‘fall through the gaps’.

What do we mean by ‘psychosocial support’?

Psychosocial supports are a non-therapeutic intervention that can assist people with severe mental illness to participate in their community, manage daily tasks, undertake work or study, find housing, get involved in activities, and make connections with family and friends. Psychosocial supports are specific to the person and their needs. 

Who have we commissioned to deliver these services in South Eastern Melbourne? 

Ermha365 has won an open tender to deliver Psychosocial Support Services (PSS) in partnership with Launch Housing across south eastern Melbourne.

Psychosocial support services

The Psychosocial Support Service is a short-term service to build psychosocial functional capacity to address individual needs and complements clinical mental health, broader physical health and social support. The focus should be on building capacity and connectedness at times when most needed, rather than providing ongoing support.

People can access the following psychosocial support services: 

• Psychosocial support interventions
• Group based psychosocial interventions programs
• Assertive outreach and specialist psychosocial Interventions to hard to reach communities
• Support coordination and navigation
• Family and carer psychosocial supports 

The above psychosocial support services can focus on: 

• Developing social skills and friendships
• Building relationships with family
• Managing money
• Finding and looking after a home
• Building skills and qualifications
• Developing work goals
• Staying physically well, including exercise
• Support with drug, alcohol and smoking issues
• Building life skills, including confidence and resilience

Who is eligible? 

Psychosocial Support Services are for people with severe mental illness who: 

• are expected to benefit from the provision of psychosocial supports
• are not currently accessing supports under the NDIS
• do not access state funded mental health community support services.

How can I refer? 

Visit our Access and Referral page for referral contacts and forms. 

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