The headspace Forum 2024: “One Headspace – Many Communities” took place in Brisbane, attended by representatives from the Port Augusta, Whyalla, and Port Lincoln headspace centres, along with leaders from CObH as the lead agency. This biennial event allows headspace and lead agency representatives to connect, share knowledge, and develop learnings.
The forum began on Tuesday, May 28, with role-specific workshops attended by Clinical Lead Shyanne, Centre Managers Abby and Holly, and Lead Agency reps Shaun, Liz, and Fiona. These workshops included:
Lead Agency and Consortium Chair Workshop: Focused on connecting with peers, sharing innovative practices, problem-solving, and planning support for local headspace centres. The interactive session included case studies, presentations, panel discussions on workforce recruitment and retention, and governance across clinical, cultural, and corporate areas.
Clinical Leads Workshop: Examined the complex and challenging role of clinical leads, emphasizing the importance of meeting local community needs in delivering good clinical care. It provided a platform for Clinical Leads to learn, share, and reflect on the skills required to support and grow their teams.
Centre Managers Workshop: Aimed at developing connections among peers managing headspace services, this workshop facilitated small group discussions on their experiences, motivations, and challenges.
The forum continued on Wednesday, May 29, and Thursday, May 30, with multiple sessions, including presentations, panels, tabletop discussions, mini symposiums, and workshops. Skye from Whyalla headspace and Ben from Port Augusta headspace attended these sessions, which featured at least 36 breakout presentations on various topics relevant to the headspace network.
On Thursday afternoon, Shyanne and Holly participated in a panel discussing data-informed care, focusing on using hAPI young person surveys and outcomes graphs for clinical conversations, accessing digital support tools, and using data for service planning and activities. They shared their experiences and effective practices with other headspace centres.
The forum concluded with a Youth Panel on the final day, where young people from rural and regional communities, along with Jason, the CEO of headspace national, discussed the theme “One Headspace, Many Communities,” sharing their views and experiences regarding the role of headspace in their local communities.