This Report Card provides a summary of key achievements of Brimbank City Council’s

Mental Wellbeing Plan 2022-2024 over the past financial year. The plan aims to support

improved mental wellbeing in the Brimbank community. The Victorian Department

of Health defines mental wellbeing as ‘a dynamic state of complete physical, mental,

social, and spiritual wellbeing in which a person can develop to their potential, cope with

the normal stresses of life, work productively and creatively, build strong and positive

relationships with others and contribute to the community’.

‘Supporting improved mental wellbeing’ is a health and wellbeing priority for Brimbank

City Council, and Council is working internally, and with its partners and the broader

community, to achieve this goal.

Mental Wellbeing

Plan 2022-2024

;

Council developed the Brimbank Advocacy Plan

2023-2025, with Mental Health once again identified

as a gold priority. Mental Health is also a priority for

LeadWest, focussing on early intervention and youth

mental health.

;

Council welcomed the opening of a new Sunshine

Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre, the new

centre gives people experiencing acute mental

illness access to urgent treatment in a specified

and safe setting.

;

The State Government committed $10.2m to expand

the Westside Lodge public residential rehabilitation

facility, enabling staff to treat an additional 40

patients per year.

;

Council submitted a MAV motion in May 2024, calling

on the Victorian Government to accelerate the rollout

of Mental Health Social Inclusion Action Groups

across all Victorian LGAs.

;

Council, in partnership with LeadWest, is advocating

for $200,000 from the State Government for a

dedicated mental health program co-designed with

and for young people. This project aims to work with

service providers, health professionals and young

adults to design a program tailored to their needs.

;

Mental health directory resources which have

emerged from stakeholder consultation are

promoted to the community through publication

on Council website to support a more centralised

directory system in Brimbank.

;

Council delivered the Tuning into Teens program, a

six-session parenting program for parents of teens to

help teens develop emotional intelligence.

;

Council delivered Youth Mental Health First Aid

(YMHFA) Training to teachers in schools that support

young people aged between 12 and 18 years. The

YMHFA program was delivered at Keilor Downs

Secondary College.

;

Council is a member of the Social Prescribing

Project Control Group which is overseeing the

implementation of social prescribing trials in the

new Mental Health and Wellbeing Local services,

including Brimbank.

;

Digital literacy programs aimed at connecting

community members at risk of isolation and

loneliness were conducted in collaboration with

Services Australia. Delahey Community Centre

oversaw a Digital Literacy initiative in partnership

with Jesuit Community College, while other Cyber

Safety programming were offered across Council’s

neighbourhood houses.

;

Council implemented a range of technological

approaches to connecting community members

at risk of isolation and loneliness. Library Services

conducted digital literacy sessions for Burmese

women and other marginalised ethnic communities.

Council also established an iPad Learning Group

which rotated through library branches. The program

allows community members to loan an iPad from the

library and attend six weekly sessions.

;

Council has established a Mental Health and

Wellbeing category as part of its Community Grants

program. There were seven projects that were

supported under the Mental Health and Wellbeing

category totalling $50,550 in 2023.

;

During Mental Health Week 2023, Council hosted

events focusing on social connection and staff

wellbeing with activities and a panel discussion on

upcoming mental health initiatives.

;

Council ensured that the LGBTIQ+ Action Plan

integrated inclusive practices into key services and

programs to support positive mental wellbeing

outcomes through social inclusion.

;

Council continued to deliver a number of accessible,

inclusive capacity-building intergenerational

programs co-designed with community members

to support mental wellbeing. The Young@Heart

program supported young people to train adults and

seniors on using social media and digital devices,

while the Future Wood Workers Program supported

Men and Women Shed participants to teach primary

school students how to use tools and create

woodwork items.

;

Council enhanced community and staff awareness

of volunteering opportunities and their health

benefits during National Volunteer Week, ‘Something

for Everyone’. Training was provided to volunteers

including an Online Wellbeing Workshop and The

Resilience Project. The workshop focused on

resilience strategies like gratitude, empathy, and

mindfulness to support positive mental health and

personal development.

;

Council enhanced accessibility and inclusion in

leisure, sport, and recreation facilities for those facing

barriers to physical activity. This includes partnering

with Live Life Get Active to offer no-cost beginner

exercise sessions through In2Active, investing

$25,000 in Light Up Errington for nighttime access to

sport grounds, and allocating $40,000 for In2sport

to subsidize children’s sports participation. Council’s

KBNS Social Sports programs provided daytime

activities like pickleball and walking basketball for

seniors and shift workers, while the Ladies Daytime

Basketball and Netball program included childcare

services. In addition, Council supported DSA Ability’s

Unleashed Juniors and Adults program for individuals

with disabilities to try local sports and invested

$20,000 in the Sons and Daughters of the West

health program.

;

Council conducted youth-oriented activities at two

Sunshine CBD locations to enhance young people’s

community connections. At Visy Cares Hub, ten

activations included performances, games, and

food, engaging 145 young people with support

from Youth Junction Inc. At Victoria University

Sunshine Trades Campus, four holiday program days

offered activities like outdoor soccer and pickle

ball, benefiting 53 young participants through

partnerships with the Western Bulldogs Community

Foundation and Football Empowerment. These

initiatives aimed to foster belonging and community

among young people.

;

As part of Men’s Health Week, Council offered

several mental health-focused activities including

healthy eating and cooking workshops, exercise, a

woodwork session for father figures to connect with

their children and other men, a sensory modulation

workshop and a Yarning Circle.

;

Continued the delivery of ‘Inclusive Communities’

collective impact program at the Brimbank Aquatic

and Wellness Centre (BAWC) in partnership with

tenant partners. The program engages different

cohorts of people who are at risk of social isolation

and poor mental wellbeing and has focused on carers

and single parents.

;

Through a partnership with cohealth, Council

obtained 12-month funding to appoint a Mental

Health and Wellbeing Partnerships Officer to identify

opportunities to enable and improve access to mental

health services for adults and older adults living in

Brimbank.

;

Council participated in a Western Metro Mental Health

and Wellbeing Interim Regional Body Workshop and

is a member of the Mid-West Alliance Network for

Mental Health.

;

Council implemented the Mental Health and Wellbeing

Partnerships Project, through engagement with 11

teams across five different Council departments and

ten external stakeholders across various community

and clinical mental health settings in Brimbank. A

strong working relationship has been developed with

cohealth and linkages between Council, cohealth, and

key mental health organisations in the municipality

have been established.

9249 4000

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PO Box 70, Sunshine, VIC 3020

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