What the program is
The Commonwealth Psychosocial Support Program started on 1 July 2021, bringing together earlier Commonwealth funding for psychosocial support outside the NDIS. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing funds Primary Health Networks, which commission local community organisations to deliver the services.
The department says the program supports around 25,000 people living with severe mental health challenges who are not in the NDIS. Locally it may go by a different name, so ask your PHN what its psychosocial support service is called.
Who it is for
Under the program guidance, it is for people with severe, often episodic, mental health challenges who:
- Are aged 16 or over. Younger people can be accepted with PHN approval, and there is no upper age limit
- Have needs that can be met with short term, low intensity support to live independently in the community
- Are not getting similar psychosocial support from the NDIS or a state or territory program
- Do not need a clinical diagnosis, although they must meet the other eligibility criteria
What support you can get
Psychosocial support is practical, not clinical. It is about recovery in everyday life, alongside any treatment you get from your GP, psychologist or mental health team. Depending on your goals, a support worker can help with:
- Social skills, friendships and family connections
- Day to day living skills and managing household tasks
- Budgeting and money management
- Finding and keeping a home
- Work, study and training goals
- Physical wellbeing, including exercise, and managing substance use
- Confidence, resilience and coping strategies
How it is delivered
Services can be one on one, in groups, through outreach, or in place based models such as clubhouses. Some support can be by phone or video. The amount of support is flexible and is worked out with you using a strengths based assessment, so it can increase when things get harder and ease off when you are doing well.
Providers also offer service navigation: information, advice and referrals for you and your family or carers. Some PHNs fund small brokerage amounts for one off items that help your recovery, such as transport costs.
What it does not do
The program does not provide clinical or medical treatment, and support workers are not a crisis service. If you are in crisis, call 000 or a crisis line, and your provider can help you make a crisis plan. Workers may help you learn household tasks, but the program does not provide ongoing personal care or domestic help.
How to get support
Contact your local Primary Health Network to find the psychosocial support provider in your area. You can refer yourself, or a family member, friend or community service can refer you. Providers must not require a formal referral from a mental health or clinical service.
You can also call the Medicare Mental Health Phone Service on 1800 595 212, weekdays 8:30am to 5pm, for advice and referral to free or low cost mental health services. Some providers have waitlists, so ask what support is available while you wait.
The program and the NDIS
This program is for people who are not using NDIS psychosocial supports. If you need more intensive support for longer than 12 months, the guidance says your provider should help you test whether you are eligible for the NDIS. If you are found eligible but your plan has not started, or there are no NDIS providers in your area, you can keep getting support until your NDIS services begin.
Funding has been extended until 30 June 2027. Arrangements after that are being worked through with the states and territories as part of the response to the NDIS Review.