The annual election for Committee members to replace retiring members will form part of that meeting and VMIAC is currently accepting nominations for the Committee.
VMIAC is central to reforms of the mental health system. There has never been a more exciting time to apply for the Committee of Management.
VMIAC is currently accepting nominations for the Committee. We are looking for consumers who have experience or an understanding of governance, the time and commitment necessary to serve a committee, and specific skills or experiences that will assist us.
VMIAC’s Committee would benefit from the following skills:
- Experience of quality monitoring and improvement
- Human resources and industrial relations
- Strategic communications and social media
- Finance and accounting experience
- Consumer workforce experience
- Chairing experience or understanding
- Legal and human rights experience
In addition to this, we are looking for consumers who:
- Identify as First Nations
- Identify as LGBTIQA+
- Are over 60
- Assist the board to reflect gender diversity.
How to apply
Please see a letter from our Secretary Tom Wood.
Fill out the attachment and return it to secretary@vmiac.org.au by 15th November 2021.
If you wish to nominate yourself for the Committee, we encourage you to talk with the current Committee first by emailing chair@vmiac.org.au.
About VMIAC and our members
The Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC) is the peak consumer body in Victoria. Established in 1981 and incorporated in 1986 VMIAC was the first mental health consumer owned and managed organisation in Victoria. With the original goal of advocating to be accepted by other disability organisations as a part of the disability field, in the 1990’s the focus of VMIAC changed to include provision of individual advocacy at the clinical service level. Commonwealth funding under the National Disability Advocacy Program supported this work and philanthropic grant have supported the development of VMIACs systemic advocacy knowledge and skills.
VMIAC is recognised by the Victorian Government as the Peak Organisation for mental health consumers in Victoria and currently provides advocacy, education, consultation, support, and information for people who identify as having mental and emotional distress. Funding provided by the Department of Health focuses VMIACs services to those people who are subjected to the act and experiencing high levels of intervention by the public mental health system, while funding provided through the NDIS enable advocacy and support to people using NDIS services.
Developed in partnership with consumers VMIACs vision is a world where all mental health consumers stand proud, live a life with choices honoured, rights upheld, and these principles are embedded in all aspects of society.
VMIAC aims to achieve our vision by:
- Honouring mental health consumer diversity
- Providing advocacy for mental health consumers
- Advancing mental health consumer workforce and leadership
- Delivering information and training to the community
- Enabling mental health consumer driven education and research
- Developing strategic partnerships
VMIAC’s work is premised on the following beliefs:
- People’s experiences are respected and valued
- People are expert in their own lives
- People have a right to self determination
- People have capacity to make genuine choices,
- People should be safe, respected, valued and informed free from coercion
- People’s diversity is embraced
In 2019 VMIAC asked consumers across the state what our future could look like if the mental health system was replaced with something wonderful. Launched in Nov 2019, with over 190 people contributing, the declaration identifies an overarching theme of choice. Consumers want more diverse choices when it comes to supports for their mental health and wellbeing. The declaration also identifies eight topics of focus that covers a broad range of experiences from social change to actions and supports that people want.