Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System submission

inTouch was appreciative of the opportunity to contribute our views and provide a submission to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.

The Commission wants to provide the community with a clear set of actions that will change Victoria’s mental health system and enable Victorians to experience their best mental health now and into the future.

Studies show that there is a high prevalence of mental ill-health among women who experience family violence. Conditions such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and other disorders can emerge or become exacerbated as a result of family violence. And yet despite their traumatic experience and circumstances, most of the women we work with don’t disclose mental ill-health and have never accessed mental health services.

More education, affordable mental health services, inLanguage and inCulture service delivery, as well as trauma-informed legal processes, would make a huge difference to the women we assist.

inTouch looks forward to seeing the findings and recommendations from the Commission. We hope that they will address some of the barriers migrant and refugee women experiencing family violence face when dealing with mental ill-health and accessing services.

Read our full submission here.