Western Australia Recovery College

The Mental Health Commission (MHC) is seeking to establish a contract with an organisation/consortia to establish, manage and operate the Western Australian Recovery College (Recovery College). The Recovery College model will have a Hub centrally based in the Perth metropolitan area and Satellites located in the Perth metropolitan area and in regional areas of Western Australia.

The State Government’s 2017 election commitments included the establishment of a Recovery College in Western Australia which is supported by the Western Australian Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drug Services Plan 2015–2025 (the Plan) and aligns to its community support services stream.

The Recovery College will see people with lived experience, carers, family members, those who work in the mental health and Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD), health and human services sectors, and interested community members come together to develop skills, and share knowledge and experiences in relation to health and wellbeing. This will provide a mechanism for a cultural shift in existing mental health and AOD services, breaking down barriers between consumers and clinicians, providing clinicians the opportunity to take their experience’s back to their clinical services and implement change.

The Recovery College is principles based and will use inclusive educational approaches in a safe and welcoming environment to support personal recovery relating to mental health issues, addiction and substance use issues. The Recovery College will be person centred and will provide courses available for anyone who wants to learn more about improving general and mental health, and issues related to AOD use.

The aim of mental health and AOD community based support programs is to support people to develop skills and abilities to maximise their capacity to live in the community. These programs support people with mental health and AOD issues to develop/maintain skills required for daily living, social interaction, and increase their participation in community life and activities.