Projects Update – June 2016

Professional Development Workshops

It is critical that relevant health services have quality knowledge on men’s health and wellbeing information and have strong skills sets in engaging and supporting men. The professional development workshops are designed to develop and provide men’s health education and information training to men’s health and wellbeing service providers.

Specifically, the workshop provides professionals with information on:

• The psychology of attracting and engaging men in their health and wellbeing.
• Barriers for men accessing health and wellbeing services.
• The skills, strategies and tools to engage men in health and wellbeing services
• Creating an action plan for improving health and wellbeing services for men.

Our first workshop will be in the first quarter of the new financial year so stay tuned for information on the date, time and venue of this workshop.

Men’s Mental Health in Regional Western Australia Needs Analysis

In collaboration with the University of Western Australia, we are conducting a research project that will provide us with a profile of men’s mental health in regional Western Australia.

The research is designed to:

• Identify the spatial and temporal variability in men’s mental health and wellbeing, bench-marking this against Western Australia and Australia as a whole;
• Identifying the social, economic and other determinants of variability within the focus areas of mental health which may include:
• Employment sector and occupation;
• Education;
• Socio-economic advantage/disadvantage;
• Remoteness;
• Indigenous populations;
• Socio-cultural determinants.
• Identify existing strategies and gaps to address the issue of male mental health in regional and remote areas.

The outcome will be an evidence-based report to share across the sector and support the men’s health community services and policy makers best identify, develop and provide its services using accurate and relevant information.

Excitingly, this initial piece of research is a pilot designed to subsequently form  the foundation on which additional similar research will be conducted and reports developed in other identified male health condition priority areas (e.g. cardiovascular disease) and male sub-population groups (e.g. CALD and Youth).

Service Directories

We are working to update our existing, develop new, and re-distribute a targeted range of men’s health and wellbeing services directories.  This will provide the men’s health community services sector and broader community with an easy, accurate and comprehensive directory for men’s health and wellbeing services in Western Australia through a range of relevant digital and print mediums.

As part of this project we are:

1. Updating, reprinting and distributing the existing Bloke’s Book and Bloke’s Book Pocket Guide.
2. Updating, reprinting and distributing the existing Mooditj Marmun book and app.
3. Developing and releasing of the Bloke’s Book app.
4. Collaborating with a youth and parent community focus group to develop, print and create an app of a youth directory of services targeted towards 12 – 17 year old males and their parents.
5. Printing and developing an app of a remote and regional directory of services available in print and digitally.
6. Ensuring the information in the directories of services is kept up-to-date and maintained as downloadable content via the Men’s Health and Wellbeing website.

The development and release of the apps are dependent on some additional project specific funding coming through.  However, we are confident we will be able to secure some additional funding for this important sector service.

WA Father of the Year

Together with our partners from Meerilinga, Dads WA Ngala, and The Fathering Project, we are set to deliver the WA Father of the Year Award for the third year in a row.

Nominations are now open for fathers from across the whole of the Western Australian community so visit our website and nominate someone today or share the link across your networks to help us generate as much interest as possible in promoting the significant and positive contributions that fathers make in the lives of their children.

Men’s Health and Wellbeing Symposium 2016

The Men’s Health and Wellbeing Symposium brings the men’s health and wellbeing community services sector together in an information exchange and professional development environment.

Stay tuned for more information on the symposium as our funding, planning and preparations progress.

State of Men’s Health WA Report

In 2013|14, Men’s Health and Wellbeing WA produced a report that was developed in collaboration with the sector, on the health and wellbeing status of Western Australian males.

To ensure the sector is operating of accurate and up-to-date information, an updated report will be produced for the sector and key stakeholders.

The report will be distributed to the sector and provide a strong foundation on which male health policy and recommendations will be developed.