Raising Minds

Raising Minds: our Vision, Mission, Values and Principles

Vision

Children and young people with complex mental health issues, and their parents, families, kin, friends and supporters, are able to access the right support, at the right time in the right place. The best possible education, employment, financial and social outcomes for children and young people with complex mental health issues, and their families.

Mission

Ensure children and young people with complex mental health issues, and their parents, families, kin, friends and supporters, are able to regain the best possible health and wellbeing so they can begin to thrive again, connected within their local communities.

Values

  • Unconditional Welcome!
  • Listen Deeply and Value Your Human Experience.
  • Learning Culture – We Learn from You and Respond with a Spirit of Humility & Non-Judgment.
  • Holders of Hope.

Principles

  • Families and carers are intrinsic to children and young people’s lives, health and wellbeing.
  • Parents and carers have rights and responsibilities in relation to their children and are best placed to advocate for their care.
  • The lived experience of caring for a child or young person who has mental health challenges is valuable. Raising Minds will be represented by members who have a lived experience.
  • Raising Minds aims to be independent and therefore offer a clear non-biased voice for children, young people and their families and carers.
  • Raising Minds values people’s diversity, including celebrating neurodiversity.
  • Raising Minds works towards reducing stigma and supporting children, young people and their families and carers in their endeavours to be heard, understood and well.

 

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What we do

Our purpose is to advocate for children, youth and young people with complex mental health issues together with their families, parents, carers and kin, to create  inclusive, responsive, and better-quality health and education systems. We aim to achieve this by:

  • Advocating for the rights, needs, and lived experience of children and young people experiencing mental illness throughout Queensland.
  • Assisting families to better navigate service systems by providing regularly updated, relevant & helpful information and resources on mental health including supports, services, and education.
  • Proposing new innovative models of service with the aim to strengthen the capacity of children and young people, together with their families and carers, to manage complex mental health episodes.
  • Highlighting and promoting the voice of children and young people together with their families and carers in the co-design and delivery of better mental health and human services in Queensland.
  • Engaging a diverse range of children, young people, and their families, to work in close consultation with relevant government and industry stakeholders to develop a Queensland Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
  • Partnering with educational institutions to deliver research of value and influence, in the child and youth mental health space.

 

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The Collective

The Raising Minds Background Story

In late 2021, The Mental Health (MH) Family, Parents & Carers Voice was a general reference to an umbrella group of individuals who joined together because of a shared interest in the mental health system (MHS) in Queensland. The group involved people who identify as parents, partners, carers or family members with a lived experience supporting or who have supported a loved one navigate the MHS. The impetus for bringing together interested people in the MHS stems from the first-hand experiences of a family whose young daughters required medical assistance and admission to a public hospital during 2020. It was this family’s exposure to, participation in, and engagement with the MHS, staff, structures and processes that influenced the parents to examine whether other people were experiencing a similar lack of voice and loss of control when dealing with the complex, difficult and sometimes overwhelming MHS.

During 2021, the parents connected with several other families, parents, carers and kin, who shared stories about their engagement in and participation with the Qld MHS. These people presented similar concerns and frustrations about the limitations and inadequacies of the system when they sought help and support for their loved ones.  During mid-2021, one of the parents engaged the Community Resource Unit (CRU) to assist the Group in its development and foundations. CRU have a 30 year + history of supporting families, parents and carers in the mental health and disability space.

In mid-September 2021, the inaugural meeting of the MH Family, Parents, & Carers Voice was convened. This inaugural meeting included – Susanne Armstrong, Neil Barringham, Lisa Bridle, Gabrielle Jess, Carol Owens and Craig Stanley-Jones. Ideas and concerns emerging from attendees’ discussions were documented. Notes were consolidated and reinforced a strong interest by participants to forming a specific MH community group. Reasons documented for the need for such a group covered:

  • Identification and understanding that Parents, Carers and Families have significant challenges accessing and navigating the MH system for their family and friends (and associated systems – disability, education, criminal justice, emergency services, addiction services etc)
  • Parents, Carers and Families need an independent voice that is not restrained/conflicted due to service delivery commitments or potentially government contracts.
  • Utilising Parent, Carer and Family perspective/experience/expertise, there is significant need for Systems Advocacy and Mutual/Peer Support throughout the MH system, and this would add to, not replace the person or consumer voice.
  • Early intervention, prevention, services and support is limited for Parents, Carers and Families who have children ages 4-17 which in turn leads to greater/more complex challenges for parents, carers and families when their family member or friends become adults.


In late 2022, an anonymous community member made a financial donation to the Group. This donation led the Group to establish itself as a not-for-profit public company limited by guarantee. The Group voted on a range of names for the organisation and the name Raising Minds was selected. As at 19 Dec 2022, the Group and network became known as Raising Minds (Ltd).  The founding  members of Raising Minds Ltd are Nerida Leighton, Phil Amos, Damian Le Goullon and Craig Stanley-Jones.

Read about our upcoming projects.