Incentives to attract mental health workers

By Darren Linton

Jul 12, 2022

Support: The incentive scheme will offer grants to assist mental health workers to relocate and settle in regional and rural areas. Photo by Megan Fisher

A workforce incentive program has been unveiled to attract and retain mental health workers in regional Victoria.

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Victorian Mental Health Minister Gabrielle Williams said the Regional Mental Health Workforce Incentives program applied to workers in state-funded mental health and alcohol and other drug services across rural and regional areas.

The $13.7 million incentive program includes grants to support workers and their families to settle in a new community and support for health services to promote priority jobs.

The program aims to attract workers from metropolitan Melbourne, interstate and overseas, and offers flexible grants of up to $20,000 to support costs such as accommodation, relocation, childcare, school fees and vehicle costs.

The fund will support around 200 grants for workers in Area Mental Health Services and up to 80 grants for community-managed mental health services.

The grants will be administered by Rural Workforce Agency Victoria.

“We want to help our mental health workers make a smooth transition to communities that need their dedicated expertise because Victorians experiencing a mental illness deserve the best treatment,” Ms Williams said.

"We’re building a robust state-wide mental health workforce to ensure quality care and support is delivered everywhere for all Victorians, close to their home and friends and family.”

The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System highlighted significant workforce gaps in rural and regional areas.

By Darren Linton

Shepparton News chief correspondent