President's Piece

October 2008

My attention was recently drawn to an article in one of the free local newspapers. It was about Bligh Voller Nield, the leading Brisbane firm of architects who are providing ongoing professional services for the planned renovation of Fellowship House.

BVN, as they are known, are a very well respected name in the architectural and building industry and have a variety of large and significant projects to their credit. They are so successful in what they do that BVN has been selected from a strong field of international contenders to design and construct accommodation and related facilities for the 2012 London Olympic Village.

On behalf of the Fellowship, I would like to extend congratulations to BVN for this quite extraordinary achievement. This is an enormous undertaking and involves construction work worth quite literally billions of dollars. Yet BVN Principal Shane Thompson and his professional team still make time and resources available to assist the Fellowship in its protracted quest to turn a stylish but derelict building into its future headquarters. Thank you Shane, to you and your staff, and we look forward to continuing to work with you until this vision also becomes a reality.

Recently, our CEO Dr Wayne Clarke and I made a brief but significant visit to Melbourne to attend a planning session hosted by the Board of the Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia. I have written in previous newsletters expressing my personal view that it is essential for the Schizophrenia Fellowship of Queensland to be an active part of this national network of mental health organisations.

Our organisation has gained considerable experience and credibility as a service provider since undertaking the Commonwealth funded Personal Helpers and Mentors Program on the Gold Coast over one year ago. To all accounts, our performance in conducting this program has been well regarded by the funding organisation, the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Our involvement in this program was made possible through membership of the Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia, and our close relationship with the Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria.

We have more recently gained additional Commonwealth funded programs through the Department of Health and Ageing, and services are now well established in Emerald and Gladstone. The announcement of the third round of the Personal Helpers and Mentors Program has resulted in applications being lodged for thirteen locations including Gladstone, other regional areas, and a number of metropolitan sites. We are awaiting the outcome of these applications with enthusiasm, although aware that any additional service responsibilities will certainly place considerable pressures on Fellowship resources which are already under pressure.

 

These programs complement existing services provided by the Fellowship, such as the very successful Well Ways Program and several Queensland Government-funded services. Participation in national funding initiatives is a necessary element of being able to deliver more comprehensive services to Queenslanders, particularly in regional locations where services have been minimal or non-existent. Service availability also encourages the formation of branches and support groups in locations outside Brisbane, an objective which has always proved difficult to achieve.

National programs provide the Fellowship with a much needed capacity for expansion. This is not without a cost, as the organisation naturally becomes more complex, more difficult to manage, and more dependent upon government funding as it becomes larger. A reasonable proportion of our membership would probably question why the organisation has to grow larger, as growth undeniably places its grass roots origins at risk if members are not encouraged to take an active role in the decision making process.

This is often difficult in itself, as government places considerable emphasis on such things as quality assurance, accountability, and professionalism in management. This sometimes leaves little room for direct rank and file involvement. Our organisation recently completed a very rigorous quality assurance accreditation process which institutionalises these concepts and strongly reinforces the separation of operational management and governance by a board of elected members.

There is a growing trend within government to allocate the delivery of non-clinical support services to non-government organisations. The reason for this is obvious, as non-government organisations are able to provide these services very effectively and economically. Within this framework, government becomes the monitoring agency rather than the direct provider, which also provides a convenient element of separation from the action in terms of political accountability.

The challenge therefore becomes – how does an organisation effectively deliver prescribed services on behalf of government without developing the less desirable features of government and starting to resemble a branch of the public sector. I believe this need not occur, as organisations such as the Fellowship comprise people whose unique experiences have instilled a sense of commitment that no department of state can emulate. That is why the Fellowship is different and will remain different, in spite of the fact that survival dictates the adoption of a more complex service delivery framework. 

I personally would like to see the formation and strengthening of Fellowship member support groups within communities, to provide first point of call to persons with a mental illness and their families, struggling with a difficult and sometimes unresponsive public health system. These support groups would become a source of fellowship and advice, and a point of referral to the growing number of funded mental health programs available within their community.

This, I believe, is the future of the Fellowship, and why it must develop a leading profile in the mental health sector. By the time this newsletter is published, we will have just held the Fellowship’s Annual General Meeting, which results in the election of a new board. There is much to be done, and the board members you elect will continue to serve the Fellowship with vision, integrity and a strong desire to make a difference.

Ken Meissner
President

 

---

Premier Launches Fundraising Appeal for Schizophrenia Fellowship’s ‘New Home’

On Tuesday 23 October Premier Anna Bligh announced the launch of the Schizophrenia Fellowship of Queensland’s Fundraising Appeal to renovate and refurbish the Heritage listed ‘Pink Palace’ located in Herston. The building, which was formally the Victoria Golf Club Clubhouse, will serve as the new headquarters of the Fellowship.

Premier Anna Bligh was invited to launch the appeal to raise needed funds to make the property on Herston Road appropriate to house the Fellowship’s services and provide facilities for its education and information programs.  Premier Bligh announced that the Queensland Government would contribute $30,000 to the building fund to make the new ‘Fellowship House’ a landmark facility which will provide a clearly identified corporate head office for the Fellowship and services for the wider Queensland community.

A preliminary plan has been developed for the refurbishment work based on a minimalist approach to the whole building with architects and consultants providing valuable assistance to the Fellowship. Initial indication is a cost of $1.1million with a further $300,000 required for fit out.

The Fellowship encourages anyone who would like to take the opportunity to assist them in providing support of consumers and their carers to pledge their gifts of money or property. Dr Wayne Clarke CEO of Schizophrenia Fellowship said, ‘We need everyone to be a vital partner in joining with the Fellowship in developing this exciting project’.

For more information on Fellowship House and making a donation please contact the office on (07) 3358 4424.