What is the Mental Health Professional Online Development (MHPOD) Program?
The Mental Health Professional Online Development (MHPOD) Program aims to build the capacity of Australia’s mental health and related workforces so they can effectively deliver high-quality, evidenced-based care to improve Australians’ mental health and wellbeing. It does this by providing access to online education, resources, and tools.
In a collaborative partnership with Australian states and territories, the MHPOD Program is freely accessible to individuals seeking to build their knowledge and skills primarily within a professional development capacity across a diverse range of subject matter relevant to mental health.
Individuals with a personal interest in mental health are also welcome to engage with the Program.
MHPOD Program Wedges
The MHPOD Program recognises that Australia’s broad mental health and interrelating workforces possess different levels of interest, learning styles, and availability to commit to professional development activities (amongst other factors that shape learning).
The Program has been designed to support learning by providing content via different formats and channels, in addition to providing specific tools to fine tune the learning experience. These are represented by the MHPOD Program Wedges.
MHPOD Program Wedges form the MHPOD Program learning ecosystem that, in collaboration with other national and jurisdictional-specific learning platforms, are designed to facilitate a comprehensive digital learning experience for each individual. They also support people developing mental health training programs within their organisations, such as educators. All sections are free to access and are intended to work in unison.
Learning Portal
Pathways
Research & Innovation
Communities of Practice
Resources
Website & Partnerships
Microlearning
Who is it designed for?
Broadly speaking, the Program has been designed to support the following audiences:
Organisations
See more information about how organisations can use it below.
Workforces within the mental health sector
See more information below about how you can engage with the MHPOD Program.
Workforces within health & social services settings
See more information below about how you can engage with the MHPOD Program.
Workforces within other settings
See more information below about how you can engage with the MHPOD Program.
Program content can be used as part of graduate training programs or staff onboarding activities. Users can access PDF Completion Certificates for content completed on the Learning Portal or alternatively have their completion status sent to your organisation via the Learning Portal Employer Access Token.
The MHPOD Pathways pilot will provide a limited assessment of staff knowledge gaps within the context of recovery-based practice. Once the pilot is evaluated and refined, further assessment frameworks will be introduced (subject to funding).
The Program’s Resources, Research and Innovation Wedges provide access to a repository of mental health workforce-related material to support organisations in the design and development of training programs.
Organisations can set up direct links to MHPOD content on their own websites, so they can incorporate them into staff training and development programs.
Program content covers a range of mental health material applicable to those who provide direct support to individuals accessing mental health services, or who through their role engage with individuals experiencing (or at risk of experiencing) poor mental health.
Content is developed across formats ranging from detailed modules on the Learning Portal to specific short bites of information delivered through MicroLearning.
Depending on the size and length of the content, you may be able to obtain Certificates of Completion. These can be accessed and managed through your Learning Portal Dashboard.
MHPOD Program content
Current MHPOD Program content primarily delivers a ‘foundational’ level of knowledge to a diverse range of disciplines and occupations comprising Australia’s mental health and interrelating workforces. Subject matter ranges from specific clinical content (such as mental health assessments) to broader non-clinical knowledge that can be applied in a variety of settings and occupations (such as working with service users within the mental health or other health and social services contexts).
To guide individuals and organisations in content choice, each piece outlines its primary target audience, whether it is jurisdictional-specific, and the assumed level of professional experience. This does not preclude other individuals who may fall outside the recommended audience or level of professional experience from accessing the material.
Governance
The MHPOD Program is an initiative of, and funded by, the Commonwealth Government and all states and territories. It is managed on their behalf by the Victorian Department of Health.
The MHPOD Program is overseen by a steering committee of representatives from government, mental health services users and their carers, community, CALD, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander bodies.
Content is developed by engaging organisations and frontline clinical and non-clinical subject matter experts in partnership with the Program’s content development partner Wet Fish Pty Ltd.
MHPOD is a joint initiative funded by all Australian jurisdictions