About the initiative
The first of its type, this initiative supports participating services to trial a range of targeted changes aimed at improving sexual safety in inpatient units for consumers, their carers, families and supporters and workforce.
Improving sexual safety within mental health inpatient units includes reducing instances of:
- sexual assault
- sexual harassment
- other sexual incidents
The initiative aims to see participating services:
- reduce the rate of sexual safety incidents by 20 per cent (per 1,000 bed days)
- increase self-reported experiences of sexual safety by 20 per cent for consumers, their families and carers and the workforce.
How we support services
The MHIP supports participating mental health inpatient services to design and test changes:
- with crucial input from Lived and Living Experience workforce members
- within their existing resources and infrastructure to support sustainable change that fits with their unique context
- to help improve the quality and experience of care and create a safer experience for all Victorians in mental health inpatient units
Examples of these changes include:
- improving communication on reporting tools if someone feels unsafe
- expanding and adding risk assessments and safety plans.
Path ahead
Together, the MHIP and participating services are continuing to collect, review and analyse data throughout the implementation and testing phases. The findings and insight will inform how additional mental health and wellbeing services can be supported to introduce improvements to their respective inpatient units from 2025.
