Supported Decision-Making & Risk Taking
In 2018, He Ara Oranga signaled that the current government needs to take a multi system
approach to reconsider beliefs, evidence and attitudes about mental health and risk
(Recommendation 35). Further, the current Mental Health Act (1992) has been widely criticised for being out of step with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and New Zealand’s other domestic and
international human rights commitments.
In tandem with transformative law reform that is currently underway, this workshop will
address a range of considerations required to shift the current risk averse nature of health
systems, and the skills and knowledge required of health workers to enhance the human rights of people receiving care.
Get prepared in advance of the future mental health legislation
- The shift to therapeutic risk taking through use of the unique 5 dimensions of safety approach
- The balance between autonomy versus restrictive practices
- Understanding the role of capacity
- Developing safety vocabularies that reduce further harm or trauma
- Promotion of advanced personal preferences
- Enhancing the cultural safety, recovery, and wellbeing of service recipients.
Debra and Helen have decades of experience working with, and teaching others how to manage the risk-safety paradox within current systems, and the required interpersonal skills for shared and supported decision making.
The conceptual, cultural and clinical approaches in this workshop emphasise: