Our Mission: To enable, support and connect mental health consumers in their recovery and advocate for their voices to be included across all levels of the mental health system

Our Vision: We CAN - We CARE - The Future is In Our Hands

CAN (Mental Health) Inc. is an independent, not for profit, consumer run organisation for people with a mental illness. (Formerly known as the Northern Beaches Mental Health Consumer Network from February 1994 - October 2005- We acknowledge our roots and the support provided by NSCC MHS to our network for 11.5 years to grow to be able to incorporate in our own right!)

CAN manages and runs Pitane Recovery Centre, the first and only consumer run recovery centre in metropolitan Sydney. As a grass roots organisation for mental health consumers, CAN's aims to:

• Promote and enhance mental health wellbeing and recovery journeys for people with a mental illness.
  
  
• Provide a range of recovery activities at Pitane Recovery Centre.
  
  
• Encourage, enable and support consumers independence to have a lifestyle of their choice, and
  
  
• Encourage and support consumers to put forward ideas, suggestions and concerns about the mental health service provision.
  
  
• Develop linkages with community organisations.
  

Our overall purpose is to:

• Initiate and advance the empowerment and independence of:
  
• Consumers' recovery journeys
  
• Consumers' viewpoints being provided
  
  
• Participation, including on the implementation and evaluation of MHS.
  
  
• Consumers' viewpoints explicity integrated and an integral component of mental health service development.
  

CAN (Mental Health) have a Board of Management of 9 experienced consumers who come from Sydney and the Central Coast.

Fortnightly consumers' meetings held in the CAN Office Training room assist with the day to day management of the organisation.


NATIONAL COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS PROJECT:

CAN is funded until June 2009 for the Community Connections project. This project has 2 major components:

• Phone Connections - a NATIONAL peer support & information referral line for 3 nights per week from- (Friday, Saturday evenings 6pm - 1.30am & Monday evenings 7pm - 11pm). Consumers are welcome to call or request a phone call from the phone connections staff. (No referral required).
  
  
• Hospital to Home Team, based at Liverpool to provide practical assistance and peer support for consumers on discharge from the inpatient units (referral required).
  

DONATIONS ARE WELCOME
CAN is a registered Charity with the NSW Office of Charities, Department of Gaming & Racing. All donations over $2 are tax deductible. If you wish to make a donation, please don't hesitate to contact us. Credit Card facilities (offline)available.

CAN OFFICE:

Pop into our office located at 6A/15 Orchard Rd, Brookvale. Have a cuppa and a chat. Undertake some voluntary work in an open office environment.

The CAN office also has a fully functioning training and meeting room. This room is available for hire at reasonable rates to consumer groups, disability and community organisations and local businesses (Please note: no life access).

CANDO Desktop Publishing Service:

CAN (Mental Health) Inc. has a super duper photocopier and is able to provide a broad range of documents, at reasonable fees. Contact the CAN Office and speak to Stewart for all your photcopying needs.