Due to a technical error, please include your name and contact details in the body of the comments section so we can respond to you.

Thank you for your patience.

Your questions or comments are important to us.

CAN (Mental Health) Inc.

In 2008 the former AMHCN (Australian Mental Health) Consumer Network was closed due to failing to meet its funding obligations.

In November 2008 a meeting was organised by the commonwealth in consultation with some of the former AMHCN Board Members.

This meeting included consumers across the country based on their expertise rather than representing States or Territories and were invited by the commonwealth to attend and participate on the day to discuss establishing a national consumer peak organisation for consumers in Aussie land.

The major outcome of the meeting was the commonwealth will fund a consultant to develop key models for a national organisation and consult with consumers across the country.

Congratulations are to be extended to the commonwealth for being committed to Australian Mental Health Consumers having their own peak body to hear the consumers' voices.

Please, stay tuned as further details come to hand.

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.
  

• 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.
  

• Phone Connections - a NATIONAL peer support & information referral line for 4 nights per week from- (Friday, Saturday evenings 6pm - 1.30am & Monday, Thursday 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).