Sexual Safety Guideline

We are pleased to announce the publication of the Chief Psychiatrist's Guideline - Improving sexual safety in mental health and wellbeing services.

In 2019-2020 the Victorian Mental Health Interprofessional Leadership Network (VMHILN) was tasked with re-writing the Chief Psychiatrist’s Guideline on Sexual Safety in Victorian Mental Health Inpatient Units.

VMHILN employed a consumer lived experience worker (LEW) to lead the project. The existing guideline was reviewed and considered alongside more recent publications and guidelines, including the Mental Health Complaints Commissioner (MHCC) sexual safety project report, The right to be safe (2018), new legislation like the Mental Health Act 2014, the Sexual Safety Notification to the Chief Psychiatrist (new in 2018) and other relevant literature. Informed by co-design principles, consultations were held with consumers, carers, lived experience workers and other inpatient staff. Key stakeholder organisations and services, such as Victorian Centres Against Sexual Assault (CASA) and Victoria Police, were also consulted.

The draft was reviewed by the Department of Health and then released for broader feedback. The consumer project leads critically and empathetically incorporated stakeholder input, including from individual inpatient experiences.

Sexual safety in inpatient units is a critical issue. Consumers, families/carers and clinicians are deeply passionate about providing a safe space in inpatient units. Developing a guideline that addresses the many nuances in this space was complicated work. The process was strengthened by having a consumer-lived experience worker lead this project.

The final document, Improving sexual safety in mental health and wellbeing services, can be found here.

Photo by Milad Fakurian on Unsplash