Christopher Jones Email & Phone Number

Central Eastern Sydney

Central Eastern Sydney

- Support for the coordination of access and navigation to mental health services for individuals and communities affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza. - Design, coordination and successful implementation of a grants approach to ensure a range of capacity building, mental health literacy and system navigational supports are available for communities affected by the ongoing conflict. -Provide advice, expertise and guidance to support activities across impacted communities at a local level.

Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia

Australia

Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia

Mental Health Programs and Innovations Manager

South Western Sydney

South Western Sydney

Overall management and strategic oversight of the reform of primary mental health services across the South Western Sydney region. This approach includes a contribution to regional needs assessment, the development, commissioning and ongoing review of services to meet mental health need and ongoing monitoring to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the reform approach. Extensive experience in managing large NGO and Government funded portfolios currently evidenced through the management of six key regional MH priority requiring high-level contract development, the establishment of clear performance indicators and reporting schedules, financial acquittal and also a regular investigation into opportunities to showcase the outcomes of these projects on a state and national level. The leadership of large-scale change management approach, including an approach that enabled over 150 diverse stakeholders coming together to inform the redesign of primary care level psychological services. This approach showcased my ability to identify key stakeholder groups, encourage collaboration and achieve clarity in a region-wide approach while also remaining transparent in communication the steps taken within the process to all participants. National mental health leadership through a regional planning co - chairing role that provides capacity building, best practice examples, and collegiate support to PHN mental health managers from accross Australia. Superior skills in stakeholder engagement have cultivated strong partnerships with GPs’, consumers, carers, NSW state mental health services, and non-government agencies in making optimal use of the available service infrastructure and primary MH care workforce. Through my dynamic, innovative and passionate leadership of a multiskilled mental health team I have been able to cultivate a culture of innovation, respect based accountability, problem-solving, empowerment, and learning.

South Western Sydney Phn

- High level advocacy & negotiation towards systems change with key stakeholders including government , peak bodies, service providers, consumers and carers and community groups to address service gaps and barriers within South Western Sydney. - Coordination of a Systems Improvement and Integration Committee that brings together senior mangers and key decision makers that share the common purpose of delivering a more responsive and supportive mental health system for the PIR target group. - Extensive sector consultation with over 250 diverse stakeholders which led to a comprehensive system reform framework and a clear set of nine systemic priority areas. - Overseeing an innovative approach to the distribution of $ 3.2 million flexible funding that encouraged services across SWS to work in partnership to address many of the prevailing gaps and barriers faced by people with severe mental illness. This included scoping selection criteria, gathering evidence to further inform priority area, convening and coordinating the funding panel and post funding support to successful applicants. - Coordination of a partnership with the Mental Health Coordinating Council that would provide over 30 organizations with the skills needed to consistently improve their recovery focus. Key contributions to the PIR SWS local evaluation including scoping the approach taken to measuring systems change and ensuring that all parties were represented.Key partnership and pilot projects developed with stakeholders such as Justice Health / Probation and Parole & Legal Aid which targeted hard to reach and marginalized groups such people released from custody into the community and people with severe mental illness experiencing civil law issues. Provide strategic direction of consumer and carer subcommittee that includes a focus on identifying and supporting consumer and carer representatives.

Wollongong, Australia

Overseeing the implementation of Stage One of the PIR program in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region including the formation of the PIR team and the successful establishment of host organizations.Managing and building strong working relationships with senior members of PIR partner agencies and consortium and being a central point of contact for their enquiries and feedback. Provision of progress reports to all stakeholders and consortium members including integrating their feedback into program policy, documentation and governance procedures. Strong collaboration and networking with consumer and carer representatives and coordinating the strengths of both groups into committees, selection panels, and as ongoing program advisors Coordinating the reporting requirements to Department of Health

Wollongong, Australia

Provide leadership and support to plan and operationalise primary care support activities, events and resources.Developed & coordinated the organization’s strategic direction for allied health engagement.Coordination of networking, educational and partnership opportunities for allied health specialising in chronic disease management and multidisciplinary care.Led the development, implementation and marketing of support services to allied health professionals and general practice staff including conducting formal needs assessments and an allied health newsletter. Design and delivery of a pilot quality improvement project aimed at assisting allied health providers to improve their capacity to regularly review client services using an existing validated tool.

Western Sydney,North Sydney And Central Coast

Management of the Family and Care teams in Western Sydney and North Sydney/Central Coast; this includes support workers, education and training staff and carer representatives (Direct Supervision of 16 staff). Development, delivery and evaluation of quality education and training programs for community members and organizations such as Headspace, Area Health ,Department of Education, TAFE’s and various NGO services. .Key Achievements: Played a key role in the scoping study to determine family and carer needs for services and supports across Central Coast and North Sydney areas.Coordinated the integration on co location of the family and carer program in an outreach capacity into inpatient mental health settings in Western Sydney

Western Sydney

Key Achievements:Key focus of adolescent mental health through the design and implementation of an adolescent carer training programs, facilitation of “Read the Signs” a depression and suicide education program for TAFE students, and key partnership with headspace. Development ,design and facilitation of education that catered to the needs of a range of carers and mental health professionals including topics such as substance misuse, family inclusive practice, suicide intervention and emotional intelligence. Coordination of the “Breathe Easy” program funded by the Cancer Council.

South Western And Western Sydney

Design and Delivery of specific pre-employment training targeted at long term unemployed job seekers in two of the most socially disadvantaged communities in NSW (Claymore and Mt Druitt) This resulted in 45 long term unemployed job seekers securing traineeships and employment.Coordination of the ‘Stepping Stones’ program to provide work experience opportunities in landscaping for at ‘risk youth’ in high schools across Sydney. Approximately,100 students participated in this program over a 12 month period.

Masters Of Social Work, Social Work

Master’S Degree, Health Management

Masters in Health Management

Postgraduate Diploma, Public Health, Postgraduate Diploma In Health Promotion W/Distinction

Postgraduate Diploma in Health Promotion

Bachelor'S Degree, Public Health, Bachelor Of Health (Health Promotion/Health Services Management)

Bachelor of Health Services Management/Health Promotion