Have your say: CoMHWA Values

CoMHWA Constitution Changes – October 2024
Member Consultation and Information

To be voted on at the 2024 Annual General Meeting, Wednesday 30th October 2024.

Item 1: Review of the CoMHWA Values

General Information

CoMHWA’s values are our core beliefs. They act as guiding principles and provide us with a clear vision, purpose and direction to define us as an organisation. Values also set the tone for interactions with, and between, our members, staff, Board and other key stakeholders.

As a consumer-led organisation that advocates for social changes that reflect the needs and priorities of those with mental health issues, living our values day-to-day in all the work we do is crucial to our ability to achieve our core purpose.

CoMHWA’s Current Values

• Kindness
• Respect
• Inclusivity
• Courage
• Respect

History

‘Kindness’’ and ‘Respect’ have always been an integral part of CoMHWA’s values. Previous versions of our values included ‘Acceptance’, ‘Collaboration’ and ‘Integrity’.

At the 2019 Special General Meeting, our current values were voted on by members and have been in place for the last 5 years.

Values Reference Group

In the 2023 Staff Culture and Wellbeing survey, comments indicated that some of the values are missed, seen as tokenistic or not reinforced. It was discussed that a Values Reference Group would be formed by staff to reorient the current values and increase the value of engagement for those in consumer-facing roles we have not previously had.

The Values Reference Group:

• Discussed the current values and whether they were fit for purpose
• Discussed how we know that staff are / aren’t acting in accordance with our values
• Developed new supporting statements for each value to ensure understanding.

The Values Reference Group was chaired by Brian Wooller from the CoMHWA Board, and was comprised of the following staff members:

• Rebecca Banks – Administration Manager
• Charles Foster – Policy and Research Officer: Regional and Remote
• Jules Robinson – Education and Training Coordinator
• Chloe Harris – Independent Advocate
• Larissa Fisher – Peer Pathways Coordinator
• Lucy Haffenden – Peer Pathways Coordinator
• Elaine Ashurst – Life Launchpad Facilitator
• Naomi Campbell – ASPIRE Peer Workforce Development Coordinator

Proposed New Values

The Values Reference Group proposes to change the Constitution to reflect the updated values as:

• Kindness – To act and work in a friendly, generous and considerate manner and with concern for others. To be treated, and to treat others, with goodwill and understanding.
• Respect – To recognise, value and encourage others for their contributions. To hold a mutual acceptance of the diversity of our lived experiences to empower ourselves and others.
• Integrity – To act with honesty and authenticity in the work we do, keeping our commitment to making a positive change. We uphold the fidelity of our values through acting with transparency and accountability in all that we do.
• Social Justice – To bring power and position to the voices of consumer, to uphold and fight for our collective human rights. We promote equity through championing inclusivity and diversity in all the work we do.
• Connection – We are dedicated to developing ongoing, authentic connections with members, staff and stakeholders, and a commitment to using the ‘power of together’ to help drive change and influence positive outcomes collectively.
• Courage – We have the courage to utilise our lived experience to empower consumers in our shared fight for change. The vulnerability and authenticity we bring to our work provides hope for consumers and strength for our advocacy.

Item 2: General Wording Updates

The Constitutional changes voted on at the May Special General Meeting were reviewed by CoMHWA Governance Subcommittee in accordance with advice provided by the Department of Mines, Industry, Regulation and Safety, and Hall & Wilcox lawyers.

After the SGM we received further advice from Hall & Wilcox, regarding additional, minor changes: view the changes here.

Member Feedback

CoMHWA invites you to have your say on the intended Constitutional changes of the updated Values: take the survey here.

Please share your thoughts on the new Values below before 5pm, Friday 27th September 2024.

What Happens Next?

At the 2024 AGM, our Chairperson will ask those in attendance to vote on the following:

Special Resolution 1: That the CoMHWA Constitution be updated with the proposed new Values.

Special Resolution 2: That the CoMHWA Constitution be updated as per the proposed general wording updates.

Voting is by show of hands to approve, reject, or abstain from the vote.

Full notice of AGM and associated papers will be sent out at the start of October.

If you have further questions on CoMHWA’s Values, the Reference Group, or the additional Constitutional changes, please contact Rebecca on 9258 8911 or rbanks@comhwa.org.au