Integrated client service delivery, featuring mental health support ...

6The Family Law Courts’ Integrated Client Service Delivery ProgramThe Integrated Client ServiceDelivery ProgramContextThe Family Law Courts recognise that separation and divorce can lead to increasesin depression, anxiety, substance use, 3 and increased suicide risk. The Courts alsounderstand that individuals with serious mental disorders have higher future ratesof divorce.In addition to these issues and the overall stress of separation and divorce, theCourts’ clients may also experience additional challenges, such as:nnnnnEnglish being their second languageidentifying with a different culture and different valuesbeing visually or hearing impairedexperiencing family violence, and/orlow levels of literacy.When developing the Integrated Client Service Delivery Program, the Courts asked‘how can we better support our clients given the challenges they face?’ To answer thisquestion the Courts drew on experts in mental health, communication, clientservice and client diversity, as well as the extensive knowledge and experience oftheir staff.Program aimsWith funding support from the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, the primarygoal of the Program was to contribute to Australia’s suicide prevention effort bybetter supporting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of the Courts’ clients.A secondary goal, in recognition of the many challenges and stresses peopleexperience in family law situations at the Courts, was to provide better clientservice overall.Specifically, the Program wanted to meet these objectives:n to provide clients with access to the resources, counselling and support theyneeded to look after their mental health and overall wellbeing (these areservices that are not available within the Courts)3 Rodgers, B. (1995). Separation, divorce and mental health. In Men and Mental Health (ed. A. F. Jorm), pp.105-115. National Health and Medical Research Council: Canberra.