Mental Health Week 2026 4th - 10th OctoberMental Health Week returns to the ACT from 4-10th October 2026, bringing together people from the community to connect, learn, celebrate and raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing.
Held each year in the lead up to World Mental Health Day on 10th October, the week features a range of events and activities that encourage conversations about mental health, strengthen community connections, and highlight the supports available across the ACT.
This year's World Mental Health Day theme, Together We Thrive, recognises the important role that relationships and community play in our wellbeing. Recovery, resilience and wellbeing are often strengthened through the support of family, friends, carers, colleagues, services and communities. The theme reminds us that thriving is not something we achieve alone, but something we create together.
For more information, visit: 2026 ACT Mental Health Week - Mental Health Community Coalition ACT Free Public Transportation to Mental Health Week events To help make the events more accessible, Transport Canberra is providing free public transport travel for people attending Mental Health Week activities between 4-10 October 2026.
How it Works - Travel on Transport Canberra services to and from Mental Health Week events.
- Let the bus driver or Transport Canberra staff member know you are attending a Mental Health Week event.
- Enjoy free travel while participating in the week's activities.
This initiative supports greater community participation and helps remove transport barriers for people wanting to get involved. Mental Health Week Expo and Awards Ceremony Join the community for the Mental Health Week Expo and Awards Ceremony on Thursday 8th October, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the Belconnen Arts Centre.
Highlights include: - A complimentary community lunch from midday, catered by First Nations business McLeod's Angels.
- Live music from local performer Ben Drysdale.
- A community expo featuring mental health organisations and services from across the ACT.
- The opportunity to connect with service providers, learn about available supports and celebrate outstanding contributions to mental health and wellbeing.
- Awards Ceremony, celebrating the contributions of services, organisations, consumers, and carers to the mental health and wellbeing of the ACT community.
The MHCV team will also have a stall at the Expo. If you're attending, be sure to stop by, say hello and have a chat with the team. National Carers Week 2026 is almost here! National Carers Week runs from 11–17 October 2026, with this year’s theme, Care for a carer: Making carers visible, encouraging all of us to recognise the important contribution unpaid carers make every day.
Carers are part of every community, workplace and service. This National Carers Week, we’re encouraging organisations across the ACT to help make carers more visible by recognising and supporting carers, starting conversations and connecting people with support when they need it.
There are plenty of ways to get involved, whether it’s sharing Carers Week resources, asking “Are you a carer?”, making your workplace or service more carer-aware, or referring carers to Carers ACT and Carer Gateway.
Here are some simple ways your organisation can get involved this National Carers Week. Mental Health Act Review EOI The ACT Government is reviewing parts of the Mental Health Act 2015 and wants to hear from carers about their experiences.
If you care for or support someone who has used the ACT mental health system, this is an opportunity to share your experiences and ideas about how the Act works in practice.
Your feedback will help the review team understand what is working, what could be improved, and whether any changes are needed to make the mental health system safer and provide better support for people affected by the Act and the carers who support them.
What is being reviewed?
This is not a review of the entire Mental Health Act. The review is focusing on specific areas including mental health and forensic mental health orders, emergency detention, ACAT decision-making, information sharing with carers, participation in hearings, sexual and gender safety, cultural safety and First Nations Social and Emotional Wellbeing.
Carer consultation session This session being held specifically for carers at Carers ACT: Wednesday 7th October 2026 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Information sharing This session will explore how information can be shared with carers more effectively to help them in their caring role. Location: Carers ACT, 2/80 Beaurepaire Crescent, Holt To register, please email your interest to mhcarers@carersact.org.au
Can't attend? There will be other opportunities to contribute. Public consultation through Your Say opened on 27 August 2026. You can also contact the Mental Health Act Review project team at MHACTREVIEW@act.gov.au If you would like your experiences and ideas to be included but do not want to make your own submission or attend a consultation session, Carers ACT will be preparing a group submission. If you have feedback about mental health or forensic mental health orders, information sharing, ACAT decision-making, participation in hearings, or any other aspect of the Mental Health Act, please contact Em Newton-Elliot at mhcarers@carersact.org.au. The MHS 2026 Sydney - "Illuminating Hope, Inclusion & Connection" Recently, Em from the MHCV team attended TheMHS Conference, connecting with people from across Australia and New Zealand and hearing how different communities are responding to shared challenges across the mental health system.
A highlight was the Family/Whānau/Kin/Friend/Carers & Supporters Forum, where sector colleagues shared practical approaches to strengthening carer inclusion, from clinical training and resources to new ways of partnering with carers and families.
Reflecting on the conference, Em highlighted an important message: “Recovery doesn’t just happen to individuals – it happens to families and carers too.”
The conference theme, Illuminating Hope, Inclusion and Connection, reinforced the importance of recognising and supporting the people who provide care throughout a person’s mental health journey.
Em also reflected on how embedding visible support for carers and building stronger partnerships can help individuals, families and communities build resilience, connection and hope before, during and after a mental health crisis.
Em returned to the ACT with plenty of ideas, learnings and new connections that can help inform MHCV’s work towards a more inclusive and responsive mental health system for carers.
Youth Coalition Aftercare Project We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the carers who took part in our consultation sessions for the Youth Coalition’s Youth Aftercare Service Co-design Project.
This project is exploring how a new Aftercare service could be designed in the ACT, in partnership with both young people and carers. During the consultations, carers generously shared their experiences of supporting a young person through suicidal distress and spoke openly about the challenges, strengths, and gaps they encountered along the way.
Your insights, honesty, and willingness to share deeply personal experiences will help shape recommendations for a service that is more responsive, supportive, and centred on the needs of young people and the people who care for them. We are incredibly grateful for the time, knowledge, and lived experience you contributed to this important work. Your voices will play a vital role in helping create better support for families and carers in the future.
To find out more about the project, please visit: Aftercare Project Consultations - The Youth Coalition of the ACT Mental Health Carer Support GroupsAre you supporting a family member, partner, friend, or loved one living with mental health challenges? Mental health carers play an important role in providing emotional, practical, and ongoing support — often while balancing their own wellbeing, responsibilities, and daily life.
Carers ACT Mental Health Carer Support Groups offer a safe and supportive space to connect with others who understand these experiences. Facilitated by a counsellor, the groups provide opportunities for peer connection, shared understanding, and support.
Group Details
Northside Support Group Dates: Second Tuesday each month Time: 5:00pm to 7:00pm Location: Carers ACT, 2/80 Beaurepaire Crescent Holt
Southside Support Group Dates: Third Monday of each month Times: 6:00pm to 8:00pm Location: Communities at Work, 245 Cowlishaw Street, Greenway
How to Access
Before attending, please ensure you are: - registered with Carers ACT (you can register here: Carer Registration Form)
- registered for the session prior to attending
- providing care to someone living with mental health challenges
To join the groups, please email carer.support@carersact.org.au Mental Health Carers Voice - Care Navigator The mental health system can feel hard to navigate, especially when you are supporting someone you care about. The MHCV Navigator website is a practical resource hub designed to help mental health carers find the information they need, when they need them about the ACT Mental Health System. Built with carers in mind, the Navigator brings helpful information together in one place, so carers can focus on supporting their loved ones while also looking after their own wellbeing.
Visit the Carer Navigator: https://navigator.mhcv.org.au/ Mental Health support after hospital discharge: Australian guide for patients and carersThe days and weeks following discharge from a mental health hospital stay can be overwhelming. To help patients, families and carers feel more confident during this transition, Therapy Near Me has developed a plain-language guide covering everything from follow-up appointments and medications to support services and crisis options. Recently updated and health literacy reviewed, it is a practical resource to help people find the right support at the right time. Download the guide here |
