Toodyay bushfire major incident review
1036. Hon ALISON XAMON to the parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Mental Health:
I refer to the Toodyay bushfire major incident review, in which the need for an established process for ensuring the qualifications or bona fides of counsellors was identified.
(1) What is the minister doing to ensure that only counsellors with established bona fides are used during and after a major incident?
(2) Will the minister consider using this protocol as the basis for a registration scheme for counsellors in Western Australia?
Hon HELEN MORTON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) The Department for Child Protection is responsible for coordinating psychological support during and after a major incident. Details of roles and responsibilities are outlined in Westplan–Welfare and the mental health disaster subplan. Following an incident, DCP coordinates the implementation of psychological first aid by trained staff.
(2) No. However, the minister will advocate for counsellors to be accredited as part of the next phase of the scheme for national regulation of the health professions.