Roles and competencies of the Support Facilitator in Australia's recovery-oriented mental health initiative: a qualitative study from Gippsland, Victoria

Objective. This study explored the roles and competencies of Support Facilitators (SFs) engaged in the implementation of the Partners in Recovery initiative in a rural region of Victoria. Methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 stakeholders involved in the initiative, of which 15 were SFs. Results. Two main themes and 10 subthemes emerged from the data: (1) SF competencies (which included an understanding of local services as well as administrative and social skills); and (2) the SF role (which included them being a single point of contact, providing care coordination, assisting the client to become self-reliant, achieving good outcomes for clients with confronting behaviours, judiciously using flexible funding, clearly outlining their role with clients and maintaining boundaries and performing a different role from that of the mental health case manager). Conclusions. The roles and competencies of the SF in the Partners in Recovery initiative in Gippsland were congruent with the defined characteristics of a care coordination approach. The results highlight how the SF role differs from that of traditional clinical case managers. These findings are important for future mental health service policy development, education and training of mental health practitioners and recruitment of personnel to care coordination roles.