CESPHN continued to lead the National Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR) Support Project, in partnership with the PHN Cooperative and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA). The project provided regular national training in the IAR Guidance and Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST), supported resource development and implementation guidance to help GPs, mental health professionals and other mental health staff use the IAR-DST in practice. The CESPHN team provided key input into the development of the IAR eLearning module for health professionals that was launched in January, and other Department-led IAR activities. We provided consultation and presentations on IAR related activity to other stakeholders including the NSW Ministry of Health and facilitated monthly meetings of the National IAR Network providing a direct communication channel with all 31 PHNs.
IAR National Support Project
During 2025-26, CESPHN continued to lead the National IAR Support Project, supporting the consistent use of the IAR-DST across primary mental health care settings.
Key activities during the year included delivering 37 national training sessions across all age-based IAR adaptations and training 823 participants from PHNs across Australia, representing a broad range of professional backgrounds. The training was delivered by a consortium of trainers from CESPHN, Western NSW PHN, Murray PHN and Brisbane South PHN representing strong working relationships to achieve the common goal of providing quality IAR training.
We facilitated 12 national Communities of Practice, providing a forum for PHNs to share experiences, discuss implementation challenges and receive updates from the DHDA. Additional work included a national audit of IAR implementation activities to inform future policy and planning, and consultation on the development and promotion of the national IAR eLearning module for health professionals.
Following the conclusion of dedicated national IAR funding in June 2025, many PHNs no longer had capacity to deliver local IAR training. In response, CESPHN continued to provide national training opportunities to support ongoing workforce capability as IAR implementation expanded across a growing range of services and settings.
Feedback from participants remained strongly positive. Clinicians reported that the training was practical, relevant and easy to apply in their work. Facilitators were consistently recognised for their knowledge and engaging delivery, while case-based learning activities were highlighted as particularly valuable in building confidence in referral decision-making and use of the IAR-DST. Participants also identified opportunities for further improvement, including additional time for discussion, more complex case studies and greater opportunity to practice scoring and decision-making.