While people with an intellectual disability experience higher rates of mental health disorders than the general population, they also experience considerable barriers to receiving quality health care. One such barrier is a lack of workforce capacity in mainstream mental health services.

Mental health professionals report a lack of confidence and knowledge when working with people with an intellectual disability. In Australia, there is a lack of training in this area during undergraduate/postgraduate education, and limited opportunities for professional development once mental health professionals are qualified. Steps are needed to increase workforce capacity in this area through education and training.

3DN has developed a range of resources for mental health professionals including a core competency framework and online modules to help them develop the necessary knowledge and skills to provide quality health care to people with an intellectual disability.

The 2018 National Roundtable on the Mental Health of People with Intellectual Disability was hosted at UNSW Sydney in March 2018 and brought together 130 clinicians, academics and sector representatives to workshop recommendations to improve mental health services and outcomes for this population