We acknowledge the Traditional Owners/Custodians of the lands and waters on which we work and live on across Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We are committed to collaboration that furthers self-determination and creates a better future for all. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website contains images and names of deceased persons.

The Australian Centre for Social Innovation

Carla Clarence

Principal: Future of Mental Health

Carla Clarence
she/her
LinkedIn

Working on Gadigal Country

Before joining TACSI, Carla worked in the NFP and employment services sector dedicated to helping and supporting people achieve and sustain, both personal and career goals.

With a particularly strong focus on young people, the socially isolated and individuals with extremely complex life challenges, she believes that a combination of creative ideas and relationship building supports people in striving to create their own positive futures.

Carla approaches her work with a practice-based background of case work, coaching, collaboration, management, partnership building, project development, as well as strategic planning and delivery.

She brings an ever evolving social practice approach in order to be of service to the social innovation work of TACSI partners and friends. Carla’s philosophical approach is that by creating the right environment all individuals and organisations can participate and partner in new and improved ways to improve our social lives.

Carla's Message Stick

*A message stick is a public form of graphic communication first used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Peoples. The objects were carried by messengers over long distances and were used to support a verbal message.

Carla Clarence's message stick is a document describing practices of traditional healers of the Ngangkari Peoples.

Carla's project highlights

Case study: Designing a philosophy of care for mental health in SA

Case study: Designing a philosophy of care for mental health in SA

What does mental health care informed by lived experience look like? In 2020, we partnered with the SA Lived Experience Leadership and Advocacy Network (LELAN) to find out. Together, we co-created a Philosophy of Care to inform the new Urgent Mental Health Care Centre (UMHCC) in Adelaide.

South Sudanese Australian Minds

South Sudanese Australian Minds

TACSI worked with South Sudanese Australian communities, providers and government to develop and trial ideas to improve mental health and wellbeing in response to devastating losses of young people in the communities to suicide.

Introducing the Community Responders project

Introducing the Community Responders project

The Community Responder project, funded by the Fay Fuller Foundation, set out to find out what people in the South Australian community want and need when it comes to mental health distress or crisis.

Meet more of the team who make our work possible.