At MIFWA, our mission is to support mental wellness and recovery. We provide person-led, recovery-focused services, operating in the Perth Metropolitan area. Our goal is to focus on where we can make a meaningful and lasting impact on individual and community wellbeing. For us, providing excellent mental health services goes hand in hand with operating responsibly and sustainably.
Over recent years, we've recognised the growing connections between environmental health, social equity, and mental health outcomes. Our stakeholders (including government funders, community partners, and the people we support) increasingly expect transparency about our environmental and social impact. That's why in 2024 we partnered with Socialsuite to conduct our first comprehensive ESG materiality assessment and establish systematic sustainability reporting.
We began our ESG journey with Socialsuite by conducting a double materiality assessment. We examined both how external factors impact MIFWA and how we impact the broader community. Using Socialsuite’s platform, we engaged 52 stakeholders including employees, government representatives, and industry peers to identify our most critical ESG priorities.
From over 50 potential material topics, we identified 14 priority areas that would guide our sustainability focus. The assessment revealed that social and governance issues were prioritised over environmental concerns, reflecting our sector's people-focused nature.
Key priorities included business ethics (fundamental to our social license), customer privacy (critical for vulnerable populations), and the Rights of Indigenous People.
This work will help us prepare for future voluntary reporting under the Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards (ASRS), in particular AASB S1, as we anticipate needing to supply information to our funders.
Working with Socialsuite has transformed how we approach sustainability and ESG.
Their materiality assessment process revealed insights and trends across our stakeholder group. Particularly the strong stakeholder emphasis on ethical governance and culturally safe practices, as well as sustainability priorities in mental health services.
The assessment helped us recognise that ESG principles enhance rather than compete with our mental health mission. We identified positive impacts including enhanced service delivery through diversity, culturally appropriate mental health support, and continuing to innovate through inclusive practices.
Overall, Socialsuite has enabled us to become what we believe is a forward-thinking mental health organisation in Australia. We believe that through the reporting process we are now positioned as sector leaders, with clear strategic focus areas and systems for continuous stakeholder engagement and improvement.
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