Strategy in Action Meetings

The transition from child and adolescent mental health services to adult mental health services presents numerous challenges for young people experiencing eating disorders and their families and supports. Interruptions in eating disorder care for young people are associated with adverse outcomes such as anxiety, distress, disengagement with services, and an increased risk of relapse post-transition.

To address this urgent need to improve care pathways for young people with eating disorders transitioning to adult services, NEDC held a Strategy in Action Meeting where clinicians, service leaders, and researchers discussed the barriers, opportunities, and solutions to these shared challenges and identified possible evidence-based, person-centred interventions which meet the needs of young people.

This group now meets quarterly as a Community of Practice where members hear from NEDC about new research and service models emerging in both Australia and internationally, as well as sharing resources, frameworks, policies, and funding opportunities to support the implementation of this work.

Slides

You can access the slides for the Care pathways for Young People Strategy in Action meeting here.

A literature review examining factors affecting transition outcomes for young people eating disorders and an overview of evidence-based transition interventions can be accessed here.

If you are interested in joining the Age Transition Community of Practice, please email us at nationalstrategy@nedc.com.au 

Individuals living with longstanding eating disorders often encounter care that does not fully meet their unique and complex needs. Many present with complex co-occurring mental and physical health challenges and have participated in evidence-based treatment without achieving sustained wellness and describe experiences of care which are inflexible and unresponsive to their needs. Experiences of hopelessness are common for those affected and can contribute to significant carer burnout and distress.

Authored by Shannon Calvert, NEDC has published a guide and a series of workbooks designed to support consumers, carers and the workforce to ensure that people living with longstanding eating disorders receive care that is trauma informed, person-centred and are supported to navigate the ethical complexities that can arise in this context.

To support ongoing implementation of these resources, as well as continue to understand the barriers that are being experienced, a Strategy in Action group will be convened to bring together crucial voices in the sector, collaborate on addressing challenges, support reflective practice and an ongoing commitment to change. 

A literature review examining the challenges experienced by people with longstanding eating disorders can be accessed here. 

Access to appropriate evidence-based eating disorder treatment remains inequitable, particularly for people in rural and remote communities, where many struggle to access timely treatment, matched to their needs, close to home. Workforce shortages, long wait lists, system complexity, technological limitations, insufficient culturally sensitive practice, and lack of awareness of eating disorders, all impact timely access to eating disorder treatment in these communities. 

To improve access to eating disorder care, NEDC will be held a Strategy in Action Meeting to discuss the barriers affecting rural and remote communities, innovative solutions to increase the capacity of rural and remote services and providers to respond to eating disorders.

Slides

You can access the slides for the Rural and Remote Strategy in Action meeting here

A literature review exploring the challenges for rural and remote communities in accessing case for eating disorders can be accessed here. 

People experiencing eating disorders face an elevated risk of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts. His increased vulnerability is shaped by a range of intersecting factors which may contribute to heightened risk of suicide including experiences of trauma, economic disadvantage, LGBTQIA+ experiences, neurodivergence, disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity, and experiences of severe and enduring mental health disorders.

In line with national suicide prevention efforts, reducing this risk requires coordinated, evidence-based, and person-centred care pathways. These pathways must ensure people receive timely support, strengthen protective factors, and respond to the broader social, cultural, and psychological determinants that contribute to suicidal distress, including symptoms of eating disorders.

To support this work, NEDC will convened a Strategy in Action Meeting to explore how a preventive, whole-of-system approach can reduce suicidal distress among people experiencing eating disorders, and to identify the systems and processes needed to drive and sustain progress in suicide prevention.

The slides from the meeting can be accessed here.

A literature review exploring the interrelationship of suicide and eating disorders and a summary of findings from the session can be accessed here.

LGBTQIA+ populations have an increased risk of eating disorders, disordered eating and body dissatisfaction compared to the general population. This increased risk is attributed to a range of factors, including greater stress (caused by stigma, prejudice and discrimination), and body-related pressures. As well as experiencing increased risk of eating disorders, people from LGBTQIA+ communities face barriers in accessing support and treatment. 

The National Eating Disorders Strategy 2023-2033 calls for a system of care which better meets the needs of underserved and higher risk population groups, including LGBTQIA+ communities. NEDC will convene a Strategy in Action Meeting to explore how the needs of LGBTQIA+ communities can be better met across the system of care, and identify practical initiatives, resources and next steps to achieve this. 

A literature review exploring eating disorders in the LGBTQIA+ populations can be accessed here.

if you have a question for our team, or suggestions for future Strategy in Action Meeting topics please email us at nationalstrategy@nedc.com.au 

Nurses are an integral part of our health system, encountering patients across multiple settings including primary care, hospitals and mental health. They are a diverse discipline with various focuses in clinical practice and offer huge potential to support with the prevention, identification and initial response for eating disorders. Despite this, there the is a lack of awareness of the capability building opportunities, to increase their confidence and knowledge in the area. The small amount of siloed facilitated training opportunities for nurses means that most are left without the ability to adequately prevent and identify eating disorders.  

NEDC will hold a Strategy in Action meeting to discuss how we to build capability within nurses at a systems level to ensure they are able to effectively respond to and prevent eating disorders. 

ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) is a relatively new diagnosis with growing research around which treatments are effective. An Australian study reported a frequency of ARFID to be 1 in 300 people in Australia. ARFID is a serious eating disorder characterised by avoidance and aversion to food and eating. The restriction is NOT due to a body image disturbance, but a result of anxiety or phobia of food and/or eating, a heightened sensitivity to sensory aspects of food such as texture, taste or smell, or a lack of interest in food/eating secondary to low appetite. ARFID is more commonly present in childhood and adolescence; however, it can occur in people of any age, gender, background, and sexual orientation. 

The restricted intake of food is associated with significant weight loss, nutritional deficiency and marked interference with psychosocial functioning.  

The SIA session will explore the following questions with our expert panel: 

How can we set up services and systems to identify and respond to ARFID? How can inpatient service models respond to ARFID?

How can we enhance evidence-based approaches to treatment of ARFID?

Feeding difficulties and eating disorders are overrepresented in neurodivergent people including autism, ADHD, intellectual disability, giftedness and Tourette’s syndrome.  There is substantial body of literature linking neurodivergence and eating disorders, yet clinicians and researchers’ knowledge in this area is only beginning to emerge. 

Evidence shows that existing therapy models for anorexia result in worse outcomes for autistic people. Similarly, people with ADHD benefit less than neurotypical people from current treatment models. 

In partnership with EDNA (Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia), NEDC will be inviting stakeholders to engage in a radical rethink of how neuronormative feeding and eating practices, which influence research and clinical practice across all levels of eating disorder care, may prove counterproductive or even harmful for neurodivergent people.  

NEDC will run a Strategy in Action meeting to discuss how can we support clinicians and services to provide more neuro-affirming treatment models.   

Children and young people are disproportionately affected by eating disorders with a growing prevalence. There is a need for General Practitioners and Primary Care professionals to be on the lookout for ED symptoms to ensure early identification and timely referral to specialist services when needed.

NEDC will hold a Strategy in Action meeting in November 2026 to discuss how to improve the skills of healthcare workforce to respond to eating disorders in children under 12.