Issues addressed: This project engaged a mental health rehabilitation organisation in health promotion research and development to build its capacity in evaluation research.
Methods: Participatory research methods were used. Staff skills development occurred through training in research and evaluation methods applied to an evaluation project in mental health promotion that they conducted.
Results: All staff had some previous training in research but little, if any, experience of research practice. Staff demonstrated commitment to the idea of embedding research practice into the organisation to strengthen its ability to demonstrate program outcomes. However, the realities of work demands eventually took precedence over the tasks involved in the research process. Staff commitment, knowledge and skills are not sufficient if an organisation lacks the capacity to provide the resources or foster support for a research culture.
Conclusions: The health promotion capacity-building framework is relevant for efforts to build health promotion research into mental health organisations. This project demonstrated that workforce development to build the capacity for mental health promotion is more likely to be successful if it is embedded into organisational strategy and culture, has sufficient resources allocated including staff time, and is supported by management.