Being Bold to Be Heard – Tuesday 28th August 2018
We know from experience and evidence that the best people to shape better outcomes for people living with and/or caring for someone with mental health issues, are those who also have a lived experience. Under-representation and a lack of valuing of lived experience expertise remains an issue in mainstream service delivery which is based predominantly on the medical model. The ‘roar’ of this model commands attention whilst the ‘whisper’ of people who live with mental health issues may go unnoticed.
The 2018 TheMHS Pre-Conference Forums bring together consumers and carers from across Australia and New Zealand to explore the collective and individual power of our whisper. Workshops and presentations during the consumer forum and the carer/family forum will involve sharing from our lived experience.
We will review and reflect on the 23 Big Issues originally developed at the 2000 TheMHS Conference, and identify priority areas relevant to the current reform environment. In line with the title of the day, Being Bold to Be Heard, this year in Adelaide let’s raise our voices to advocate for reform and call for systemic change.
The issues we prioritise and the recommended actions for implementation will be provided to TheMHS. Participants will be urged to follow through on these actions when they leave the Conference.
