Authors: Kirsten Gibbs, Erika Gelzinnis
Year: 2017
Event: 2017 TheMHS Conference
Subject: Policy, Strategy ,Advocacy, Lived Experience, Recovery
Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers
Abstract: Consumer participation and co-design are hot topics at the moment in the mental health sector. Being - Mental Health & Wellbeing Consumer Advisory Group will present on the current environment of how we think that consumer participation is being embraced and where improvements need to occur. Co-design has been an area we have been keenly following over the past few years. Co-design through genuine partnership has been the way consumers have been wanting to see services move beyond the sometimes tokenistic involvement of consumers on committees. We believe that it is an area for great improvement and opportunity.
We will be collating the experiences of consumers relating to how well they have been included in services and organisations, and what opportunities there are for improvement. People often talk about the link between good consumer participation and empowerment, and poor participation being linked to control and power. The concepts of power and control will be explored to uncover how services have overcome any barriers to achieve genuine partnership with consumers.
This presentation will also cover the range of ways consumers can be included in service design and delivery, and in policy development, as well as provide tips from consumers about how this partnership works best.
The presentation will cover best practice ideas in relation to training and support of consumers who are participating and partnering with services, and will provide examples of where participation and co-design is working well.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objective 1: The audience will gain an overview of the consumer perspective on how to be inclusive when developing engagement strategies and information about to improve these processes.
Learning Objective 2: Mental health services all have a responsibility to partner with consumers however often they are not aware of how to do this.
References
Bennetts, W, & Cross W, & Bloomer M (2011) Understanding consumer participation in mental health: Issues of power and change, International Journal of Mental Health Nursing 20, 155–164.
Arnstein, Sherry R. "A Ladder of Citizen Participation," JAIP, Vol. 35, No. 4, July 1969, pp. 216-224
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