S25: Alternatives to Suicide: The power of lived experience defining the care experience and building connection with peers in distress

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By April 5, 2023 No Comments

Authors: Ellie Hodges

Year: 2023

Event: 2023 TheMHS Forum

Subject: The power of lived experience defining the care experience and building connection with peers in distress

Type of resource: Video

Abstract: The Lived Experience Leadership & Advocacy Network (LELAN) have been immersed in co-designing, advocating for and leading at the edge of peer-led suicide initiatives for the last three years. Their work has included the creation of a 38-minute film Care not Treatment that spotlights people with lived experience, sharing their wisdom on what helped, what harmed and what could be done to better respond to suicide distress and crisis. This led LELAN to discover the Alternatives to Suicide approach and after two years of advocacy and persistence they are systematically bringing that approach to South Australia. Due to its systems change focus LELAN’s Alt2Su work is disrupting existing governance arrangements and demonstrating that peer-led community-based options work. In 2020 LELAN worked with the lived experience community and partners to co-create the care experience that people want from alternative ED settings. The Philosophy of Care (PoC) was first used in the commissioning of the Urgent Mental Health Care Centre and has been adopted by the South Australian Government to inform broader reform. In late 2022 the PoC has been adapted and is being used to commission and establish a new Head to Health Centre and Crisis Stabilisation Unit in Adelaide’s North. During her presentation Ellie will speak to these pieces of work not only in terms of what and how, but also the why. She will share about the strategic decisions and actions that have had to be taken along the way and the learnings gained to ensure lived experience is centred, enabled and impactful from the ground to highest levels of decision-making.

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