S32: Stretch2Engage: It is not about getting you to engage with us, but how we, as organisations,engage better with you!

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By September 5, 2019 No Comments

Authors: Helen Glover, Sue Pope, Jacklyn Whybrow, Deborah Bailey

Year: 2019

Event: 2019 TheMHS Conference

Subject: Stretch2Engage: It is not about getting you to engage with us, but how we, as organisations,engage better with you!

Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers

Abstract:

Biography:

Jacklyn Whybrow has worked across public and non-government sector in trauma and mental health. Jacklyn brings an advanced scope of practice in early intervention, acute care, early psychosis and older person’s mental health. She is passionate about the community mental health sector that build sustainable and meaningful systems for people to access.

Debbie has spent the last 20 years working in Government and For purpose management roles in a variety of sectors. As CEO of Toowoomba Clubhouse for the past 2 years, Debbie’s focus has been on building on the Clubhouse recovery focussed programs in line with the transition from block funding to NDIS and competitive tendering. Debbie believes the success and strength of the Toowoomba Clubhouse is the engagement between staff and members and the sense of community that is built from this shared ownership.

The Stretch2Engage Framework provides a fresh perspective for organisations to effectively engage with people who access their service, their families and the wider community. It has been developed with a wide range of stakeholders across the Queensland mental health and AOD sectors. This is the first project that the Queensland Mental Health Commission has undertaken conjointly across both sectors.

Stretch2Engage has unashamedly been developed from the standpoint that engagement, for the purposes of service improvement, is an action and responsibility of the organisation and not of those accessing services. Instead of asking the question,’ how can we get people to engage with us?’ it flips the question to ’how can we more effectively engage with people’?

The framework’s seven domains guide mental health and AOD services to strengthen their organisational engagement culture: Curious; Clear; Creative: Collective; Comprehensive; Champion and Committed. It is currently being tested with 7 mental health/ AOD services. Workshops, organisational coaching and resources have been provided to assist each organisation implement the framework over 12 months.

The external evaluation provides evidence as to the framework’s effectiveness in strengthening organisational engagement culture and ultimately delivering services that are relevant and responsive to people and the wider community’s needs.

Learning Objectives

Learning Objective 1 & 2: This paper will assist participants to:
(i) Understand how the stretch2enagge framework can support organisations to strengthen their engagement culture with people who access services, families and the wider community.
(ii) Stretch the way the mental health sector undertakes and leads engagement initiatives and culture, ensuring that relevant mental health service delivery is responsive to peoples needs.

References

Queensland Mental Health commission (2016) Stretch2Engage Framework for the Mental health ad AOD sectors https://www.qmhc.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Stretch2Engage-Service-Engagement-Framework_Feb17.pdf.access online 11th MArch 2019)

The National Mental Health Commission (2018) Sit beside me, not above me: Supporting safe and effective engagement and participation of people with lived experience. http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/media/253244/Sit%20beside%20me,%20not%20above%20me%20-%20Supporting%20safe%20and%20effective%20engagement%20a....pdf (online access 11th March 2019)

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