Authors: Leanne Galpin, Camilo Guaqueta, Darryl Maybery, Andrea Reuper, Steph Kershaw, Tariq Isaacs, Kate Dean, Lexine Stapinski, Felicity Duong, Kate Ross, Louise Birrell, Kylie Routledge, Katrina Champion, Nicola Newton, Frances Kay-Lambkin, Corey Tutt, Dennis Gray, Steve Allsop, Nyanda McBride, Kimberley Cartwright, Maree Teesson, Cath Chapman, Zoey Ka, Donna Didlick
Year: 2022
Event: 2022 TheMHS Conference
Subject: co-design, addiction, lived experience, carers,
Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers
Abstract: LEAD PRESENTATION: Promoting carers’ experiences in safety and quality improvement: a project lead by SA Carer Champions
Leanne Galpin, Camilo Guaqueta
The partnership between mental health service providers, people receiving mental health care, and their carers is essential in implementing a personal recovery approach in mental health care settings. The Mental Health Carer Experience Survey (CES) is a national instrument for collecting data about carers' experiences when interacting with mental health services. It provides a significant opportunity for strengthening this partnership by improving the implementation of the safety and quality standards related to consumer and carer engagement.
A group of Carer Champions from each Local Health Network in South Australia led by the Lived Experience Team of the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist developed a project to collect, analyse, communicate, and implement quality improvement action plans based on the CES results.
A total of 84 mental health services across the state received feedback from 476 carers on key areas for quality improvement.
This presentation will focus on the lessons learned regarding how the critical components of the project contributed to the successful implementation of the CES, including an increased survey take-up and service improvements based on the carers’ experiences.
It will also highlight the importance of embedding lived experience leadership in designing, implementing, and evaluating safety and quality projects.
LEAD PRESENTATION: The 7 fundamental ways that mental health services should engage with carers and family.
Darryl Maybery, Andrea Reuper
Integration is defined as ‘the act or process of uniting different things”. This presentation proposes that when service providers, service users and their carers/family are successfully integrated, widespread benefits will flow to all stakeholders. However, mental health services do not commonly engage with carers or family. This presentation describes (a) an extensive review of the literature and (b) mixed method feedback from 134 carers/family about what they received and wanted from mental health services. The findings triangulate carer/family lived experience with multiple diverse literatures, to confirm 7 fundamental engagement practices that carers/family want from health services. Conceptually and statistically, the 7 practices are represented by 2 broad overarching practice themes that (i) address the needs of the service user and (ii) meet the needs of the carer/family member. The findings simplify the complexity of carer/family engagement, highlighting what is required from service providers to make a difference for all stakeholders. Policy, clinical practice, training and future research should encompass the 7 core practices along with consideration of the intertwined relationship of family, carers and the service user suggested by the two broader concepts.
PANEL PRESENTATION: Development of a culturally appropriate, national website about crystal methamphetamine.
Steph Kershaw, Tariq Isaacs, Kate Dean, Lexine Stapinski, Felicity Duong, Kate Ross, Louise Birrell, Kylie Routledge, Katrina Champion, Nicola Newton, Frances Kay-Lambkin, Corey Tutt, Dennis Gray, Steve Allsop, Nyanda McBride, Kimberley Cartwright, Maree Teesson, Cath Chapman
Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug of concern to many communities across Australia. Access to culturally appropriate and community informed resources is limited. This presentation aims to provide an overview of the development of the first culturally appropriate, national website for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples which aims to provide evidence-based resources about crystal methamphetamine (‘ice’).
An Expert Advisory group of Aboriginal elders, researchers, and health workers collaboratively guided the development, ensuring the project navigated the complexities of developing an evidence based resource. To understand the communities needs initial national consultations were conducted to identify specific resource requirements. 166 people participated, identifying a need for evidence-based resources regarding what methamphetamine is, its impacts on mental health and families/communities. Integrating ongoing community feedback through the development process and prior to the launch of the website was imperative to ensure resources were responsive to community needs.
The Cracks in the Ice website for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples launched on 21 July 2021, attracting >15K website visitors and >37K views. Over 31K hardcopy brochures have been distributed. The website is the first of its kind, providing community led and informed resources that support people and their families affected by crystal methamphetamine.
PANEL PRESENTATION: Introducing Finding North, a national online website and network, inspiring people to find their north
Zoey Ka, Donna Didlick
The importance of Lived Experience Leadership (LEL), more than ever, needs to be a driving factor within service design and reform. LEL is an emerging term and broadly means “an activity where people stand up and speak up for the recognition and valuing of lived experience (LE) and advancing the movement”.¹
Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia (MIFA) is a national policy and advocacy agency representing mental health organisations that support over 20,000 people across Australia. We understand that “peer interactions are a source of hope”² and can be incredibly beneficial to an individuals’ journey to heal, learn and thrive.
MIFA has undergone a 2 year co-design and co-production process, partnering with people with a lived experience to create information resources. This partnership led to the creation of Finding North, a brand and resource richer than we could have imagined. The outcome achieved by the co-design group is a testament to the value of utilising lived experience in the design and production of solutions to the complex problems we face.
Finding North, a tribute to the story of the north star, transcends cultures and time. We all have our own true north that brings us a sense of wellness and happiness. Its not always easy to find and its often a journey we take to learn and know more about ourselves. It’s a place where we value the experience and expertise we gain through the challenges we face and the personal transformation we undergo. Finding North is a reminder that people’s lived experience is valuable and powerful. Each individual voice and story can transform a society, it can change deeply held core beliefs of communities and systems so that people who are faced with mental health conditions in the future receive the treatment, supports and services they deserve.
There are so many amazing examples of work happening all across Australia. Whether it is research, policy reform, training and capacity building and lived experience led services design, Finding North aims to connect people to this work and amplify it. Finding North has been designed to inspire and provide practical next through two functions:
1. A national Finding North website designed to inspire, create hope and help people navigate the often messy and disjointed mental health sector; and
2. The online Finging North Network that enables new, emerging and established Lived Experience leaders to connect, share and inspire each other.
The Finding North Network was launched in 2021 and has now grown to a community of more than 100 members who share information, contribute to conversations and be sources of hope for eachother. We know we can't individually change the world overnight, but to provide a space where a seed can be planted, where people can begin creating changes within themselves and perhaps even influencing those around them, now that's something special.
Launched more recently, The Finding North Website tackles the challenge of navigating mental health services options across Australia. The content provides practical next steps but is also co-produced, written and inspired by people with a lived experience.
Join us in a conversation about what inspired the development of Finding North website and hear from members of the network about how the network has impacted their sense of hope and capacity to lead. Let us show you around the functionality of the website and the network, explain the benefits and discuss plans for the future. We will share our best tips for co-design and our learnings where we didn’t always get it 100% right.
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