Deep Dive -Mental Health Lived Experience

If you are interested in the Lived Experience and Peer Workforce Expertise Recognition Journey through the lens of Strategy Documents, Frameworks, Standards, Major Inquiries and Royal Commissions - we've got you covered here. This is only one lens to view this journey, there are many. Through this lens we see how the dauntless spirit of people with Lived and Living Experience have driven culture changes, which have intern driven changes in government policy. 

We hope this is a quick and easy place to access this information.

Link: https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/04/mental-health-statement-of-rights-and-responsibilities-2012.pdf

Publication Details: Standing Council on Health, ISBN: 978-1-74241-762-2

Significance: Establishes fundamental rights including having lived experiences respected and taken into account

Link:      https://extranet.who.int/mindbank/item/6825

Publication Details: Australian Government Department of Health, 2017, 3.7 MB PDF

Significance:      First plan to specifically commit all governments to work together for integration and centrally include consumers and carers

Link: https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-10/national-mental-health-workforce-strategy-2022-2032.pdf

Publication Details: Department of Health and Aged Care, Publications Number: DT0002637, 67 pages

Significance: Acknowledges lived experience workforce as essential discipline

 Link: https://federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/sites/federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/files/2022-03/nmh_suicide_prevention_agreement.pdf

Publication Details: Commonwealth and State/Territory governments, March 2022

Significance: Commits governments to embed lived experience in design, planning, delivery and evaluation. 

Organisation: National Mental Health Commission

Link: https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/lived-experience/lived-experience-workforces/peer-experience-workforce-guidelines

Publication Details: Developed under Action 29 of the Fifth National Mental Health Plan

Supporting Resource: https://livedexperienceleadership.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Guidelines_Contents_and_Summary_Final.pdf

Significance: Provides comprehensive guidance for organisations developing lived experience workforces

Organisation: QIP (Quality Innovation Performance Limited)

Link: https://www.qip.com.au/standards/national-standards-for-mental-health-services-nsmhs/

Publication Details: Australian Government Department of Health, developed in 2010

Significance: Outcome-oriented standards with strong values base related to human rights, dignity and empowerment, applicable to broad range of mental health services across Australia

Organisation: Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Link: https://www.qip.com.au/standards/nsqmhcmo-standards/

Three Standards: Practice Governance Standard, Partnering with Consumers/Families/Carers Standard, Model of Care Standard

Significance: Enhances safety and quality of mental health services provided by community organisations, ensuring consistent high-quality care

Organisation: Quality Innovation Performance Limited (QIP)

Current Version: 7th Edition (v1.1) - https://www.qip.com.au/qic-standards-7th-edition-v1-1/

Previous Version: 6th Edition - https://library.bsl.org.au/jspui/bitstream/1/3436/1/QIC%20Health%20&%20Community%20Services%20Standards_6th%20ednV1%202.pdf

Publication Details: Supports consumer and community engagement, diversity and cultural appropriateness, management systems, governance and service delivery

Significance: Supports health and community organisations through 'whole-of-organisation' approach to assessment, with key areas supporting consumer engagement and cultural appropriateness

  Main Information: https://www.vic.gov.au/royal-commission-victorias-mental-health-system-final-report

Final Report Summary: https://www.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-01/RCVMHS_FinalReport_ExecSummary_Accessible.pdf

Full Report Access: https://rcvmhs.vic.gov.au/

Human Rights Commission Response: https://www.humanrights.vic.gov.au/news/a-transformed-mental-health-system-with-human-rights-at-its-heart/

Publication Details: Final Report delivered 3 February 2021, tabled 2 March 2021, comprising 5 volumes plus Summary and recommendations (ISBN      978-1-925789-63-8), 65 recommendations, chaired by Penny Armytage AM

Significance:      Establishes human rights as foundation for mental health system reform,      emphasizes lived experience leadership throughout system, creates  initiatives led by people with lived experience, addresses power  imbalances and focuses on personal recovery

Full TitleFull  Title: Report of the National Inquiry into the Human Rights of People with Mental Illness

Availability:      https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/disability-rights/publications/inquiry-human-rights-people-mental-illness-report

Findings  and Recommendations: https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/publications/report-national-inquiry-human-rights-people-mental-illness

Parliamentary  Summary: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/researchpapers/Documents/BF-04-1993-Burdekin-Report.pdf

Senate      Committee Reference: https://www.aph.gov.au/~/media/wopapub/senate/committee/mentalhealth_ctte/report/c03_pdf.ashx

Publication  DetailsPublication Details

Significance:      Exposed devastating personal consequences of inadequate mental health      services, led to National Mental Health Strategy 1992, revealed widespread      ignorance and discrimination, widespread belief that few people recover,      resulted in major changes to mental health policy including rapid      deinstitutionalisation and protection of rights

 National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum (NMHCCF)

Main Website: https://nmhccf.org.au/

Peer Workforce Advocacy Brief: The Peer Workforce

Significance: Combined national voice for mental health consumers and carers

 Links: Original Framework: https://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/250938/sub799-mental-health-attachment3.pdfCurrent 

Framework: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/1297059/lived-experience-framework-2023.pdfCommission 

Resources: https://www.qmhc.qld.gov.au/engage-enable/lived-experience-led-reform/lived-experience-workforce-developmentPublication 

Details: Queensland Mental Health Commission, Byrne, L., Wang, L., Roennfeldt, H., Chapman, M., Darwin, L. (2019), Revised 2023

Significance: Supports development and expansion of lived experience roles across Queensland, aligns with National Guidelines 

 Organisation: Mental Health Commission WA

Link: https://www.mhc.wa.gov.au/our-initiatives/our-projects/lived-experience-(peer)-workforce-project

Supporting Resources: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience-led Peer Workforces Guide, Toolkit for Organisational Actions, Lived Experience Peer Worker Handbook

Contact: LivedExperienceWorkforces@mhc.wa.gov.au

Significance: Contemporary approach to building diverse lived experience workforces

Organisation: Primary Health Tasmania (with Mental Health Family and Friends and Health Consumers Tasmania)

Link: https://www.primaryhealthtas.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Seven-steps-framework-lived-experience.pdf

Alternative Link: https://pacfa.org.au/portal/portal/News-and-Advocacy/news/2024/Seven-Steps-to-Develop-an-Organisational-Lived-Expertise-Engagement-Framework.aspx

Significance: Practical checklist tool for organisations to develop lived expertise engagement frameworks

 Launch Announcement: https://healthsciences.unimelb.edu.au/departments/nursing/about-us/centreformentalhealthnursing/news-and-events/the-launch-of-the-mental-health-consumer-lived-experience-workforce-discipline-framework

Launch Date: March 20, 2025

Part of: Suite of five discipline frameworks for lived and living experience workforces in Victoria

Significance: Establishes foundational values, principles, theories and scope of practice

 Link: https://mhcsa.org.au/lived-experience-workforce-program/

Publication: https://www.lelan.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TheLivedExperienceWorkforceinSAPublicMentalHealthServices.pdf

Organisation: Mental Health Coalition SA

Significance: Guides growth of authentic, qualified lived experience workforce.

Link: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/publications/mental-health-lived-experience-engagement-framework

Publication Details: Victorian Department of Health, 40 pages, DOC format, December 2021, Reviewed June 2022