This week the Commission was joined by Assistant Minister Coleman for the launch of the National Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Development Guidelines. We were encouraged by the response to these documents with over 1,000 attendees at the launch webinar (watch it now), including representatives from across the sector, many of whom have a lived experience.
The Australian Government has a long-standing commitment to supporting the development of the Lived Experience workforce.
A thriving mental health Lived Experience workforce is considered a vital component of quality, recovery-focused mental health services.
The Commission has developed the National Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Development Guidelines under Action 29 of the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan.
These Guidelines are primarily intended to inform decision makers, including employers and funding bodies and to support change across the mental health sector by improving understanding of the benefits of the Lived Experience workforce. The Guidelines assist employers to assess their local readiness and prioritise activities that support successful implementation.
The Guidelines assist employers to assess their local readiness and prioritise activities that support successful implementation.
The Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Development Guidelines and their companion documents are the result of extensive consultation and a co-production process with people with diverse perspectives to ensure that a broad range of views, experiences, identifications and cultural perspectives were included. Stakeholders included people with personal or direct lived experience (consumers), families and carers, designated Lived Experience workers, people working for government departments, mental health commissions, managers and employers, and non-designated colleagues.