Return to flip book view

2022 ANNUAL REPORT

Contents Welcome 4 About Lived Experience Australia 6 Our four pillars 7 1 Advocacy 8 2 Research 10 3 Capacity Building 12 4 Partnerships 16 Communications 18 Financial Snapshot 19 Our People 20 Lived Experience Leadership Award 22

Annual Report Lived Experience Australia Welcome from the Chair Executive Director Sharon Lawn I want to thank our dedicated Board staff and friends for their strong support and to acknowledge the huge effort passion and commitment everyone has given over the past year I want to personally thank everyone for supporting and making me feel so welcome in the role of leading Lived Experience Australia this past year I look forward to our future I m particularly proud and privileged to share lived experience research and partnerships Our This financial year has seen LEA representatives We were privileged to appear before the Royal this Annual Report with you as it reflects the research projects in particular have elevated the positioned on 59 key decision making committees Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide commitment and hard work of the many individuals voice of lived experience to advocate for improved and working groups Notably this has included who are part of Lived Experience Australia LEA It physical health and mental health care and greater being part of the work of the Australian Commission also reflects my first year since moving into the role respect for and inclusion of consumers and carers on Safety and Quality in Health Care ACSQHC in as LEA Chair and Executive Director in August 2021 expertise and experiences its review of national standards in mental health and skilled people makes a significant impact in mental health advocacy Our Board staff team and lived experience representative pool bring a wealth This last year has been a very good year for LEA We are pleased to continue our partnership with despite the many changes and challenges we the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of have all faced The financial year to June 2022 Psychiatry RANZCP the Australian Psychological has proven to be an incredibly dynamic time for Society APS the Australian Private Hospitals LEA has also provided 37 submissions to inform is central in transforming mental health services mental health across Australia with many significant Association APHA and Healthscope and to build the mental health reform agenda both at national through reform processes policy service planning reform agendas at both state and national levels new partnerships with Equally Well AMHOCN and and state levels This has included lived experience delivery and evaluation Through our research These have seen us expand our activities deepen others who share a commitment to strengthening input to the Victorian Western Australian South projects every voice of lived experience that we our existing collaborations and partnerships and the mental health workforce to provide quality Australian and Queensland mental health reform gather and promote is evidence and this evidence forge new ones We have focused on what we do mental health services agendas and advocacy surrounding telehealth is central to our advocacy best in the areas of advocacy capacity building 4 care and the National Disability Insurance Scheme Lived Experience Australia s small team of dedicated NDIS as it strives to deliver quality support to the community of knowledge and expertise through their lived and living experience as consumers carers or both Our goal is to ensure the voice of lived experience privacy restrictive practice and many other important concerns for consumers and carers 5

Annual Report Lived Experience Australia Lived Experience Australia For over 20 years Lived Experience Australia LEA has been advocating on behalf of all those with a lived experience of mental ill health their carers and family members LEA is a national systemic advocacy research and capacity building organisation It is also the peak for private sector consumers and carers All Our four pillars of focus Lived Experience Australia is committed to amplifying the voices of lived experience of consumers their carers and families through engagement and participation This is an essential approach that gives respect to people s human rights and represents genuine partnerships to deliver the best outcomes at individual service organisation and systemic level LEA provides four key pillars of focus for our work board members and staff each have their own lived experience of mental ill health as either a consumer carer or both Because of this LEA is an informed authentic lived experience organisation that is trusted by consumers and carers to understand and advocate for their unique needs and perspectives 1 2 LEA feels a deep sense of responsibility for providing direction and decision making with lived experience expertise and supporting government and the mental health sector more broadly to reform LEA brings the voices of both consumers and carers together while recognising and appreciating the diverse views and different challenges the two groups may face regardless of whether their experience is of public private or non government mental health services LEA is a conduit for people with lived experience to have their voice heard and make a difference in mental health in Australia with extensive existing networks in all states and territories We provide support to government in bringing lived experience perspectives that are essential to drive Advocacy Research Our representations and submissions enable lived experience voices to be heard by decision makers We collect lived experience voices to strengthen our advocacy and learn what is important for individuals change at the national level We champion the government in achieving national key deliverables and outcomes like the 5th National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan through our lived experience led research submissions and providing lived experience representatives All LEA board members and staff have a lived or living experience of mental ill health as consumers carers or both 6 3 4 Capacity Building Partnerships Our learning programs build capacity and capabilities of consumers carers clinicians and organisations We work with other organisations to strengthen lived experience voices and capacity We come together to increase our impact Our work is founded on ensuring lived and living experiences are heard and used as the foundation for mental health reform 7

Annual Report Lived Experience Australia 1 Advocacy VIEW ALL Key areas of advocacy this year included SUBMISSIONS 11 State Advisory Forums held across Australia 59 Working Groups 37 Advocacy Submissions 1 Parliamentary Inquiry While the short term impact of our advocacy submissions are often unknown here are a few examples of the impact our advocacy has had this year National Cancer Strategy Psychology Workforce Telehealth Psychiatry Our submission to the National Cancer Strategy has been central in informing their consultations and framework to include mental health as a priority population Our shared advocacy with the Australian Clinical Psychologists Association ACPA regarding the Psychology Workforce resulted in almost all recommendations put forward being recognised in the national budget Our Telehealth submission contributed to the successful advocacy of the RANZCP in having key item numbers re instated pertaining to psychiatric care IAR for Mental Healthcare Veteran Royal Commission Aging Adult Safeguarding Our submission to the Initial Assessment and Referral IAR for Mental Healthcare consultation was highly commended for its detail and utility in revising this framework we received the following feedback I have briefly read the response and am blown away My sincerest thanks for the level of specificity and detail in the LEA 8 submission Our submission to the Veteran Royal Commission was highly praised by the Commissioners as was the evidence research with families that underpinned it Because of the Families Guide that LEA helped develop Emergency Services Health and the Tasmanian Police Association are now adapting the Guide for distribution to all police families across Victoria and Tasmania Immediately following submission Aging and Adult Safeguarding Restrictive Practices Amendment Bill SA Nov 21 our Chair and ED was asked to contribute to a more detailed discussion to inform the next steps for the bill by the SA Parliamentary Representative and Minister responsible We provided lived experience input and representation for Department of Health National Disability Insurance Agency Department of Social Services Australian Self Care Alliance Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Equally Well Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia SANE Mental Health Lived Experience Engagement Network ALIVE and many more National Mental Health Commission Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Mental Health Australia Private Hospitals Association HealthScope 9

Annual Report Lived Experience Australia 2 Research Lived Experience Australia is committed to building evidence based transformational lived experience research All our research projects are designed analysed and reported by consumers and carers with lived or living experience of mental ill health LEA aims to ensure that mental health reform is driven by lived experience voices and we are trusted to authentically represent the personal experiences shared with us by consumers families and carers through our research programs This year we completed four research projects exploring consumers and carers experiences of psychology services physical and mental health care use of the NOCC Outcome Measures and carers experiences of South Australian mental health services In addition to our own research projects we have also partnered with universities on nine projects including RMIT University Borderline Personality as Social Phenomenon Newcastle University Physical health and mental health contributing family and lived experience input Our research is designed and undertaken by for and with lived experience and promoted as evidence to drive change in policy practice and reform nationally Flinders University Borderline Personality Disorder and Suicidality Flinders University Supporting your veteran or emergency services first responder in help seeking for mental health concerns University of Melbourne ALIVE Central Adelaide Local Health Network Life Skills Profile Measure Study www livedexperienceaustralia com au nocc report www livedexperienceaustralia com au psychology report Mitchell Institute and Equally Well Consumer and Carer Expert Working Group Being Equally Well Mitchell Institute and University of Victoria Self Care for Health A national policy Blueprint 18 month collaboration to develop the Blueprint and Policy Briefs Monash University 2021 Turner Institute Consumer and Community Involvement Awards Developing a tool to assess and or support VIEW ALL personal recovery What Carers say about their Experience of South Australian Mental Health Services 2021 Report on data from the Carer Experience Survey CES RESEARCH 10 Provided to the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist for South Australia by Lived Experience Australia Ltd A colleague just shared with me a link to your report Creating positive experiences using NOCC Outcome measures This is a really informative piece of work Melissa Bond SA Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health www livedexperienceaustralia com au physical health research www livedexperienceaustralia com au research 11

Annual Report Lived Experience Australia 3 Capacity Building What clinical staff say about our programs Our core business is to advise and advocate for systemic change empowerment of consumers I enjoyed the level of detail which the speaker provided about the more nuanced ways to consider and engage CALD communities It was just excellent and I learned quite a few new things tips and strategies that I didn t know before 1 523 in their own care promoting engagement and consumers carers peer workers clinicians accessing training inclusion of consumers and carers within system design planning and evaluation and importantly I gained an insight of some continuous improvement I can implement in my project work when talking to organisations who utilise our Reps to make sure they are trauma informed advocating for consumer choice and family and carer inclusion 2 500 We provide capacity building training to support clinicians organisations advocates consumers and I learned The absolute need for trauma informed trauma preventative and trauma healing support to be embedded into workplaces community and society webinar views with 1 100 unique viewers carers through advertised sessions and customised in service options Our capacity building program includes Workshops Webinars eLearning modules Communities of Practice Mentoring Consultancy services Downloadable resources Sponsorships for Cert IV Mental Health Peer What consumers and carers say about our programs 36 Cert IV Mental Health Peer Work online learning modules created covering 15 courses Sponsorships provided with 13 graduating this year 11 new sponsorships granted Work note this program has now finished The information presented was leading edge and powerful and supported by discussion in the chat Engaging and informative It stimulated me to look further to increase my skills I learned How to better advocate in mental health settings How to look after myself and others while undertaking advocacy work The importance of identifying my personal values and how they influence my advocacy This year we launched our new online learning site where consumers carers peer workers and clinicians can access eLearning modules at times 445 that are most suitable for them Lived Experience Participants 92 developed their advocacy skills 96 felt more confident to advocate 94 felt better able to manage emotional triggers 88 felt more confident in public speaking 12 new online learning user accounts created What peer workers say about our programs It was great to hear discussion about some of the issues and to know that there are steps being done to professionalise and better equip peer workers Expanded my knowledge of the peer worker role 56 Communities of Practice participants over 5 programs Met some amazing and inspiring likeminded people Picked up new skills Gained a lot of confidence Thank you for this opportunity to take part It is exciting to feel part of a larger undertaking re peer work nationally 13

Annual Report Lived Experience Australia Online Learning In September 2021 we launched our new online learning site learn livedexperienceaustralia com au We now have 36 learning modules over 15 courses suitable for consumers carers peer workers and clinicians covering a broad range of topics to support capacity building In just 9 months we had 445 individuals create an Customised Learning In addition to our online learning we have also provided a range of customised in service learning options for organisations this year online learning account and over 640 courses completed demonstrating the value of our online learning for the mental health sector Here are some of the courses currently available For Lived Experience Representatives Advocacy Foundation Program 2 x 2 hour series Boundaries in Lived Experience Work 2 x 2 hour series Using Personal Stories to Influence 2 hour session Communities of Practice Program 6 x 2 hour series For Clinicians Staff and Organisations Trauma informed engagement of Lived Experience Representatives 2 5 hour session Establishing improving lived experience committees 2 5 hour session Best practice in consumer and carer inclusion 2 x 2 hour series View our learning brochure to find out more about the learning we can offer your organisation 14 15

Annual Report Lived Experience Australia Thank you to all our partners and collaborators 4 Partnerships Lived Experience Australia works closely with many organisations to enhance and extend our advocacy impact Together we are making a difference for mental health consumers families and carers in Australia with particular thanks to the following organisations for their ongoing support of Lived Experience Australia Lived Experience Australia has partnered and collaborated with over 45 national and state based organisations this year focusing on transforming mental health services in Australia While we cannot list all our partners and collaborators here are some examples of our partnerships this year We supported the Australian Government Department of Health s review of the Head to Health website through convening several consumer and carer focus groups Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry have been close partners over the year through combined advocacy efforts on key areas such as the need for continued access to telehealth psychiatry We joined the National Psychosocial Support Advocacy Alliance led by the Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia along with 34 other leading mental health organisations to address the gap in psychosocial supports to ensure people can access the services they need to support their recovery The Australian Psychological Society and the Australian Clinical Psychology Association partnered with us to advocate for investment in expanding the psychology workforce We completed a joint research project with Equally Well to gather feedback on consumer and carer experiences of accessing mental health services and the level of enquiry and support for their physical health care needs We worked with AMHOCN in undertaking a research project seeking consumers positive experiences on the use of outcome measures i e the National Outcomes and Casemix Collection the outcomes of which will be used by AMHOCN to support development of training and best practice methods for mental health professionals We were granted associate membership of LGBTIQ Australia Our partnership with SANE Australia continued through the SANE Online Forums Team LEA Thank you so much for your continuing can do attitude we are blessed to be able to partner with you as we try to increase our social impact 16 Vinita Godinho General Manager Policy Advocacy Australian Psychological Society 17

Our connections Annual Report Lived Experience Australia Financial Snapshot Lived Experience Australia has an extensive reach throughout the lived experience community in Australia In line with our requirements as a registered charity Lived Experience Australia LEA We have 1 900 subscribers supporters who have lived or living experience of mental ill health as a consumer is audited each year and for the 2022 financial year the audit was conducted by HLB Mann carer family member or are peer workers clinicians or other supporters with some being a combination of Judd SA Pty Ltd these Our social media following of 1 976 individuals comes from three key platforms LinkedIn Facebook and Twitter All LEA supporters are an important connection we have with the lived experience community We have high engagement rates when sharing opportunities for advocacy input capacity building programs or contributing to lived experience research LEA also contributes to the greater mental health research space by connecting other organisations to our lived experience community We thank each individual who has LEA became a company limited by guarantee in 2016 and is a registered health promotion charity with the Australian Charities and Not for profits Commission ACNC and with the Australian Business Register ABR As a registered charity LEA is regulated ensuring we continue to meet our ongoing requirements and obligations contributed to LEA s advocacy and research through sharing their experiences with us and for the trust they Our core funding is received from the Australian Government Department of Health with annual have in LEA to authentically represent their needs and interests contributions also received from our key supporters including the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists the Australian Psychological Society the Australian Private Hospitals Association and Healthscope We also receive funds from our capacity building program project management and donations This year our expenditure included an investment in the expansion of our staff team to support our increasing operations We welcomed Emily Unity as training officer De Backman Hoyle as senior 1 976 collaborations coordinator and Janne McMahon moved into the role of strategic advisor We also invested 101k social media following 58 growth in our operational infrastructure with the development of a new Learning Management System to manage impressions across Social Media channels 133 growth our online training and a transition to Sharepoint as our information management system and platform for team collaboration We are supported by technology donations from Connecting Up which enables us to secure software at heavily reduced rates All our staff work from virtual offices located across Australia so that we can focus our expenditure on direct service delivery with limited overhead costs Overview of expenditure 2021 2022 Lived Experience Representative Pool Sponsorships 55 1 928 subscribers highly engaged in email campaigns Supporters subscribers 28 growth Research EXPENSES Overheads EXPENSES 444 000 36 18 subscriber open rate 11 higher than industry average 15 overheads Staffing Cert IV Sponsorships Conferences Overheads Staffing 85 direct service delivery Staffing Overheads Research Research Lived Experience Representatives Cert IV Sponsorships Conferences Lived Experience Representatives 19

Annual Report Lived Experience Australia Our people Sharon Lawn Darren Jiggins Helene Langley Chair Executive Director State Territory Advisory Forum Coordinator SA Deputy Chair Board Director State Territory Advisory Forum Coordinator TAS Board Director State Territory Advisory Forum Coordinator VIC Lorraine Powell Judy Bentley Aaron Fornarino Board Director State Territory Advisory Forum Coordinator WA Simone Allan Board Director State Territory Advisory Forum Coordinator NSW Board Director State Territory Advisory Forum Coordinator ACT Evan Bichara Multicultural Advisor Board Director Bill Pring Clinical Advisor Psychiatrist We would like to acknowledge and thank our all of our Board Directors for the commitment and support of Lived Experience Australia over the past year 20 In June 2022 Norm Wotherspoon Board Director and QLD State Territory Advisory Forum Coordinator resigned after many years of service to Lived Experience Australia We thank him for his many contributions to LEA during this time Christine Kaine Operations Manager Heather Smith Marketing Communications Officer De Backman Hoyle Emily Unity Senior Collaboration Coordinator Training Officer Facilitator Janne McMahon Founder Strategic Advisor retired In addition to our Board Directors staff and advisors Lived Experience Australia has a preferred representative pool who are engaged for their diverse lived and living experiences to advocate for improved mental health systems and to support mental health reform that is based on the needs and aspirations of consumers families and carers across Australia 21

Annual Report Lived Experience Australia Lived Experience Leadership Award TheMHS 2021 As a small 100 consumer and carer staffed and governed non profit organisation Lived Experience Australia has a significant impact on the mental health sector Our organisation receives limited funding and our achievements would not be possible without the many voluntary hours that our staff coordinators and directors put into their work We are a small organisation that works to create significant impact in mental health In October 2021 Lived Experience Australia was publicly recognised for this impact in the Lived Experience Leadership Category at The Mental Health Services Awards for Making a Difference with Bringing these experiences together means we have significant evidence to inform policy decisions all levels of government We are also able to provide and for Consumers and Carers lived experience input to mental health services While we are grateful for this recognition we partner with consumers and carers in a person are acutely aware of those who share their lived centred recovery oriented and trauma informed experience with us We would not be able to approach undertake the strength and volume of advocacy that we do without them being willing to do this We thank everyone who participates in our research take our surveys and share their experiences with us through State Advisory Forums and training programs and organisations supporting them to engage and Of course Lived Experience Australia is thrilled to have received this prestigious award and the recognition of the work we do for our community Mental health consumers and carers are and for 20 years have been Knowing that we can have this kind of impact at the core of our work is inspiration to continue to advocate for and They are why we do what we do with those with lived experience inspiration to continue to advocate for and with those with lived Janne McMahon OAM Founder of Lived Experience Australia experience 22 23

1300 620 042 admin LivedExperienceAustralia com au www LivedExperienceAustralia com au www facebook com LivedExperienceAustralia twitter com livedexpaust www linkedin com company livedexperienceaustralia