S084 A: Innovative Evaluation S084 B: New National Consumer Peak Development
Tracks
Track 3
| Friday, August 28, 2015 |
| 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM |
| Menzies Theatrette |
Speaker
Ian Watts
Director
Ian Watts Consulting
The next big opportunity: a new national Australian organisation of, and for people with a lived experience of mental health issues.
Abstract
This symposium explores the opportunities and challenges of establishing a robust national organisation owned by people with a lived experience of mental health issues from a range of perspectives. Presentations from members of the Consumer Reference Group (CRG) for the establishment project reflect on some of the unexpected challenges faced, the personal journeys of CRG members and what is needed from people with lived experience of mental health issues to take ownership of the new peak to make it a success.
Ian Watts
History, legal and legislative issues:
This presentation will briefly canvass the history of the project and then describe a number of legal/legislative hurdles that had to be overcome in developing the constitution and governance for the new mental health consumer organisation. These include questions about the capacity of people with lived experience of mental health issues to be company directors, the appropriateness of including a requirement in the constitution of such an organisation that the Chief Executive Officer have lived experience, and uncertainty about the ways in which company directors can be supported. Symposium participants will be able to explain the significance of these issues in ensuring effective governance and to explain their particular relevance for people with lived experience of mental health issues. Legal/legislative impediments to full participation of people with lived experience in organisational governance is an important aspect of social inclusion and achieving full social justice.
Australian Law Reform Commission. Equality, Capacity and Disability in Commonwealth Laws – final report. Sydney. 2014
Australian Taxation Office. Taxation ruling – income tax and fringe benefits tax: charities. TR 2011/4. Commonwealth of Australia. Canberra. 2011.
Michelle Banfield
Personal perspectives
This presentation will describe the personal experience of members of the Consumer Reference Group for the project, contrasting the journey through professional and ethical issues, with the journey of personal achievements, lessons and challenges for people with lived experience of mental health issues. Symposium participants who are consumers will be able to evaluate some of the opportunities for growth and development and some of the personal disciplines needed to participate in complex group environments such as advisory groups. Understanding and valuing the elements that personal lived experience of mental health issues brings to advocacy opportunities is very useful knowledge for people with lived experience.
Brown LD. Consumer-run mental health – framework for recovery. Springer. New York 2012.
Keith Mahar
Launching the organisation
This presentation will describe what is presently required by members of the mental health community to make the vision of a peak body a reality and why it is so important that it be successful. Information will include the core challenges that the new national mental health consumer organisation faces at its launch. These include recruiting a talented Board, creating a ‘burning platform’ that encourages widespread participation by people with lived experience, and creating a financially independent and sustainable company. Symposium participants will be able to describe a range of issues that need to be addressed in the early period of company establishment. Self-advocacy at a collective, national level requires a strong organisation that requires simultaneous management of a number of tasks.
Foster WL Kim P Christiansen B. Ten Nonprofit funding models. Stanford Social Innovation Review 2009; 41: 32-9.
Anglicare Tasmania. Experts by experience – strengthening the mental health consumer voice in Tasmania. Anglicare Victoria. Hobart. 2009.
Ian Watts
History, legal and legislative issues:
This presentation will briefly canvass the history of the project and then describe a number of legal/legislative hurdles that had to be overcome in developing the constitution and governance for the new mental health consumer organisation. These include questions about the capacity of people with lived experience of mental health issues to be company directors, the appropriateness of including a requirement in the constitution of such an organisation that the Chief Executive Officer have lived experience, and uncertainty about the ways in which company directors can be supported. Symposium participants will be able to explain the significance of these issues in ensuring effective governance and to explain their particular relevance for people with lived experience of mental health issues. Legal/legislative impediments to full participation of people with lived experience in organisational governance is an important aspect of social inclusion and achieving full social justice.
Australian Law Reform Commission. Equality, Capacity and Disability in Commonwealth Laws – final report. Sydney. 2014
Australian Taxation Office. Taxation ruling – income tax and fringe benefits tax: charities. TR 2011/4. Commonwealth of Australia. Canberra. 2011.
Michelle Banfield
Personal perspectives
This presentation will describe the personal experience of members of the Consumer Reference Group for the project, contrasting the journey through professional and ethical issues, with the journey of personal achievements, lessons and challenges for people with lived experience of mental health issues. Symposium participants who are consumers will be able to evaluate some of the opportunities for growth and development and some of the personal disciplines needed to participate in complex group environments such as advisory groups. Understanding and valuing the elements that personal lived experience of mental health issues brings to advocacy opportunities is very useful knowledge for people with lived experience.
Brown LD. Consumer-run mental health – framework for recovery. Springer. New York 2012.
Keith Mahar
Launching the organisation
This presentation will describe what is presently required by members of the mental health community to make the vision of a peak body a reality and why it is so important that it be successful. Information will include the core challenges that the new national mental health consumer organisation faces at its launch. These include recruiting a talented Board, creating a ‘burning platform’ that encourages widespread participation by people with lived experience, and creating a financially independent and sustainable company. Symposium participants will be able to describe a range of issues that need to be addressed in the early period of company establishment. Self-advocacy at a collective, national level requires a strong organisation that requires simultaneous management of a number of tasks.
Foster WL Kim P Christiansen B. Ten Nonprofit funding models. Stanford Social Innovation Review 2009; 41: 32-9.
Anglicare Tasmania. Experts by experience – strengthening the mental health consumer voice in Tasmania. Anglicare Victoria. Hobart. 2009.
Biography
Ian chaired the Consumer Reference Group for the project developing a new national consumer organisation for people with a lived experience of mental health problems. He has worked on a number of projects aimed at improving the safety of consumers. He has a particular interest in social movements and the lessons that can be learned from them. Ian was diagnosed with severe depression over a decade ago. He lives and works in Melbourne.
Michelle Banfield
Research Fellow
National Institute for Mental Health Research
Innovative approaches to evaluating recovery oriented services in the ACT.
Abstract
Innovative approaches to evaluating recovery oriented services in the ACT.
This symposium describes innovative evaluation strategies developed through collaborations between multiple stakeholders including service users, carers, service providers and researchers at the National Institute for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University.
Recovery-oriented mental health practice and service provision is centred within respect for the lived experience of people experiencing mental health problems and the people who support them 1. The Recovery approach has led to the development of new types of services that complement traditional services.
Evaluation strategies for these programs need to be innovative to ensure that the focus of the evaluation and the process of developing the measures are relevant to recovery-oriented practice 2. This symposium will describe evaluations of two programs in the ACT.
Three papers will be presented and delegates will be invited to participate in a discussion about the role and nature of evaluation in innovative, recovery-oriented programs.
++++++
Paper 1: TRec: an intensive community-based recovery-oriented support program. Gleeson, P.
The Transition to Recovery service (TRec) is a 12 week community-based transition program that provides intensive outreach support to prevent hospitalization or to support individuals transitioning from hospital to community. The TRec step-up/ step-down outreach service is provided by a diverse workforce within a partnership agreement with clinical services.
This paper will outline key values and recovery approaches of the team and describe the TRec service model and its development over time. The presentation will also reflect on the development of a recovery-oriented, person-centred service, critical partnerships, relationship building and communication strategies in the context of different service cultures including the medical model and academia.
Finally, the presentation will discuss TRec’s experience with the evaluation process and plans for developing an ongoing evaluation strategy.
++++++
Paper 2: Recovery-oriented evaluation of the Transitions to Recovery Program Fassnacht DB, Griffiths K, Reynolds J, Randall R, Mitchell C, Ali K.
This evaluation investigated whether the Transition to Recovery (TRec) program was associated with recovery and lower rates of relapse and readmission to hospital. Perspectives from service users, carers and service providers informed the study design. The research team included researchers with lived experience as consumers and/or carers as well as those experienced in service provision.
This paper will present key findings from 30 service user participants including their use of hospital, crisis support and community services. Furthermore, feedback from other stakeholder groups (such as TRec workers, and ACT MH staff) will be presented.
Quantitative results showed that clients’ life skills improved significantly over the course of the program, and that psychological distress as rated by participants was less among those who had completed the program than those who had not. Qualitative results showed that participants were generally satisfied with the program and its components. Analyses of service use showed that both emergency services and inpatient hospital stays significantly decreased during TRec and remained low after the program. For community services, there was also a decreasing trend in service use over time.
The presentation will include reflections on challenges and lessons learned from developing this evaluation.
++++++
Paper 3: Evaluation of the ACT Partners in Recovery Program
Banfield M, Griffiths K.
Partners in Recovery (PIR) supports service users, their carers and families, by coordinating and integrating the work of relevant agencies and services. The Program’s aim is to strengthen the system’s response to people with complex needs through improving tailored care and referral pathways, strengthening cross-sectoral collaborations and promoting a recovery model. Effective evaluation at both the National and local level is an important part of ensuring the Program delivers on individual and system level outcomes.
This presentation will describe the development of a flexible framework for the evaluation of the ACT PIR Program, to be implemented in 2015/16. The framework consists of brief quantitative measures exploring the Program’s goals, with a small number of interviews to explore experiences that may not be captured in surveys. It was developed by academic researchers with personal experience of mental illness, in conjunction with mental health consumers, carers and providers in the ACT PIR Program. These groups provided input on the selection of measures and the wording of questions, together with suggestions on assisting consumers to participate. This design will help to ensure the evaluation is meaningful for participants and responsive to their needs.
This symposium describes innovative evaluation strategies developed through collaborations between multiple stakeholders including service users, carers, service providers and researchers at the National Institute for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University.
Recovery-oriented mental health practice and service provision is centred within respect for the lived experience of people experiencing mental health problems and the people who support them 1. The Recovery approach has led to the development of new types of services that complement traditional services.
Evaluation strategies for these programs need to be innovative to ensure that the focus of the evaluation and the process of developing the measures are relevant to recovery-oriented practice 2. This symposium will describe evaluations of two programs in the ACT.
Three papers will be presented and delegates will be invited to participate in a discussion about the role and nature of evaluation in innovative, recovery-oriented programs.
++++++
Paper 1: TRec: an intensive community-based recovery-oriented support program. Gleeson, P.
The Transition to Recovery service (TRec) is a 12 week community-based transition program that provides intensive outreach support to prevent hospitalization or to support individuals transitioning from hospital to community. The TRec step-up/ step-down outreach service is provided by a diverse workforce within a partnership agreement with clinical services.
This paper will outline key values and recovery approaches of the team and describe the TRec service model and its development over time. The presentation will also reflect on the development of a recovery-oriented, person-centred service, critical partnerships, relationship building and communication strategies in the context of different service cultures including the medical model and academia.
Finally, the presentation will discuss TRec’s experience with the evaluation process and plans for developing an ongoing evaluation strategy.
++++++
Paper 2: Recovery-oriented evaluation of the Transitions to Recovery Program Fassnacht DB, Griffiths K, Reynolds J, Randall R, Mitchell C, Ali K.
This evaluation investigated whether the Transition to Recovery (TRec) program was associated with recovery and lower rates of relapse and readmission to hospital. Perspectives from service users, carers and service providers informed the study design. The research team included researchers with lived experience as consumers and/or carers as well as those experienced in service provision.
This paper will present key findings from 30 service user participants including their use of hospital, crisis support and community services. Furthermore, feedback from other stakeholder groups (such as TRec workers, and ACT MH staff) will be presented.
Quantitative results showed that clients’ life skills improved significantly over the course of the program, and that psychological distress as rated by participants was less among those who had completed the program than those who had not. Qualitative results showed that participants were generally satisfied with the program and its components. Analyses of service use showed that both emergency services and inpatient hospital stays significantly decreased during TRec and remained low after the program. For community services, there was also a decreasing trend in service use over time.
The presentation will include reflections on challenges and lessons learned from developing this evaluation.
++++++
Paper 3: Evaluation of the ACT Partners in Recovery Program
Banfield M, Griffiths K.
Partners in Recovery (PIR) supports service users, their carers and families, by coordinating and integrating the work of relevant agencies and services. The Program’s aim is to strengthen the system’s response to people with complex needs through improving tailored care and referral pathways, strengthening cross-sectoral collaborations and promoting a recovery model. Effective evaluation at both the National and local level is an important part of ensuring the Program delivers on individual and system level outcomes.
This presentation will describe the development of a flexible framework for the evaluation of the ACT PIR Program, to be implemented in 2015/16. The framework consists of brief quantitative measures exploring the Program’s goals, with a small number of interviews to explore experiences that may not be captured in surveys. It was developed by academic researchers with personal experience of mental illness, in conjunction with mental health consumers, carers and providers in the ACT PIR Program. These groups provided input on the selection of measures and the wording of questions, together with suggestions on assisting consumers to participate. This design will help to ensure the evaluation is meaningful for participants and responsive to their needs.
Biography
Paper 1
Prue Gleeson leads the Transition to Recovery Program (TRec) and has worked in the community sector for twenty years as a health educator, systems advocate, manager and crisis worker. Prue is a trained counsellor and Peerzone facilitator and is committed to cross sector collaborations and building responsive person-centred recovery services.
Paper 2
Julia Reynolds MAPS CCLP AFBPsS is a Clinical Psychologist with extensive experience in traditional forms of face-to-face service delivery, including public sector service in Australia and the United Kingdom as well as in private practice in Australia.
She is currently the Clinical Services Manager at the Australian National University¹s e-hub online mental health service and maintains a small online private practice. Julia is leading the Allied Health Team of the national e-Mental Health in Practice (eMHPrac) project.
Julia is currently the National Health Reform Chair of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists and co-Convener of the APS e-psychology Interest Group. Julia managed the Trec evaluation.
Paper 3
Dr Michelle Banfield is an academic researcher with personal experience of mental illness. Her research focuses on services and policy for mental health with an emphasis on consumer perspectives. Michelle is also committed to increasing the active involvement of mental health consumers, carers and service providers in the research process.
