The creating of the position of the Director of Social inclusion and Recovery and associated portfolio was developed as an identified need for high-level representation of the consumer and carer workers in the (then) newly created Metro South Health service in 2010.
The opportunity to create the portfolio came during the transformation process in 2012 when the service realigned into clinical academic units. Two consumer consultants worked for four months to develop the role. They researched similar initiatives within Australia and Internationally and discussed these initiatives with senior staff leading systemic change.
In 2013 the first Director of Social Inclusion and recovery was announced and in mid 2014 their portfolio was expanded to include a new 40 plus workforce of Peer/Recovery Support workers.
These workers work within the Community Care Units across two sites within Metro South and they are also part of a new program called the Logan/Beaudesert Wellbeing Program. Included in this portfolio are specialized Peer workers including Child and Youth, ATSI, CALD and Maori/Islander role.

RichmondPRA provides diverse mental health support services in 67 sites across NSW and South East Queensland, maintaining standardised service delivery through utilising the Camberwell Assessment of Need Short Appraisal Scale (CANSAS). This clinical tool provides a structured approach to identify barriers to mental health recovery, by supporting individuals to review aspects of their life. However some RichmondPRA staff were hesitant to use the tool due to reservations related to the deficit focus of the tool and their recovery and strengths focused principles.

RichmondPRA’s peer workforce developed an interactive, recovery-focused workshop that demonstrated good practice when engaging people in needs identification.

The brief - Incorporate the peer workers lived experience to support positive cultural change across RichmondPRA’s diverse workforce. Use the essence of human conversation to promote person-led and recovery focused identification of barriers to healthy lifestyle. Engage staff to change attitudes, embrace the CANSAS tool to inform work practice, improve service delivery.

The result - A well-trained workforce with renewed vigour and passion for supporting individuals; increased CANSAS uptake rates; passionate and sincere engagement with constructive conversations, result-driven outcomes; mental health service reform and an improved appreciation for the role lived experience plays in mental health service delivery and implementation.

Internationally mental health policy and guidelines require a shift towards recovery-orientated practice that prioritises recovery-based outcomes rather than symptom-reduction. However, evidence demonstrates a significant lag in the translation of policy into practice. There is limited exploration of this issue, particularly within the Australian context. The aim of the study was to understand experiences of Australian mental health clinicians endeavouring to adopt recovery-oriented practices. Specifically, this study examined how occupational therapists described recovery-oriented practice, the enablers and barriers to recovery-oriented practice, and strategies employed to overcome barriers. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with occupational therapists working across different mental health service types. Data was analysed using constant-comparative analysis. Findings from the study shed light on the barriers to adopting recovery-oriented practices and the strategies used by therapists to overcome these. This insight will assist the Australian mental health system to better translate recovery-oriented principles into practice. Ultimately, this study will facilitate a process of change, leading to better recovery outcomes for people living with mental illness.

This presentation outlines the journey towards recovery oriented partnerships. We share our process and learning journey with a focus on:
• Our purpose,
• Which stakeholders are critical in making a difference in the lives of people with severe and persistent mental illness
• Why are those stakeholders critical
• What are the challenges for consumers engaging with those stakeholders
• What are the challenges for the stakeholders within current reform environments
• How to start and build the relationships
• Finding meaningful solutions for stakeholders (and ultimately consumers) utilising fundamental principles of partnership practice
This presentation explores the partnership journey between Western Sydney Partners in Recovery (WSPIR) consumers and key stakeholders, the Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) and Housing NSW (Western Sydney region). The presentation demonstrates the importance of investing time and resources into building constructive and trustful relationships whilst also developing practical strategies that have positive impacts on consumers.
The collaborative strategies between WSPIR, WSLHD and Housing NSW (Western Sydney Region) has been undertaken at a time of significant reform and challenges across many sectors and demonstrates that even in a time of change, we can make a difference to the lives of people with mental illness.

RichmondPRA’s Recovery Action Framework (RAF) marks a pivotal commitment by the whole organisation, with the board’s strong endorsement, to delivering recovery-oriented service attitudes and practices across every element of our service and interactions with people.

To begin this journey a collaborative process was used involving people with a lived experience of a mental health issue at the helm, frontline workers, frontline managers and senior managers. This group undertook research, consulted with others across the organisation, and developed a number of key activities that would help RichmondPRA sustain and develop the recovery focus of the organisation. To ensure the RAF became a living document eight organisational accountabilities were identified, with associated actions, strategies and global metric to enable evaluation. It is a document against which we wish to be held publically accountable.

To facilitate and support the changes required we identified a model of organisational change, the Influencer Model (Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan & Switzler 2008). Training was provided to all managers and leaders. Consistent with the Influencer Model three vital behaviours were identified which, if used consistently across the organisation, would mean our recovery practice would improve. These three behaviours create a clear accountabilities for both individuals and teams across the organisation.

This presentation will elaborate on the development of the RAF and the progress so far.

To date, Partners In Recovery has worked in the context of Medicare Locals in the Northern Sydney experience. In other areas entities such as the Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW holds the contract. The Federal Government policy change announced in 2014, where Primary Health Networks would replace Medicare Locals, has led to a major restructure that is still underway. What will this mean to the operation of the Partners In Recovery projects? Will the transition to Primary Health Networks alter how Partners In Recovery services are delivered? And how will this policy change impact on those with a mental illness who are also homeless? Presently the transition is underway. When complete, what will be in store for service delivery and what will the future landscape look like? This paper will revisit the past, examine the present and speculate on the future.