RichmondPRA is committed to the unique and valuable contribution of people with lived experience of a mental health issues bring to the workforce. It has an active policy to dramatically increase the Peer Workforce, increase the number of Peer Operated Services and to work collaboratively with public services and clinicians. In order to do this RichmondPRA recruitment and selection processes for every front line position consciously asks the question “Why not a Peer Worker?”

Richmond PRA has found that in the vast majority of cases the answer is, there is no reason that this cannot be a Peer Worker position.

This Symposium will explore RichmondPRA’s experience in developing the Peer Workforce and, specifically, a Peer Operated Service, totally staffed and operated by Peers. RichmondPRA will outline how the Recovery Action Framework underpins this work and share its successes and the challenges it has faced along this journey including building positive relationships with partners.

It will provide opportunity to discuss how, as a sector we can promote Peer Work as an effective and valued part of mental health service delivery in Australia

Pam Rutledge CEO RichmondPRA:
The decision to increase the Peer Workforce has been strongly supported from all levels of RichmondPRA. For us it is both a quantitative and qualitative service delivery issue, and makes a real difference to the experience the people who access our services have.

The requirement of Peer Workers to purposefully and appropriately use their lived experience to mentor, role model and support the people who access our services cannot be underestimated or under appreciated. They ‘value add’ not only in supporting the people who access the service but also in service design, development, networking and keeping us focused on our reason for being.

Dr Glen Adamson, Mental Health Intervention Coordinator, Wide Bay Mental Health.
Psychiatry is a dynamic field of care that is constantly evolving and developing new ways to help clients with debilitating mental illnesses. One can study theory and gain many years’ experience in assisting with these illnesses; it is still difficult to imagine how it feels to go through the journey of recovery if not experienced personally. Although I have honed my skills to provide clients with empathetic and evidence-based care, the knowledge of lived experience remains my short fall. I will be discussing how the Fraser Coast Integrated Mental Health Service has built a relationship with Richmond PRA, a local peer support organisation, and the benefits that we as clinicians are seeing with clients. I will speak about how we can work together to achieve the same goals by combining our skill sets and working together for the best outcome of the client. I believe that these services are the new evolution of psychiatry and although they are a new concept to mainstream treatment, they will be the ‘norm’ in the future.


Aidan Conway General Manager Operations,
Over 42% of RichmondPRA staff openly identify with having a personal lived experience. Staff who are not Peer Workers may choose to use their lived experience to inform their practice.,however, it is a requirement of the Peer Workers to use their Lived Experience in a purposeful way. In all services there are challenges with staff. And there may an added challenges with Peer Staff but there is definitely an added layer of benefit in having managers and staff with Lived Experience. The most important challenge is to ensure you employ the right people to be Peer Workers and Peer Managers. I will talk about how we managed those challenges and built an incredibly professional and capable Peer Run Service that works in collaboration with many different services.


Cheryl Rudorfer, Manager Peer Operated Service,
I am the service Manager of the Peer Operated Service, at Hervey Bay. I will explain what this service looks like and how we have overcome challenges that were present when I became manager notably getting the right people for the roles. We have a wonderful staff of Peer Workers and our service is supporting ever-increasing numbers of people with Lived Experience.

Kim Cattell, Peer Worker who has been a person who accessed the service
It is great being in a workplace where my Lived Experience of a mental health issue is an advantage and value add, rather than being seen as a disadvantage and stigmatised. The freedom to use my Lived Experience in a purposeful way to support people accessing the service ensures that I can role model hope and that recovery is absolutely possible. The reciprocity of Lived Experience needs to be based in positive, life affirming, recovery-focused language. Although a person I am supporting and I may share some difficult experiences, I always ensure that the conversation and way forward is positive and within keeping of the person’s personal recovery plan. We always finish our conversations with hope.

Success in Peer Work begins at recruitment and continues throughout the person’s career. This symposium is about the practical tools, processes and policies used at RichmondPRA to manage and support people with Lived Experience at all levels of RichmondPRA from our board to our tiny services in outback NSW.

We will be candid about the challenges, solutions, changes and wins we made on our way to being a workplace that deeply values diversity, inclusion and the wisdom that comes with people with a Lived Experience.


Pam Rutledge CEO RichmondPRA:
Forty two percent of all staff at RichmondPRA openly identify as having a Personal Lived Experience of mental health issues. With this in mind RichmondPRA has taken affirmative action to ensure that policies and procedures are in place to support the organisation’s purpose and the workforce.

An overview of our philosophy and affirmative action titled “Why not a Peer Worker?” will be presented together with a rationale for policies that promote strengths focused outcomes and a highly professional but compassionate workplace for Peer Workers and other workers with a lived experience without stigma and discrimination. We do this because it is right to do so but also because we have made a commitment in our Recovery Action Framework that all people accessing RichmondPRA services will have access to a Peer Worker.

Fay Jackson General Manager of Inclusion, RichmondPRA and Deputy Commissioner of NSW MH Commission. (Peer Worker)
Staff are expected to work professionally, value add, and to know that with hard, honourable work, commitment, compassion and integrity they will have a career path, be valued and valuable, be proud and reach positions in their professional and private lives that they may not have thought possible.
In order for these achievements to occur a number of issues need to be addressed:
• Appreciating the ‘fragile and fierce’ nature of lived experience and recovery.
• Training and mentoring of managers.
• Training and mentoring the Peer Workers and other workers with Lived experience. (This includes managers).
• Developing Personal Situation Plans,
• Reasonable adjustments,
• Performance management
• Managing media,
This presentation will provide an overview of some processes in place to support people to understand their role and responsibilities in a supportive environment.

Aidan Conway General Manager Operations, RichmondPRA
Recruiting the right people for the right job at the right time it pivotal in building a high performance workforce. The first part of this presentation will address recruitment of peer workers and interviewers having the ability to consider the overall potential of applicants. The following issues will be discussed:
• Advertising positions
• Accurate position descriptions
• Identifying relevant people to be on the interview panel
• Identifying key questions for interviews
• Appointments

Supporting staff with a lived experience (and other staff) to fulfill their duties is as important as supporting people accessing our services to achieve their recovery goals. Managers need to understand and manage sensitive issues such as:
• Managing confidentiality,
• Supporting a person to staying at work when feeling fragile,
• Return to work after leave for a mental health issue
• Ensuring that workers comply with the Code of Conduct and Ethics
This presentation will offer ideas about how these issues can be managed organizationally and personally.

Michael Macokatic, Senior Peer Worker, Hunter NDIS Trial Site, RichmondPRA
This presentation will outline how RichmondPRA processes support peer workers to fulfill their job roles and promote the value of the work they do. It will also highlight the different relationship peer workers are able to establish with people accessing services through the NDIS and based on a sense of connectedness, empathy, mutuality and professionalism. Peer Workers using their lived experience in a purposeful way to support people accessing our service imbues hope and models that recovery is real. Peer Workers share their lived experience to encourage people that recovery is not necessarily about a lack of symptoms but rather about living a life that has purpose and meaning to each individual.

Glenda Mears Person with Lived Experience accessing NDIS support through RichmondPRA
I was very confused about the NDIS when I went to RichmondPRA. Michael has helped me understand what my rights are and what the possibilities are for support in my recovery journey. Recovery isn’t just about not having symptoms anymore. It is about leading the best life I can and doing things I want to do like exhibiting my art.
It was really good meeting Michael and when he told me what a Peer Worker was and explained that he had had mental health issues like me that made me feel more relaxed. Its good to have Michael supporting me.