This paper presents a case study review of the partnership between the Consumer Led Research Network in New South Wales, Australia an independent mental health lived experience led research network and the Brain and Mind Centre at The University of Sydney. The aim of this paper is to present a framework for improving future similar partnerships between established research organisations and consumer research partnerships and to improve understandings of established researchers working collaboratively with consumer researchers. We aim to make a contribution to the overall discipline of lived experience involvement in mental health research, and to act as an exemplar of many of the principles and practical requirements needed for a successful partnership that promotes inclusive research practices and power sharing. This paper explores the challenges encountered in a case study which aimed at, but did not succeed, in promoting and using inclusive mental health research practices between a consumer research group and a large established mental health research organisation. This paper is the result of an independent mixed methods review of the collaboration which aimed to provide a path forward for established research to work more effectively with consumer led research groups.

The involvement of service users, clinicians, and other health service end–users has become recognised as a valuable and essential part of health research. In addition to healthcare quality improvements, co‐designed research has been shown to benefit researchers, service users, family/caregivers and practitioners. This presentation details the co-design, development and implementation of the digitised Co-designed Outcomes for Guests (COGwheel), a brief data collection instrument aimed at evaluating guests’ experiences of peer-led, non-clinical ‘safe spaces’ for those experiencing emotional distress and/or suicidal crisis. We describe how the co-design process contributed to the development of a visually appealing, creative, user-friendly and strengths-focused digital instrument for gathering information on important safe space outcomes. The instrument has been well-received in the project by safe space staff and guests, providing a valuable instrument for quantifying an individual’s felt experiences. Despite the rigorous co-design process, some challenges remain, for example with regard to the relevance of some outcome measures for culturally diverse populations, and we will conclude our presentation with a discussion of these.

Participatory approaches in research are adopted to ensure that common ground is found and the perspectives and priorities of participants are paramount. Increasingly mental health research adopts participatory approaches, but little research has been done to evaluate the experiences of those engaged in participatory approaches.

The aim of this presentation is to describe a series of labs run with co-designers with their own lived experience of mental health recovery and working to support people in that journey. This project involved co-designing and building an App called DRIVing my own mental health Recovery (DRIV-R) to support service users and workers to gain a shared understanding of the service users recovery priorities.

Both survey and in-depth interview data from 19 co-designers were thematically analysed. Findings highlighted the experiences and activities that enhanced co-designer opportunities to exert influence and impact and to feel safe to debate and share their perspectives. Recommendations to further enhance the comfort, power and influence of co-designers were also captured. These findings will support future mental health researchers and practitioners to critique their approaches and to extend the ‘co’ in their co-design activities.

The old saying goes that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Doing the same thing over could be also be said of much traditional research, and our mental health system, so who is the mad one here?
This presentation will explore my experiences over 20 years as a Lived Experience Researcher, working with Lived Experience communities to challenge the idea that quality and rigour come from doings things the same way, because "that's how we've always done it." We are at a critical point for genuinely centring Lived Experience, but if we are to truly shift mental health research and the system, then some radical changes are needed in structures and processes. I will take a deep dive on some of these, such as research ethics and research funding, to point the way for our future collective efforts.

Mental health clinical trials can improve understanding, facilitate the development of treatment options, inform public policies related to mental health, and improve the quality of life for individuals with mental health conditions and their families.

This presentation will provide the why, who and how of the Mental Health Australia General Clinical Trials Network (MAGNET). Focused on adult mental health, MAGNET has been finding the common ground, with over 100 researchers and organisations celebrating diversity and differences in perspectives.

Important unmet mental health clinical research needs are addressed through MAGNET’s shared resources via central platforms and conducting definitive trials across diverse disorders and types of interventions, including co-design and engagement with MAGNET’s Lived Experience Research Partners (LERPs) and First Nations Wellness and Governance Group (FNWGG).

This presentation will describe the opportunities for lived experience involvement in the MAGNET clinical trials network, which is designed to translate evidence into better outcomes for prevention, diagnosis, interventions and recovery.

MAGNET is looking beyond through embedding collaboration with First Nations and Lived Experience as research partners to unify and improve mental health clinical trial research and translation.