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National Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Development Guidelines

PoliciesPrinciplesPracticesMental health consumersInternational

Summary

This document provide an overview of the professional principles, values and roles of the Lived Experience workforce together with detailed steps for employers at each stage from planning a Lived Experience workforce through to embedding as part of the services core business.

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Key Findings

Lived Experience work or practice is a unique and separate discipline that contributes to the mental health sector. Lived Experience workers draw on their life-changing experiences to build relationships based on shared experiences, self-determination, empowerment, and hope, as well as loss, stigma, discrimination, and loss of rights. A mental health Lived Experience workforce is vital to mental health services, a principle which is embedded in mental health plans and policies for Australian mental health care services.

Key findings related to emerging/promising principles for engaging PWLLE:

  • Guiding principles of Lived Experience work:
  • Lived experience as expertise
  • Self-determination
  • Recovery-focused
  • Person-directed
  • Strengths-based
  • Relational
  • Trauma-informed
  • Humanistic
  • Voluntary

Key findings related to emerging/promising practices for engaging PWLLE:

Development stages for employing organizations – see Table 3: Summary of employer actions for Lived Experience workforce development

Key finding on policy:

  • Mission statements recognize Lived Experience work as core business–active valuing.
  • Financial commitment to ensure the Lived Experience workforce is sustainable and developed.
  • Review Human Resource policies for flexibility and workplace adjustments, which is beneficial for the whole workplace but may be for folks with Lived Experience in particular. Part of legal rights.
  • Lived experience leadership roles to guide and influence change.
  • Create a detailed Lived Experience workforce development plan
  • Develop position descriptions and recruitment processes that articulate the role and how it is distinct
  • Ensure appropriate supervision for Lived Experience roles, and any required resources or professional development to support that
  • Career progression so there are pathways to grow in the organization and sector
  • Increased person-directed and recovery-oriented service delivery

Key Findings Related Implementation Approaches:

Five priorities used as a roadmap:

  1. Develop understanding as a foundation for workforce development.
  2. Support a thriving Lived Experience workforce.
  3. Planning for workforce growth.
  4. Integrate Lived Experience work in community care.
  5. Development is supported by a national Lived Experience strategy.

Principles to guide workforce development:

  1. Co-production
  2. Maintain the integrity of Lived Experience work
  3. Create conditions for a thriving workforce
  4. Respond to diversity
  5. Reduce coercive and restrictive practice
  6. Support systemic change and professionalization