Media Releases

Local Indigenous people seeking career opportunities now have a new avenue to explore. (June 28, 2011)

 

The Clarence Valley Transport Committee is about to run its annual transport awareness ‘Moving People’ promotion.

National Commissioner for Mental Health, Janet Meagher will be speaking at a free symposium in Lismore on June 13 to discuss the benefits of involving 'Peer' or 'Consumer Workers' in mental health services. The symposium is designed to encourage local community service organisations to  get involved with an innovative new approach involving Peer Workers that's changing the delivery of human services across Australia. Federal Member for Page, Janelle Saffin will open the event and presentations will be delivered by MIND Australia’s Honorary Research Fellow, Anthony Stratford and Lived Experience Project Manager, Gabrielle Le Bon.

A Peer Worker is someone who has a lived experience of disability, mental illness and recovery and uses their experiences to inspire hope in recovery for others. They are employed in organisations to work alongside people with mental health issues, disabilities, young people or families at risk. Studies have shown that peer workers improve rapport and communication between service consumers and staff, and achieve better outcomes for the community, as well as improving efficiency and workforce cohesion.  

While involving Peer Workers is still a new model of service delivery, local organisations such as The Buttery, as well as other organisations across Australia and internationally have already successfully embraced it. In the Northern Rivers region last year, the concept was road-tested during the Lived Experience Project (LEP) out of which a "Lived Experience" program prototype was developed to help and support other organisations wanting to involve peer workers. This prototype will be delivered at the symposium and Janet Meagher will be join project participants and mental health and community sector representatives in a round-table discussion, sharing the research and evidence supporting the integration of Peer Workers into mental health services and the lessons learned from the project.

 Lived Experience Breaks Free!

A group of Northern Rivers’ Community Services students, all of whom have a Lived Experience with mental health issues, are launching the 'Ulysses' project, an exciting new online resource for people affected by mental illness, either directly or indirectly, including family, friends, carers and community service providers.

Northern Rivers Social Development Council has joined calls to ensure that funding for social housing is not cut as part of any wind back of stimulus funding. Stimulus funding for social housing has already been cut once and key community groups, including the Australian Council for Social Service, National Shelter and the ACTU, are concerned that further cuts to funding for social housing may be made in response to improving economic conditions.