Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Project
The Western Australian Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces Framework (Framework) was released in late 2022.
The intent of the Framework is to provide a contemporary approach to developing the Lived Experience (Peer) workforces in Western Australia (WA). Together with supporting resources, the Framework is a practical guide for building, embedding and sustaining diverse Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces across the mental health, alcohol and other drugs and suicide prevention sectors. It aims to guide and maintain the development of these workforces as a discipline in their own right while responding to the specific needs of WA’s population and settings.
More information on the development of the Framework including Steering Committee communiques can be found here.
The Framework and guiding resources are intended to be practical and accessible for all stakeholders including:
- people who are in or heading into a Lived Experience (Peer) Work role
- organisations which are seeking to learn how to develop Lived Experience led strategies and actions to engage thriving Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces
- funding bodies which seek to commission and fund organisations to build their Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces
The Framework will be supported by guiding resources including:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Led Peer Worker Guide - a learning tool for all lived experience workforces and organisations (Guide). The Guide will support organisations with establishment, sustainability, and continuous improvements in the Aboriginal Lived Experience workforces space. More information about this initiative can be found here.
- Toolkit for Organisational Actions is currently being developed and will be available at LivedExperienceWorkforces.com.au.
- The Lived Experience Peer Worker Handbook will outline the nuances of Lived Experience (Peer) roles across different specialisations including service settings and locations. More information about this initiative can be found here.
In addition to the above mentioned resources, to support the implementation of the Framework and recommended actions, a number of Lived Experience (Peer) workforce initiatives have been underway since the release of the Framework including increased scholarships and delivery of the Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work and Peer Work skills set course, organisational readiness training, development and delivery of peer supervision training pilot course, funded peer work positions and the scoping of a Lived Experience (Peer) workforces association.
More recent initiatives include:
- An Orientation to Lived Experience (Peer) work training course that explores its history and foundations of Lived Experience workforces. More information about this initiative can be found here.
- Intentional Peer Support (IPS) training, used in community, peer support, and human service settings, emphasizing mutual learning and growth for creating transformative relationships. More information about this initiative can be found here.
- A Lived Experience (Peer) Work course, a professional development program that supports Lived Experience (Peer) workers with the knowledge, skills and practice principles required for their practice. More information about this initiative can be found here.
- Additional Peer Work Skills set course to increase knowledge and capacity of Peer Workers around Western Australia by providing access to free, online training. More information about this initiative can be found here.
- Lived Experience (Peer) supervision course that focuses on the diversity in the workforces including consumer and family carer across the mental health and alcohol and other drug sectors. More information about this initiative can be found here.
- Development of Fidelity Criterion for Lived Experience (Peer) workforces’ lecturers to ensure students have access to contemporary and diverse Lived Experience (Peer) work concepts and approaches. More information about this initiative can be found here.
- Additional organisational readiness training sessions for government and non-government services who employ (or looking to employ) Lived Experience (Peer) workforces. More information about this initiative can be found here.
- Development of a Values Based Recruitment (VBR) package to support recruitment processes for Lived Experience (Peer) positions. More information about this initiative can be found here.
