Community Forum - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived-Living Experience (Peer) Workforce Fra

Everywhen, a 100% Aboriginal owned and led business, has been engaged by the Queensland Mental Health Commission to develop an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived-Living Experience (Peer) Workforce Framework for Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs and Suicide Prevention in Queensland.

A thriving Lived-Living Experience (Peer) workforce is an essential component of flexible, quality, holistic care and enhances outcomes for service users. Lived-Living Experience (Peer) workers have unique knowledge, abilities and attributes to support others, drawing on their Lived-Living Expertise, work and life experience augmented by formal and informal learning. Research shows services provided by Lived-Living Experience (Peer) workers contribute to an improved sense of hope, empowerment and social inclusion for those accessing services. Using Lived-Living Experience is innate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - it has been used in community for over 60,000+ years. Having a strong and thriving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived-Living (Peer) workforce will lead to increases in the levels of social and emotional wellbeing and economic independence within communities throughout Queensland.

Our intent is to co-design with key stakeholders in regional and rural communities, a framework that is specific to the Queensland landscape, and is an enabler to First Nations workforce capacity building in community.

As part of our consultation we would like to invite any interested stakeholders to participate in one of the upcoming community forum's taking place throughout Queensland. The first round are being held in Townsville, Mount Isa, Cairns, Thursday Island and Charleville. These forums have been organised to yarn with community about the Framework and to discuss the following three topics:

• What is the definition of Lived-Living Experience?
• What skills, knowledge and behaviours does an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Lived-Living Experience Peer Worker require?
• What does an organisation need to have in place in readiness for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived-Living Experience (Peer) workforce?

The voices and insights of all stakeholders are important to us, and we would greatly value your participation in this meaningful discussion. In recognition of people’s time and contribution, we will be offering a form of paid participation to those who participate in the forum.

For those who are interested in attending, please use the links below to register for either the Townsville, Mount Isa, Cairns, Thursday Island or Charleville forums.

If you have any questions around participating in the community forums, or would like us to contact you relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived-Living (Peer) Workforce Framework in general, please feel free to contact Josh at josh.iraia@everywhengroup.com.

Participant Information FAQ

What is the project about?

The aim of this project is to develop an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived-Living Experience (Peer) Workforce Framework for Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs and Suicide Prevention. Our intent is to co-design with key stakeholders in regional and rural communities, a framework that is specific to the Queensland landscape, and is an enabler to First Nations workforce capacity building in community. The framework will provide the foundations and supports an organisation will need to implement a First Nations workforce to deliver culturally appropriate care grounded in indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being.

Who is involved in the project?

The community forums are being conducted by Klair Carney, a Proud woman of the Wiradjuri and South Sea Island peoples, and Josh Iraia, a Proud Māori man, who work for Everywhen, an 100% Aboriginal owned and led business.

The research is supported and funded by the Queensland Mental Health Commission.

Why have I been invited to participate?

You have been invited to participate because we believe all voices have the right to be heard in the construction of this Framework. This includes both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, those who are, or are not, in an identified Lived-Living Experience role and those who work or have been impacted by Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs, or Suicide Prevention.

What will happen to my information?

Your insights from the community consultation that you participate in may be used in the Framework as an un-identified quote or as part of a generalisation from the community engagement.

Any information that is obtained in connection with this project and that can be identified with you will remain confidential unless otherwise permitted by you, or as required by law. The procedures for ensuring the confidentiality of your information during the collection phase and the later publication of the Framework are as follows.

• Registration data will be secured as per the Race Roster privacy policy https://raceroster.com/legal/privacy-policy
• All comments and insights gathered during the consultation will be de-identified and then stored securely in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988.
• Consent forms and Paid Participation receipt forms will be digitalised and then stored securely in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988.

Parts of the forum may have audio recorded or photos taken as part of the information collection process. You will have the opportunity to opt in to either at the beginning of the session when you complete the Informed consent form.

You will retain any Intellectual Property from your own personal interview recordings. You may request access to any of your personal information at anytime by making a request to the researcher(s) using the contact information provided.