Recommendation 30

What the Royal Commission said

The Royal Commission recommended the Victorian Government develop key roles across the mental health and wellbeing system for people with lived experience as family members and carers.

This includes enabling the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission to:

• elevate the leadership and promote the valued role of family members and carers of people living with mental illness or psychological distress throughout the mental health and wellbeing system; and
• develop and support the leadership and governance capabilities of families and carers of people living with mental illness or psychological distress through learning and development opportunities.

The Royal Commission also called on the Victorian Government to ensure that:

• in commissioning mental health and wellbeing services, expectations are set for working with families, carers and supporters;
• families, carers and supporters are included in a range of therapeutic interventions in each Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Service; and
• working with families, carers and supporters is part of system-wide workforce training.

The Royal Commission also recommended the Victorian Government develop standards for services and practitioners to guide the sharing of appropriate information with families, carers and supporters.

What are we doing?

We are establishing key roles across the mental health and wellbeing system for people with lived experience of mental illness or psychological distress.

We have:

• established the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission with consumer and carer Commissioners
• established the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, with a lived experience Co-CEO
• Established eight new Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect centres, which are family/carer Lived Experience led.
• created key senior executive roles for people with lived experience, and the Lived Experience Branch in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Division of the Department of Health
• established the Lived Experience Strategic Partnership group to provide lived experience expertise within reform
• created designated roles for people with lived experience to advise and lead in the design and implementation of the reform agenda
• progressed embedding lived experience in the leadership, design and delivery of Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services.

Recommendation 31 has more information about reforms to support families, carers and supporters.

Work is also underway on an inaugural Lived and Living Experience Leadership Strategy. Read more on the Recommendation 28 page.