Mind Australia is inviting people with experience supporting someone with mental health challenges to join its new Family Lived Experience Advisory Team (FLEAT).
The FLEAT is a new Mind initiative that will ensure the voices of families, carers, supporters and kin are contributing to creating better services and shaping Mind’s policy and advocacy to address the needs of families and carers of people experiencing mental health challenges.
Once recruitment is complete, the FLEAT will comprise a diverse group of 12 people with lived experience of supporting someone with mental health challenges, as well as experience accessing Mind or One Door Mental Health support services (either as family members or carers, or alongside the person they support).
FLEAT members will reflect the diverse perspectives and aspirations of their communities, aiming to:
- actively shape decision-making processes at all levels within the organisation
- ensure Mind and One Door’s service offerings are inclusive of families and carers
- foster personal growth through participating in activities, such as co-design and advocacy
- encourage team members to build and use skills to raise awareness about issues faced by family members, carers, supporters or kin of someone experiencing mental health challenges
- provide insights by identifying service gaps and proposing innovative approaches, and
- contribute to the recruitment and selection of family and carer-oriented positions within Mind and One Door’s services.
“At Mind and One Door, we have seen the immense value of working with people who use our services like this for a number of years – particularly through our Lived Experience Advisory Team (LEAT) and our Youth Lived Experience Advisory Team (YLEAT) – and we look forward to building on our commitments by centring family and carer lived experience and connection through this new FLEAT,” Mind’s Senior Manager Lived Experience Design and Development, Dr Carolynne White, said.
“Being part of the new FLEAT is a chance to connect with others, develop new skills and be part of real, meaningful change.”
The FLEAT will meet online, and members will participate in high-level strategy and decision-making conversations. A moderate level of digital literacy and access to technology is therefore essential.
To apply for Mind’s FLEAT, click here to complete an expression of interest form. Expressions of interest close at 9am (AEDT) on Monday 9 March.