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Mind Australia has been recognised for its investment in lived experience leadership at The Mental Health Services Learning Network conference in Adelaide. 

Mind received a Service and Program Award in the lived experience leadership category for its whole of organisation approaches to innovation and reform. 

The Mental Health Service Awards of Australia and New Zealand recognise innovation, research excellence, best practice and lived experience leadership in mental health services.  

Mind CEO Gill Callister said the award was an encouraging recognition of Mind’s commitment to lived experience. 

“Mind is delighted to receive the Service and Program Award for lived experience leadership,” Ms Callister said. 

“We are extremely proud of the organisational transformation we have undergone to embed lived and living experience in everything we do. We are well on our way to achieving the goals in our Lived Experience Strategy, and this award is well deserved recognition for the work undertaken by people across our organisation.”  

In December 2021 Mind launched its Lived Experience Strategy (2021-2024) which commits Mind to re-imagining a system that is directly responsive to and informed by the needs, insights and expertise of people with lived experience and lived expertise. 

Mind Senior Manager Inclusion and Participation Katie Larsen said the strategy’s targets were being met but the process was more than the defined deliverables. 

We are extremely proud of the organisational transformation we have undergone to embed lived and living experience in everything we do.
- Gill Callister PSM​, Chief Executive Officer

“This process is one of learning, shifting and questioning. Moving beyond the things that we do to the how and why of change,” Katie said. 

“We want to critically reflect on and challenge social and cultural notions of work, culture, service delivery and leadership completely. And in doing so, provide a model that is rooted in collaborative approaches to social justice and change.” 

Mind’s recent achievements in embedding lived experience in mental health and wellbeing include: 

  • being appointed as the lead provider of Victoria’s first lived experience led residential service, in partnership with Alfred Mental and Addiction Health 
  • development of the Connect (South Australia) and LGBTIQA+ Aftercare(Victoria) programs as models for lived experience-led innovation 
  • the contribution of Mind’s Lived Experience Executive Advisor Dr Louise Byrne who has identified gaps and recommended necessary responses to ensure a systematic, organisational wide approach to lived experience workforce development 
  • being appointed as the lead provider for the Family and Carer-led Centres in Loddon Mallee and the Grampians 
  • successful delivery of Mind’s Peer Work Program for the Department of Health’s Lived and Living Experience Workforce program 
  • development of and recruitment for a range of new lived experience systemic and leadership workforce roles including Lived Experience Team Leaders and peer-led innovation roles 
  • Undertaking an independent gaps analysis assessing Mind’s Peer Work Program against the National Guidelines for Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Development Guidelines 
  • delivery of the Peer Cadet Program. 

Mind is a leading employer of people with lived and living experience of mental ill-health, recognising their unique ability to connect with and motivate clients and guide recovery. Find out more about Mind’s Lived Experience Strategy.