Keeping it real
Te Pou hosted four Keeping It Real service user meetings in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin during February 2009. He Tipuana Nga Kakano, the Midlands consumer group meeting also provided an opportunity for the Keeping It Real discussion. The purpose of these meetings was to meet service user leaders and workers and share information and ideas about service user workforce development around New Zealand.
120 consumer leaders, consumer advisors, advocates, consultants, auditors, researchers, destig workers and peer support leaders and workers from across New Zealand attended. They took the opportunity to meet and spend time talking about local service user and peer support work successes, discuss issues and barriers for their regions and next steps toward the future.
The discussions were as exciting and enlightening as you would expect when you get lots of passionate and dedicated people together. The informal nature of the meetings allowed honest debate albeit within time constraints.
The Keeping It Real discussions demonstrated that it's an exciting time for service user workforce development in New Zealand. Many useful innovations, solutions and developments are happening but there is still much to be done. Consideration must be given to growing this workforce without losing its unique qualities and value. Lots of it is still emerging and so it is timely to think about and design development in a thoughtful sustainable way. New Zealand has advantages that could enable us to be world leaders in service user workforce development. With good supported leadership and opportunities, it's at our doorstep. One thing is certain - we are rich in smart, dedicated, enthusiastic, forward thinking and solution seeking people that make this a true potential.
On this page
National themes
- An urgent need for well trained service user supervisors/coaches/mentors for peer and service user workers and the financial capacity to support them. Could also be developed to provide service user supervision for clinical staff.
- The need for a values based evaluation toolkit that would capture the efficacy and matchless quality of peer support work.
- The need for a national communication network of some kind to keep people informed, supported and connected.
- Funding to explore, utilise and develop initiatives to increase an effective service user workforce.
- Developing peer support work competencies and frameworks.
- Support for the development of new kinds of emerging leaders.
- Discrimination and stigma are still too common.
- The need to be more than consulted with, to be a pivotal part of every process and development within mental health.
- Fair and equal remuneration for good work.
- Role clarity for the various consumer/service user/peer roles - the wider sector doesn't always understand them.
- More opportunities and space to meet each other, network and discuss what's working, what's not and what might the solutions be, both regionally and nationally.
- More opportunities to grow service users at different levels (training and mentoring) e.g. management, leadership.
- That the consumer/service user sector is credible and accountable.
Regional themes
- Geographical considerations of distance and isolation.
- Difficulty accessing training or funds to attend training.
- Difficulty accessing methods of communication (computers, broadband or wireless, video-conferencing equipment).
Celebration and success
There were many exciting innovations and developments discussed such as consumer audit tools, service user/clinician partnerships, development of specialist peer roles, service user evaluators and web developments. Some of these will be profiled in Te Pou's e-bulletin over the next year.
If you have a service user or peer support workforce development you would like to share and celebrate please contact Carolyn Swanson.
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Page last updated: 25 February 2010