Developing the peer and lived experience workforce

Rhonda Robertson

Peer project lead, Te Pou o Te Whakaaro Nui

Caro and Rhonda are both passionate about improving the service user experience and growing the peer and lived experience workforce. They draw on their own lived experience of using mental health and addiction services, combined with academic and extensive work experience, to inform their work at Te Pou o Te Whakaaro Nui. One of the projects they have been involved in is updating the peer workforce competencies.

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Competencies for the mental health and addiction service user, consumer and peer workforce

The competencies, created and published in 2014, have been recently refreshed to reflect the rapidly changing workplace environment of mental health and addiction services.

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The resource Competencies for the mental health and addiction service user, consumer and peer workforce can be used to inform all aspects of an organisation, including training, recruitment, performance management, self-assessment, service specifications, auditing etc. It has two companion documents: Service user, consumer and peer workforce – a guide for managers and employers and Service user, consumer and peer workforce – a guide for planners and funders.

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Caro and Rhonda presented this work at the Long-Term Conditions Forum 2020 in Wellington. To view that presentation click here.

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In this video, Caro and Rhonda talk about how their own lived experience informs their work and why the peer and lived experience workforce makes a valuable contribution to service delivery.