Leading The Change Coproducing safe inclusive work places

Leading The Change Co-producing safe, inclusive work places for mental health consumer workers Vrinda Edan, Susie Alvarez-Vasquez & Kath Sellick

Researchers • Brendan Johnson - Consumer co-researcher • Cath Roper - Consumer Academic, Centre for Psychiatric Nursing • Emma Cadogan - Senior Policy Advisor, Department of Health and Human Services • Joanne Switserloot - Consumer co-researcher • Dr Kath Sellick - Department of Social Work • Krystyn Smale - Consumer Workforce Development Co-Ordinator • Maggie Toko – CEO, Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council • Rory Randall - Consumer co-researcher • A/Prof Susan Ainsworth - Department of Management and Marketing • Susie Alvarez-Vasquez - Consumer co-researcher • Vrinda Edan – Consumer Academic

Background to the project • Supervision project • Making connections across disciplines • Melbourne Social Equity Institute funding

Approach to co-production • MSEI grant processes allowed us to develop an approach to co-production that aims for as much consumer leadership as possible • Consumer involvement from the start of the research process in the development of the grant application • Consumer Worker Action Group formed: • Two research leads with lived experience • Four co-researchers with lived experience • Five members from interdisciplinary backgrounds as well as representatives from DHHS and VMIAC- two with lived experience as a consumer worker • 11 members in total- majority with lived experience as consumer workers

Online Survey Capturing quantitative data and qualitative feedback about discrimination, bullying, support, role confusion, and what could be different. Invitation to participate in interview. Analysis Descriptive statistics from survey. Thematic analysis from transcripts and openended questions in survey. Interpretation Interview Semi-structured exploring discrimination, bullying, support, role confusion, and what could be different. Maximum 20 participants. If possible, participants selected to represent diversity in consumer workforce. Action group to workshop key findings and decide on themes to take to focus group. Focus groups Participants from interviews and surveys invited to focus groups. Focus groups to workshop actions that can address findings from survey and interviews. Creative tools could be used at this stage. Final report Action group use findings from survey and interview, and actions identified in focus group to inform recommendations for final report.

Approach to co-production Borrowing from Roper, Grey, and Cadogen’s (2018) guide to co-production we’ve built this project around the following principles: • Consumers are partners from the outset • Power differentials acknowledged, explored and addressed • Consumer leadership and capacity is developed

Consumers are partners from the outset What is working? • Majority consumer workers on project • Consumer partnership from the start of the project • Interdisciplinary focus • Openness to explore different opinions and methods in all aspects of the project design

Consumer are partners from the outset What could we improve on? • Voice - meaningful partnership • Navigating discipline specific language – ensuring we all understand • Having co-researchers on board from the beginning

Power differentials acknowledged, explored and addressed What is working? • The use of the discomfort agreement • Multiple ways to communicate and contribute especially when unable to attend meetings in person • Able to operate at different pace according to needs • You can show up as you are • Vulnerability - allowing us to feel safe to share our experiences • Reflexivity • Honouring and incorporating all feedback/suggestions as much as possible

Power differentials acknowledged, explored and addressed What could we improve on? • Holding zoom meetings might make it more possible for greater inclusion of co-researchers with other commitments. • A live document of the lit review would enable a greater level of participation from all parties. • Ensuring the final meeting for 2018 includes an opportunity for people to offer any ideas for doing things differently going forward in the case that anything hasn’t been working well perhaps with prompts. • Power never overcome – always working at it being aware of and addressing it. • Gently keeping each other accountable. • Decision making process being agreed upon.

Consumer leadership and capacity is developed What is working? • Consumer co-researchers recruited to lead researcher positions • Opportunity to build skills around ethics applications and process for some though limited due to deadlines • Research project management • MSEI research training opportunities • Power point skills

Consumer leadership and capacity is developed What could we improve on? • Ensuring all members of the team are familiar with the technology we are using and will use It's quite early on in the project but skills that would be useful to learn and further develop include: • Analysing and making sense of the data that we collect • Being a part of the write up of the paper – structure • Making recommendations from our findings

Conclusion • The importance of trying to model an inclusive workplace • The context of the university provides resources but also barriers • The importance of reflection and gentle accountability "It's been a really great experience to feel that desire to not only understand another's perspective, but to see how that enquiry can lead to an exposition of areas that may seem so obvious as to go uncommented upon. “ Brendan (Coresearcher)

For information about this project, please contact: Dr Kath Sellick Department of Social Work Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Phone +61 3 8344 7294 Email: kathryn. sellick@unimelb. edu. au