On behalf of the Mental Health Council of Tasmania (MHCT), Mental Health Families and Friends (MHFFTas – formerly Mental Health Carers Tasmania) engaged with mental health families, friends and carers to seek their views on the development of a Peer Workforce Strategy for Tasmania’s Mental Health Sector.

In recent years more and more organisations within our mental health system have started to employ people specifically for the expertise they’ve developed through their personal experience of mental ill-health and recovery, as a consumer or carer. These jobs are referred to as ‘peer worker’ roles and this growing part of our workforce is referred to as the ‘peer workforce’.

Drawing upon survey responses from families and friends of those with mental ill health, a report was created to help understand current practice, determine workforce gaps and needs, identify challenges and opportunities and consider potential solutions to address them.

Read the report and the survey.

The survey included:

• What does an ideal peer workforce look like? (vision)
• How are we going to get there? (goals/ priorities)
• Experience of the peer workforce (elements of the workforce)
• How should we talk about the peer workforce? (definitions and terminology)

This report will be provided to the Mental Health Council of Tasmania to help inform the development of our peer workforce in Tasmania’s mental health sector, to improve the experience of consumers, families, friends and carers and staff and organisations within the sector.