Get Involved

Across this project, we will be working with two separate groups. One group is for Consumers and the other group is for Carers, Families and Kin. Once people have expressed interest the Project Advisory Group will select up to 15 Group members for the two groups using the guiding principles:

• Lived/living experience leadership

• Respect and balance across differences

• Foregrounding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wisdom

• Holistic perspectives - future, systemic impact and being human

• Amplifying healing potential

There will be 5 online sessions for each group that will inform a set of Grant Opportunity Guidelines (GOGs). The GOGs will inform a competitive grants process, starting in late 2023, which will allocate funding to establish two national Peak Bodies.

All engagement in the groups will include:

• Paying you for your time (more information below)

• Mental health and cultural safety support

• The option to bring along a support person

• Accurate use of your pronouns and name

• An interpreter upon request

• Multiple ways of contributing to suit you

The online sessions will be held on the following dates for the Consumer Group:

• Session 1 - Tuesday 19 September - 10am -12pm AEST

• Session 2 - Thursday 21 September - 10am-12pm AEST

• Session 3 - Tuesday 26 September - 10am-12pm AEST

• Session 4 - Tuesday 3 Oct - 10am-12pm AEST

• Session 5 - Tuesday 17 Oct - 10am-12pm AEST

The online sessions will be held on the following dates for the Carers, Families, and Kin Group:

• Session 1 - Monday 18 September - 10am -12pm AEST

• Session 2 - Thursday 21 September - 1pm-3pm AEST

• Session 3 - Thursday 28 September - 10am-12pm AEST

• Session 4 - Thursday 5 Oct - 10am-12pm AEST

• Session 5 - Thursday 19 Oct - 10am-12pm AEST

Additional Voices - As there are only 15 places, we anticipate we might not be able to include everyone we would like into the online group sessions. Because of this, we will also invite a number of people in addition to the group members, to give feedback on what is coming out of the workshops and provide important information and perspectives that are missing. These conversations will be paid and will be approximately a 2 hour commitment. You can elect to be considered for this role within the Expressions of Interest.

The Additional voices conversations will be held during week beginning 9 October at times that work best for people. 

Learn more about how we will work together in this project here.

People in both the consumer group and the carers, families and kin groups will be paid for their time if they are not coming to sessions supported by current employment.

Payment will be aligned to remuneration benchmarks through the remuneration tribunal (pdf) Each consumer and carers, families, and kin group member will be paid $179 for each session (5 sessions in total).

As there are only 15 places, we anticipate we might not be able to include everyone we would like into the online group sessions. Because of this, we will also invite a number of people in addition to the group members, to give feedback on what is coming out of the sessions and provide important information and perspectives that are missing. These conversations will be paid and will be approximately a 2 hour commitment. These will be one off conversations with people for up to 2 hours. Aligned to the above remuneration benchmarks, people will be paid $179 per conversation. 

There are many ways individuals, groups, organisations and institutions are seeking to ‘co-design’ across the mental health system, and this project is an example of that. 

In this project’s context and scope, ‘co-design’ is aligned with the IAP2 public participation spectrum’s (pdf) 'Collaborate' level.  

The promise of the 'Collaborate' level is: 

We (TACSI on behalf of the Department of Health and Aged Care) will look to you (the lived and living experience community and leaders) for advice and innovation in developing solutions and incorporate your advice and recommendations into the decisions to the maximum extent possible. 

Our work will strive to keep this promise.

This means that the outcomes of the co-design process will be translated into a competitive Grant Opportunity by the Department of Health and Aged Care to fund organisations to establish and operate the peaks. 

The Grant Opportunity will outline eligibility criteria, specific objectives and intended outcomes of a grant(s) for the initial establishment and operation of each peak. This will also provide details on what grant money can and can’t be used for. Find more information about the Commonwealth’s grant process. 

Learn more about preparing for the sessions here.

Project Advisors will select up to 15 Consumer Group members and 15 Carers, Families and Kin members for both groups using the guiding principles:

• Lived/living experience leadership

• Respect and balance across differences

• Foregrounding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wisdom

• Holistic perspectives - future, systemic impact and being human

• Amplifying healing potential

The expression of interests close on 25 August 2023.

Everyone who has submitted an Expression of Interest will be advised of the outcomes either way by 8 September 2023.

5 online sessions and additional voices conversations will take place across September and October 2023 and will build on the discussion papers (to be released shortly).

Learn more about the project team here.