Care Experience
Placing the lived experience of consumers at the heart of care service design and delivery.
Feedback from consumers shows that despite increased emphasis on co-design, they are still having to ‘fit in’ with how sectors work and what they offer.
Led by Professors Lisa Brophy and Sarah MacLean, our researchers are exploring how the lived experience of Australian consumers can improve the current design and delivery of services to ensure both culturally appropriate and empowering models of care are achieved.
Our priorities over the next year are to:
- understand the perspective of adults and children with lived experience of mental health, child protection services, alcohol and other drugs
- support the establishment of a Lived Experience Advisory Panel to provide researchers across La Trobe with a sounding board for their ideas and projects
- investigate system level responses for Australians with lived experience through undertaking research across multiple care economy sectors.
Our projects include
Led by Professor Leesa Hooker, this study is looking at the unique challenges that rural and LGBTQI+ survivors of sexual violence face due to factors such as access to services, location, community awareness and discrimination. The project aims to use the voices of women with lived experience to develop, test and revise service models supporting survivors.
CERI core members, Associate Professors Anne-Marie Laslett, Professors Leesa Hooker and Sarah MacLean, and Dr Heng Jiang are studying the risk and protective factors for harm experienced by children in multiple systems. The study will identify what service responses are better at supporting positive outcomes for children.
Core member, Emeritus Professor Margarita Frederico is working with the Irish Child and Family Agency, Tusla, to develop trauma informed practice for service providers. The examination of strategies will allow practitioners to respond more effectively to the needs of children and their families.
This first of its kind study, led by Professor Lisa Brophy and Associate Professor Chris Maylea, will look at the variations of use of the controversial Community Treatment Orders within and between jurisdictions. The project will seek to understand the drivers in the use of these legal orders to enforce psychiatric treatment in the community without consent.
Professor Lisa Brophy and her team are identifying the unique needs of Forensicare’s peer workforce to develop strategies supportive of clients and their families as they navigate the forensic mental health care setting. The project aims to enhance recovery, reduce stigma and increase advocacy opportunities for families, carers and supporters.
Professor Lisa Brophy and Associate Professor Chris Maylea are working with Victoria Legal Aid, the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and the Mental Health Legal Centre to evaluate the new Mental Health Legal Rights Service (MHLRS) and the existing Independent Mental Health Advocacy Service (IMHA). Both programs service people experiencing involuntary mental health treatment in Victoria with a focus on upholding the rights and perspectives of consumers. Work is underway to establish a Co-design Group consisting of people with a lived experience of involuntary mental health treatment to provide oversight, guidance and input into the design and delivery of evaluation.
Latest updates
Watch our research presentations and seminars:
- Measuring recovery alcohol and other drug use
- FACTORS project: Is there a future for Community Treatment Orders? An expert panel critically examine recent developments in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, focusing on the limitations and challenges of Community Treatment Orders.
Explore our external media releases: