Information
We aim to promote, support and improve mental health peer work in the Grampians region with a view to improving the
outcomes and increasing recovery for those with a mental illness, their families and
communities in this region.
We are made up of peer workers from six different organisations. All of us have a lived experience either as recipients of
mental health services and/or as family
members for those service recipients. All members also work in roles which make a direct use of that lived experience.
The network is democratic with all members having an equal say in decision making. The network aims to keep the needs, voices and aspirations of those with a mental illness, their families and communities in the region as our first and central interest.
The group was first convened by Mind Peer Support Worker Paul Hartwood in 2014. The group is also connected with the Association of Mental Health Peer
Specialists in Victoria and the Centre for
Excellence in Peer Support.
Our vision is to improve the profile of the peer workforce in this region, to link with other like-minded networks around the state and nation, and to form a collective that
effectively contributes to the improvement of recovery outcomes for those with a
mental illness, their families and
communities. It is our belief that the peer workforce should be seen as a specialty equal to, but different from, other mental health specialties, such as psychiatric
nursing or social work.
With that in mind, we meet every two months to strengthen our network and learn from one another in order to improve
consumer, family and community outcomes.
