The 2018 Australian Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium will this year be held over 15-17 October at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania.
Joining us at the conference is Mrs Rebecca Cunningham National Coordinator at the Australian Red Cross who will present on ‘Co-Design: The Art of Listening V2.0’.
Abstracts
In the face of once-in-a-generation reforms in the mental health and disability sector as a result of the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme; and in line with our commitment to supporting 500,000 Australians to connect to and be supported by their communities in order to overcome deep social exclusion, Australian Red Cross invested in a 12 month co-design project across three regional communities to improve mental health supports.
Over 250 consumers, carers, volunteers, service providers and community members shared their time and experience with us and helped us to design three solutions that aim to support individuals and communities across three elements of the service experience - the kind of support people need, the way the support system should work to help people thrive, and how communities can help people thrive.
My Team is a new digital solution that was one of the innovative concepts that came out of the extensive co-design project. Consumers have been in the room, providing insight and ideas for the whole project and we are now ready to launch My Team into the App Store and the Google Play Store.
My Team has been built upon from the following insight: 'For some people it can be difficult to have a positive outlook and imagine how things could be different, but having the right people around them can make all the difference. This doesn’t necessarily require intensive support or a huge team – sometimes having just a handful of people who you can turn to at the right time for the right kind of support is all you need.'
Key Learnings:
1. How to engage with consumers effectively in a co-design project
2. Using digital technology to enhance social connectedness
Biography
Rebecca Cunningham is currently the National Coordinator for Deep Social Exclusion for Australian Red Cross. Living in Gladstone, South Australia she has a keen interest in the wellbeing of people living in rural & remote areas. Previously working in acute health, she now enjoys working in the not for profit sector supporting some of the most vulnerable people within the community.
For more information on the upcoming 2018 Australian Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium please visit anzmh.asn.au/rrmh
