The National Social Mission Department
Lived Experience and Participation
Resource
The National Social Mission Department Lived Experience and Participation Resource
Contents Introduction
4
Purpose
4
Aim
5
Definitions
5
Acknowledgements
7
Mission, vision and values Acknowledgement of Country
8
Our commitment to inclusion and child safety
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Who is the Social Mission Department?
10
Lived experience and participation
13
Defining participation
13
The national principles
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Our commitment
14
Matrix of engagement and participation
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Participation in policy design and advocacy
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Participation in mission development
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Levels of participation
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Workforce capability and capacity
2
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Participant representative training and induction program
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Remuneration
24
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The National Social Mission Department Lived Experience and Participation Resource
Introduction
The Salvation Army Social Mission Department’s Lived Experience and Participation Resource is part of the broader Salvation Army Lived Experience and Participation Framework. Together, they deliver a consistent national set of commitments, principles and expectations for best practice. The resource is implemented, monitored and evaluated within the context of the broader Salvation Army policy environment, along with state and federal legislation and directives informed through funding and service agreements within individual program arrangements. As a driver within the Social Mission Department, as well as the Policy, Research and Social Justice (PSRJ) Department, participation and co-design is embedded across Social Mission in a range of contexts and by various disciplines. The resource sets the National Social Mission Department benchmark for: • The delivery of safe, person-centred, effective and seamless participation programs and activities • Our commitment to learning and continually improving services and advocacy based on the wisdom, insight and lived experience of others, particularly participants
Aim The Social Mission Department Lived Experience Resource aims to formalise pathways and platforms for participants to inform service, activities and policy design and practice by: • Recognising the expertise, knowledge and experience of participants • Providing guidelines for best practice for engaging participants in collaboration • Providing the workforce strategy to ensure that the resource is delivered in a consistent, meaningful, respectful and comprehensive manner • Bringing the voice of the participant into Social Mission governance and evidence informed practice This resource overarches Lived Experience Stream Frameworks to provide a consistent approach to lived experience participation.
Definitions TERM
DEFINITION
The Salvation Army (TSA)
The Salvation Army in Australia inclusive of the Social Mission Department.
Social Mission Department
The Homelessness, Family Violence, Youth, Alcohol and Other Drugs and Quality and Accreditation Stream Departments.
Support/family violence/alcohol and other drug/youth/ homelessness worker
Social Mission Department employee who delivers services within the Social Mission Department.
Stakeholder
Any person, organisation, social group, or the community at large that has a vested interest in TSA governance and/or operations. Stakeholders can be internal or external to TSA and can be affected by and/or affect TSA.
Child, children
A child or a young person refers to any individual under 18 years.
• A rights-based approach, equipping and encouraging participation from all participants and stakeholders • Embedding equity and embracing diversity in all activities • Involving participants and the workforce to influence policy, processes and services that support lived experience participation • Demonstrating the value of lived experience in informing service design and delivery The Social Mission Department believes that we can understand the voice of the people we work with if we engage in their experience directly but also “indirectly” through the narrative, discourse, and words that people use to describe it, including the meaning which they attach to it, and the formulation of that experience into worthwhile projects. This document has therefore been guided and inspired by state, national and international documents regarding participation. It is informed by local research and knowledge based on our services’ experience in, and consultation with people accessing or who have accessed our services and tiers of government. It attempts to capture the core values and principles expressed by those with lived experience who provided expert input into the design of this resource. The key priorities within the lived experience participation resource are premised on providing a safe and therapeutic service to all people, regardless of age, culture, ability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief or sexual identity.
Purpose The resource is designed to be read by participants, family members, people working within the Social Mission Department at all levels of responsibility, and sector partners. It sets out the commitments, principles and expectations for embedding a comprehensive model for lived experience participation. For this reason, each principle is outlined at a national level with the intention of forming an overarching resource for the Social Mission Department Streams, including the Alcohol and Other Drugs, Youth, Family and Domestic Violence and Homelessness Lived Experience and Participation Frameworks. It will also inform engagement of people with lived experience in developing and implementing the social justice aims by the PSRJ Department.
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Within this policy, the term “children” or “child” is used to refer to all children and young people. Young people
“Young people” refers to a fluid age bracket, commonly those between the ages of 1525 years of age and is best understood as a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to the independence of adulthood.
Participant
A person/s seeking or receiving assistance or support through TSA Social Mission Department.
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The National Social Mission Department Lived Experience and Participation Resource
Family
A family member of a participant accessing the Social Mission Department Services for support
Cultural Safety
An environment that is safe for people, where there is no assault, challenge or denial of their identity, of who they are and what they need. It is about shared respect, shared meaning, shared knowledge and experience, of learning, living and working together with dignity and truly listening.
Lived experience
The experience, expertise and strengths of a person who has directly experienced the issue at hand. For example, when considering family and domestic violence research, practice and policy, lived experience would refer to a person or family who is a victimsurvivor of family violence.
Personal capacity
The capability and resilience to do and sustain cognitive or practical tasks. This includes making a decision, taking some action and comprehending both the nature and consequences of that action.
Cultural safety also refers to creating an environment that:
Evidence of increased personal capacity includes but is not limited to:
• Empowers individuals to actively participate in activities believing they are valued, understood and taken seriously
• Recognising and regulating emotions
• Supports individuals to carry out culturally significant tasks as part of their involvement in activities or programs run by or on behalf of The Salvation Army LGBTIQA+
Disability
Intersectionality
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• Building positive relationships • Taking responsibility for decisions • Making safe, healthy decisions
An evolving umbrella term that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex, pansexual, asexual and queer communities and is used to describe experiences of gender, sexuality, and physiological sex characteristics, including common experiences of marginalisation due to dominant social norms.
Workforce
Disability refers to any physical, psychological, sensory, intellectual or medical condition that make it difficult for an individual or group to participate in certain activities (activity limitation) and to have full participation in society, often as a result of environmental and institutional barriers.
A person who may be an officer, employee, volunteer, a contractor or subcontractor, employee of a contractor or subcontractor, employee of a labour hire company, trainee or student on placement that is engaged in any Social Mission Department or is a Board or Board Committee member.
Reimbursement
The payment to a person as part of authorised participation activities so that the person is not out of pocket. Reimbursement of expenses may include but not limited to reimbursement for travel, accommodation, meals, and other expenses deemed necessary and that have been agreed to before spending occurs.
The ways in which different aspects of a person’s identity, including social categorisations such as race, class and gender, can expose an individual to overlapping, complex and cumulative systems of discrimination and marginalisation and disadvantage.
Self-determination
A person making informed decisions on their own behalf.
Wellbeing
A complex combination of a person's physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social health and is strongly linked to happiness, healing and life satisfaction. It is how a person feels about themselves and their life, including their sense of dignity and sense of being valued.
Engagement
A reciprocal relationship, involving two-way conversations, consultation and joint decision-making between TSA and participants and stakeholders.
Informed consent
Giving consent/permission in full knowledge of the possible consequences, including the possible risks and benefits of giving consent/permission.
• Increased resilience
Acknowledgements The Salvation Army National Social Mission Department thanks the following participation groups and services for their contributions, expertise and support in the development of this resource: • The Social Mission and Policy Department National Lived Experience and Participation Working Group • The Lived Experience Consultation Members
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The National Social Mission Department Lived Experience and Participation Framework
Mission, vision and values Our mission The Salvation Army Australia is a Christian movement dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus. We share the love of Jesus by: • • • •
Caring for people Creating faith pathways Building healthy communities Working for justice
Our vision Wherever there is hardship or injustice, Salvos will live, love and fight, alongside others, to transform Australia one life at a time with the love of Jesus.
Our values Recognising that God is already at work in the world, we value: • Integrity • Compassion • Respect • Diversity • Collaboration
Acknowledgement of Country The Salvation Army acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters throughout Australia. We pay our respect to Elders and acknowledge their continuing relationship to this land and the ongoing living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia. We also acknowledge future aspirations of all First Nations peoples. Through respectful relationships we will work for the mutual flourishing of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. We commit ourselves in prayer and practice to this land of Australia and its people, seeking reconciliation, unity and equity.
Our commitment to reconciliation Our vision for reconciliation is to be a faith movement committed to social justice, equity and freedom. We aim to respect, value and acknowledge the unique cultures, spiritualties, histories and languages of the oldest surviving culture in the world, and to engage in a unified and positive relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their communities. The Social Mission Department is committed to delivering The Salvation Army’s National Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.
Our commitment to inclusion The Salvation Army Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet and work and pay our respect to Elders past, present and future. We value and include people of all cultures, languages, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions and intersex status. We are committed to providing programs that are fully inclusive. We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of people of all ages, particularly children.
Our commitment to child safety At The Salvation Army Australia, we seek to create environments where children and young people thrive and feel safe, valued and empowered. We are working hard to hear the voices of children and young people and use their wisdom to enhance our services, facilities and programs. The Salvation Army Australia has a strong and ongoing commitment to safety, and takes a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse and harm. All Salvation Army personnel are accountable for ensuring the safety of children and young people and are bound by a Code of Conduct that places children’s safety first.
We will live, love and fight together. 8
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The National Social Mission Department Lived Experience and Participation Resource
Who is the
Social Mission Department? The Salvation Army’s Social Mission Department is committed to fulfilling The Salvation Army’s mission, vision and values through provision of quality, non-discriminatory social services. Social Mission focuses on four priority areas which form specialist streams within the Department: • • • •
Alcohol and other drugs Domestic and family violence Homelessness Youth
Alcohol and other drugs
Homelessness
As one of Australia’s largest providers of alcohol and other drug treatment services, each of our services across Australia offers a unique program for people experiencing problematic drug and alcohol issues. Our alcohol and other drug services are dedicated to creating a platform and pathways for people to build their lives in ways that are meaningful and purposeful. Harm reduction is the overarching resource of our services. Our primary purpose is to prevent and reduce harm for both individuals and the wider community and to support the reduction and cessation of use.
The Salvation Army is the largest provider of homelessness services across the country. We provide services to adults, and families with accompanying children. Our services include accommodation, case management, assertive outreach support, financial assistance, together with connection and referral to other specialist services. Our philosophy is that every person is afforded dignity, respect and quality of service and that no one should be without a safe, affordable and secure home.
Domestic and family violence The Salvation Army Family Violence Stream offers specialist programs to families and individuals who are experiencing and recovering from family violence, modern slavery and forced marriage. We hold to account those who choose to use violence or abuse human rights through support and integrated interventions. Our services focus on prevention, restoration and healing using evidence-based theories and resources. We work towards a community which is safe and free from violence and challenges systemic gendered attitudes. We offer refuge, children’s and parenting services, counselling, support, men’s programs, accommodation and advice to families and individuals who are experiencing, or who have experienced, family violence.
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Youth The Salvation Army Youth Services offer an integrated suite of targeted programs engaging with young people across Australia on their journey to independence. Creating intentional avenues for young people to explore opportunities, build support networks, and access, participate and contribute to their communities, our services include housing and homelessness, driver training, education, employment and training, social and community activities, specialist therapeutic responses and youth justice programs.
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The National Social Mission Department Lived Experience and Participation Resource
Lived experience and participation The Social Mission Department is committed to listening to the voices of people with lived experience and working alongside them. We seek to work collaboratively with those who use our services and to find new and innovative ways for participants and all stakeholders, including employees and volunteers, to participate. We acknowledge that, as an organisation, our practice and advocacy is stronger when guided by those with lived experience. We do this through formal mechanisms and by creating opportunities to take part in, and contribute to, our service design and delivery. Our goal is to help people overcome the hardship they are experiencing as a result of injustice or disadvantage. We look beyond personal difficulties to examine the systems and structures that lead to and hold people in hardship, and those that can help people step out of hardship.
Defining “participation” and “co-design” Participation is a value that is expressed when participants: • Are meaningfully involved in decision making processes • Services and projects are developed and delivered “with” and “by” participants rather than “for” or “about” them Participation can range from informing, educating and consulting with participants to co-production and community led movements. The latter is where all stakeholders work in an equal and reciprocal relationship and decisions, solutions and activities are participant-led. Co-design is an inclusive, person-centred process that involves participants in generating ideas, testing them and making decisions about how these ideas could shape projects, relationships, and the nature of services offered.
The national principles The Social Mission Department understands that: • The lived experience of people it engages, and their active participation in its operation, is invaluable in achieving and maintaining safe and high-quality delivery of services, programs and activities • Safety and wellbeing, personal capacity and skills of participants and the workforce can be enhanced and developed through participation The Salvation Army Social Mission Department: • Acknowledges the expertise, contribution and lived experience of people who connect with The Salvation Army • Acknowledges that the voice of lived experience is central to service design and the right of participants to have input into how services and programs operate • Provides a safe and transparent resource to empower the voice of participants to be heard and inform all levels of service delivery, design and evaluation from first point of engagement • Evaluates, assesses and embeds mechanisms for participation to ensure lived experience is at the forefront of service design • Values the voice of lived experience through remuneration and ensuring adequate support to allow the desired level of participation 12
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The National Social Mission Department Lived Experience and Participation Resource
Our Commitment Active participation and self-determination We provide participants authentic opportunities to participate in forums and processes to share their experience at all levels of Social Mission programs, with appropriate support. We are committed to taking all reasonable steps to remove access barriers to participation and to the sharing of lived experience. Feedback, suggestions and complaints Participant feedback is routinely, systematically and consensually gathered, reviewed and used to plan and improve services. Participants using Social Mission Department Services are encouraged to provide feedback, suggestions or complaints through a variety of mechanisms that are intentionally diverse to cater to participants’ individual needs and preferences. Mechanisms will consistently include provision of the complaints, suggestions and feedback. Policy with clear information about how to lodge feedback is on the website and provided. In addition, regular surveys, focus groups, residents’ meetings, program reviews and evaluations will provide proactive opportunities for participation. Safety and wellbeing of children, young people and people experiencing vulnerability The Salvation Army is a child safe organisation and provides an environment which is safe and inclusive for all children, young people and people experiencing vulnerability. We are committed to participation by children, young people and people experiencing vulnerability, both face-toface and online, which prepares and equips individuals for safe participation. All activities will be undertaken in a safe manner and affirm the value of the individual. Inclusion and equity We are committed to providing a safe environment for all people regardless of their age, culture, ability, gender, racial origin, sexual identity, religious belief and/or language to participate. We will support participants to identify and mitigate barriers to allow their desired participation (including assistance with interpreter services, reading, accessing transportation, technology, childcare and other resources) to enable desired participation. We are committed to creating a responsive and accessible environment for all people to participate. We value the diversity of our participants and are committed to empowering access to resources and opportunities to participate. Intersectionality For those groups who have historically been excluded from decision making and public leadership, the Social Mission Department seeks to amplify these voices through participation. We commit to participation for oppressed groups by those who hold power to actively create opportunities for inclusion. Disability To ensure that physical, communication, organisational policy and attitudinal barriers to participation are dismantled, the Social Mission Department is committed to accommodating structural modifications to facilities, developing appropriate formats of communication and information sharing. We will work with individuals with a disability to develop alternate models of service delivery that afford genuine and equal participation opportunities regardless of ability.
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LGBTIQA+ LGBTIQA+ people experience increased risks and barriers to participation, including concerns regarding confidentiality and anonymity, technological barriers and finding safe spaces within mainstream facilities and services. We acknowledge the difficulties that LGBTIQA+ people can experience in accessing services that are inclusive, which may cause fear and anxiety. The Social Mission Department is committed to creating specific opportunities for LGBTIQA+ people to be involved in the planning and development of policy, practice and service delivery. We will ensure that feedback mechanisms are in place to increase confidence that participation will result in action for improvement. The Social Mission Department will prioritise the training of staff in LGBTIQA+ inclusive practice at all levels in order to ensure the provision of welcoming, accessible and culturally safe organisations. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples The Social Mission Department acknowledges that despite being the Traditional Owners of Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience disadvantage disproportionately to other groups in Australia. There are both historical and current contributors to this disadvantage. The experiences of colonialism and suppression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and traditions has an ongoing negative effect on people from these cultures. Importantly, much of the disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is created by the systems and structures in our society. Addressing the structural, systemic and historic oppression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is critical to addressing this disadvantage. The Social Mission Department is committed to engaging in the journey of reconciliation and building our cultural capability and competence with First Nations peoples and all participation activities will be consistently delivered based on this understanding and commitment. Women Gender inequality continues to be a major barrier to the realisation of rights and access to opportunities for girls and women in Australia. The unequal status of women and girls in Australia fosters gender stereotypes and roles in the home, in relationships and in the workplace. This places women at a greater risk of injustice, disadvantage and hardship. Some groups of women are at greater risk, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, young women, pregnant women, women separating from their partners, women with disability, women on temporary visas, transgender women and women experiencing financial hardship. The Social Mission Department will provide opportunities that empower women and girls to challenge social norms, structures or practices, and encourage them to speak out so their voices and ideas are valued and heard equally by the organisation and society. Children Children are capable of forming their own views and have the right to express those views freely. Those views are to be given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child. This right includes the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate body. The Social Mission Department will ensure that children’s voices are considered in their own right and that participation activities value this as a norm.
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The National Social Mission Department Lived Experience and Participation Resource
Young people Young people are frequently underrepresented and misrepresented and are often not included in government, organisational and community decisions that affect them. Barriers to participation for young people include lack of clarity provided to young people about roles and responsibilities and limited power being given to young people to initiate genuine organisational change. The Social Mission Department is committed to overcoming barriers to young people participating by providing young people with a clear, realistic purpose, diverse opportunities and the necessary skills and training to create rewarding participation opportunities. Highly skilled workforce Through a culture of ongoing targeted professional development, reflective practice, supervision and worker wellbeing programs, our qualified, experienced and capable workforce are positioned to deliver evidence-based services that promote lived experience participation. Communication and information We aspire to a culture of openness and transparency in all engagement activity so that: • Effective two-way conversations occur • Informed consent is obtained • People know how the information provided by them: • Will and will not be used • Any limitations that may impact on how information is used • The flow of this information reaches those best placed to make decisions and act Continuous improvement We value the lived experience of participants and see their lived experiences as a key contributor to continuous improvement of strategic and operational direction, advocacy, services, programs and activities. We demonstrate our value of lived experience by: • Seeking, capturing and reviewing lived experiences • Using the learning from participation activity in decision making
Remuneration and support We value the feedback, input and voice of participants, as experts of their story. Participants will be remunerated for their contributions, in line with sector standards (see table on page 24). We will provide a range of supports to ensure a safe and transparent environment to allow participation. This includes induction and orientation to The Salvation Army and the activity, access to capacity building activities such as professional development, formal recognition of participation and support via the Employee Assistance Program. Rights-based approach The Social Mission Department’s rights-based approach to service delivery addresses barriers by reflecting state and Commonwealth legislation, evidence-based practice and requirements in relation to The Salvation Army policies and procedures, and any other related participant charters. This approach incorporates: • The development, implementation and evaluation of complaints and grievance procedures • Upon intake into any Social Mission Department program, the provision of the participant grievance process information, as well as information regarding advocacy services • The development of documented and consistent policies specific to case management that ensure all people are informed and regularly reminded of their rights and responsibilities through case management engagement • The development of consistent policies and procedures specific to specialist homelessness, youth, alcohol and other drugs, mental health, family violence and education/training services where appropriate, ensuring participants are informed and regularly reminded of their rights and responsibilities • The development and implementation of plain language material that expresses the issues and needs of individuals across services – it will be reviewed by participant representatives and specific to rights and responsibilities • In response to specific program requirements, will encourage and facilitate a program environment that will enable the promotion of individual rights and responsibilities to promote best practice outcomes • Adherence to all statutory guidelines and requirements The Salvation Army Social Mission Department recognises that informing participants of their rights and responsibilities is central to programmatic culture and service delivery practice. The Salvation Army services encourage and facilitate a program environment that enables the promotion of individual rights and responsibilities to maximise outcomes for participants at all levels of the organisation.
• Letting people know what has been learned; and what will and/or will not be changed as a result of the learning and the reason why • Publishing and promoting the outcomes of participation We evaluate and analyse our services, and seek meaningful feedback from participants as a critical element in ensuring continuous improvement of our work. Feedback is fully reviewed, assessed and implemented to ensure authentic, inclusive and effective participation. Our programs are formally accredited against sector standards through a process that ensures authentic lived experience input.
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Matrix of engagement and participation
1
There are five key ways for people with lived expertise to participate:
Inform
The sharing of information to assist people: • Understand how services/programs/activities work • Make informed decisions • Be aware of available options Examples include newsletters, leaflets, brochures, induction booklets and sessions, websites and social media.
Consult
Asking for feedback (compliments, complaints and suggestions) on service delivery, programs and activities, and policy and advocacy objectives. Examples include compliments, complaints and suggestions mechanisms, surveys, questionnaires, suggestion boxes, exit interviews, focus groups and social media.
Involve
Working together with people to ensure understanding of lived experience (concerns and aspirations) and using this understanding to inform change and improvement. This includes use of this understanding in: • • • • • • •
Decision making Policy making Research projects Fundraising Public relations campaigns Media engagement Social policy development
Examples include forums, peer education, peer mentoring, advisory groups.
Collaborate
Advice is sought from participants and stakeholders and the workforce and this advice is fundamental to planning and decision-making processes. There is a shared agreement for action taken. Examples include person centred case management, participant and other stakeholder advocacy and participation in project co-design and involvement in recruitment.
Empower
The transferring of ownership of outcomes or decision making to empower the client, participant, beneficiary and other stakeholders.
Participation in policy design and advocacy The Salvation Army undertakes a systems-based approach to social problems. This means we work directly with impacted individuals to provide support and advocacy while also working at the systems level to address the root causes of disadvantage. It is therefore important that people with lived experience have a voice in the positions The Salvation Army takes for policy reform, advocacy and social justice initiatives, and have meaningful opportunities to directly influence policy makers. There are a range of benefits to facilitating such opportunities, including: 1. Enabling people with lived experience to transform personal challenges into positive outcomes for both themselves and potentially others who are experiencing the same or similar challenges 2. Improving policy and practice responses to various social problems by ensuring they are informed by those most directly impacted 3. Prompting desired action by humanising social problems that might otherwise be very abstract or difficult for others to understand2 4. An informed advocacy strategy to drive action for structural and systemic change.
Participation in mission development The Salvation Army is committed to expanding opportunities for participants to inform our policy design and advocacy work. The following initial opportunities will be available until more formal mechanisms, such as the Freedom Advocates program, are in place: 1. Planned and supported participant consultation to review a series of one to two page policy briefs across relevant service streams 2. Coordinated development of case studies and quotes from participants that demonstrate and speak to key policy failures, and provide evidence for Salvation Army policy recommendations across service streams and hot topics (i.e. cashless debit card, forced marriage, etc.) 3. Ad hoc participant consultation on emerging/urgent issues on which we have not previously consulted 4. Alternatively, or additionally, policy-related questions may be included in the annual Participant and Carer Survey to help capture views on issues that have not been included in other formal consultation mechanisms 5. Supported participation to make direct submissions to government and to appear before Parliamentary inquiries where participants may share their experiences (This can be done “in camera” or privately, where the evidence is not made public on the Hansard) To minimise the risk of consultation fatigue, The Salvation Army will endeavour to integrate these opportunities into existing consultation resources, such as Stream and National Participation Reference Groups and working groups (discussed below). It is likely that a special, pilot working group will be established to support a small number of participants interested in policy and advocacy work. This is to ensure there is appropriate support for participants to make informed decisions about their involvement and to have positive experiences when sharing their stories and recommendations. Through this group, participants will be able to shape the formal mechanism, inform a monitoring and evaluation resource for that mechanism, and identify other methods of engaging in policy and advocacy work.
Examples include participant and other stakeholder led projects, involvement in organisation governance, and direct engagement in policy advocacy, such as submissionwriting and providing evidence to parliamentary inquiries
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1 TSA Lived Experience and Participation Policy GO_QA_POL_TCSP_V1-0, pg.6
2 Zak P. J. (2015). Why inspiring stories make us react: the neuroscience of narrative. Cerebrum : the Dana forum on brain science, 2015, 2.
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The National Social Mission Department Lived Experience and Participation Resource
Levels of participation Individual participation • Participants are actively involved in the planning, monitoring and review of the type and level of support they receive • Participants are informed about their rights and responsibilities throughout their engagement • Participants are informed about how to make a complaint, offer suggestions or provide feedback regularly • The services and support provided to participants is tailored to meet their individual/family circumstances and needs by supporting and respecting: • Personal attributes including age, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, creed and previous criminal record
Working groups Stream participant representatives will be encouraged to participate in working groups in the Social Mission Department and across the organisation on specific areas. National participation The National Participant Reference Group will focus on feedback from the State Participant Reference Group, trends and themes in the stream, national policy and strategy, and policy, advocacy and social justice. Participants will be invited to engage in planning, policy, strategy and development of services through national platforms and committees to improve outcomes for participants and their families. Stream participation representative consultation for service design and delivery and social policy Additional participant representative consultations will be held:
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Prior to developing new services
• Culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• Prior to making major modifications to current services and programs
• Communication, including preferred communication styles, language and accessible information formats
• To collect participant perspectives on core policy positions taken by The Salvation Army and personal case studies that illustrate the human impacts of policy decisions
• Political affiliations • Informed consent principles • Services and support:
Outcomes of the participant consultations must be presented at strategic planning sessions to inform annual strategic planning, evaluation cycles and considered in the development of service priorities and plans.
• Target the individual social, physical and emotional health and wellbeing of each participant
Formal links should be developed with broader service-based participation groups and participation committees among services sharing the same target group.
• Are least restrictive of rights and utilise the least intrusive approach to the support needs and goals of individual participants
The Salvation Army Social Mission Department through the streams will reimburse participants, families or carers for any costs associated with attending consultation forums and payment for their attendance at meetings.
• Individual case plans are reviewed regularly to ensure the level and type of support remains appropriate to a participant’s current state and is informed by families and carers where appropriate • Information will be provided in accessible formats that facilitate the understanding of each participant and assists them to make independent decisions • The Social Mission Department will use least restrictive approaches to limiting an individual’s ability to act on an individual decision or choice that is deemed to be detrimental to the individual; where it does not breach legislation or Salvation Army policy including the Duty of Care Policy • The Social Mission Department will consult with the participant, family and carer/s before any decision is made about proposed changes to case plans or any other documentation that may affect their service or support • Services operate from a family inclusive and trauma or psychologically informed model of care. Service participation • Wherever practicable, participants, families and carer/s are encouraged to actively participate in decision making, strategic planning and participant-directed committees and meetings • Feedback about services including complaints, compliments and suggestions are escalated and addressed in a timely manner as per policy and procedure • Participants, families and carers contribute to planning, delivery and evaluation of services through opportunities such as committees, reference groups and working groups • Feedback is further encouraged through participant forums, surveys, questionnaires, suggestion boxes • Service evaluation exit forms (which can be completed anonymously) ensure services are reviewed and action taken where appropriate to ensure the needs of participants, families and carers are being addressed 20
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Workforce capability and capacity
The Salvation Army is committed at all levels of the organisation to embrace a culture of meaningful collaboration between Salvation Army employees and officers and those with lived experience. The Social Mission Department understands that the lived experience of the people it engages with, and their active participation in its operation, is invaluable in achieving and maintaining safe and high-quality delivery of services, programs and activities. The Social Mission Department values the voice of participants and is working on structures and processes to ensure their engagement in a range of activities. These mechanisms include program planning and co-design, staff recruitment, policy making and research. The contribution of participants increases the quality of services offered by the organisation. Positive attitudes by leadership and staff and an enabling, welcoming environment ensure improved participation by participants3. At the local level, skills, commitment and a good understanding among staff members are required to ensure inclusion of participants in meaningful engagement. Salvation Army personnel at all levels of the organisation will take all reasonable steps to remove access barriers to participation and the sharing of lived experience. Training, support and resources for participants are also important for higher level participation4. The Salvation Army will ensure adequate information and training is provided to participants as required by the activity they are engaged to contribute to. The Department will also partner with peer organisations such as APSU and the Council to Homeless Persons to allow learning opportunities for participants to be able to engage and contribute meaningfully and increase the capability of a peer workforce. We will support participants and remove barriers where possible to ensure pathways to participation including the peer workforce. The Social Mission Department will have a robust resource that underpins this process taking due diligence in terms of duty of care. A staff participation training program will be developed in conjunction with The Salvation Army Learning and Development Team. Using the LEARN platform to maximise engagement, the training program will be rolled out across the organisation to raise staff awareness and increase the capability of the general workforce to engage meaningfully with participants. Development opportunities for Salvation Army leadership will help to create opportunities for meaningful participation by participants at the senior level.
Participant representative training and induction program Participant representatives that reflect the diversity of participants accessing or engaging The Salvation Army Social Mission Department Services will be identified by program managers and nominated for the National Lived Experience Reference Group. Nominated participants will have met with the program manager to review the position description and commitment that accompanies the role including to: • Attend the representative training and induction program • Attend quarterly State Participant Reference Group Meetings A stream participant representative will co-chair the National Reference Group Meetings and have a commitment to ensure communication to and from State Lived Experience Groups. Online options for communication and attendance will be made available to representatives to maximise access, inclusion and attendance. The stream specialists will provide the following training for intake into the participant representative program: • Overview of participation • Induction to The Salvation Army, stream services resources and key policies/procedures • Understanding self-awareness, resilience and self-care • Personal narrative development to empower participants engaging in policy and advocacy work to maintain agency over how, when and for what purpose their story is shared • What to expect when participating in consultations • Media training • Debriefing and mental health support • How the reference groups will operate, roles and processes • Inclusivity • Introduction to key stream services personnel • Individual support and mentoring Participant representatives will, wherever possible, include representatives from the LGBTIQA+, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and CALD communities.
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3 National Alcohol and Other Drug Workforce Development Strategy 2015-2018 4 Clarke, M. Brindle, R. Straight from the Source. A practical guide to consumer participation in the Victorian alcohol and other drug sector (2010).
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The National Social Mission Department Lived Experience and Participation Resource
Remuneration Remuneration and reimbursement are an important part of how the Social Mission Department acknowledges the lived experience, expertise and value that individuals bring through participation activities. Appropriate and commensurate remuneration for this participation demonstrates respect for participants time, knowledge and the value that this brings to the organisation. The National Social Mission Department Remuneration approach to remuneration is for implementation where participants participate in activities on a casual basis, which is based on the type and level of participation activity. Where consumer participants are employed on a contractual basis, their remuneration is covered by national awards and as such should be considered in line with Human Resources Policy, Legislation and Procedure.
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Participation activity
Activity examples
Providing written or verbal feedback as a current program participant
Feedback forms, house meetings, as a participant of a program group, internal program forum, program surveys and evaluation forms
Providing written or verbal feedback by invitation at other times
Feedback forms, surveys, attending one-off forums
Participation on steering committees, working groups, interview panels
New program development/establishment steering committee, procedure/guideline review working group, staff recruitment interview panel
Smaller speaking engagements, media engagements, sharing life experience in written form
Speaking/presenting at smaller TSA events i.e. department meetings and forums, program development days, board meetings. Interviews or written content for internal publications Salvos Mag, Others etc.
Larger speaking engagements, external media engagements.
Speaking at larger TSA events such as the Red Shield Appeal launch. Media engagements such as the Red Shield Appeal launch, radio and TV interviews.
The designing or production of artwork for TSA departments or program documents/materials
Poems, paintings, drawings etc. used to create posters, brochures clothing etc.
Review program, training, research, communication and other materials through a consumer lens
Participant brochures, participant program materials, media releases, consumer training manuals
Forums with an open invitation to the public or open surveys
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