Experience | Carrie Lumby

I hold significant lived experience advocacy and co-design experience & expertise across a broad range of health and social policy reform initiatives.

LIVED EXPERIENCE ENGAGEMENT EXPERTISE

Through more than three decades of lived experience advocacy and community organising work I have contributed to a wide range of social movements spanning mental health, suicide prevention, harm reduction and domestic, family and sexualised violence.

An enduring focus of this work has been the development of alternatives to clinical risk management responses to people in despair (including peer-led safe spaces for people experiencing suicidal crisis) and the embedding of new ways of working to tackle complex social challenges (including a collective impact approach to suicide prevention).

I've also been involved in peer recovery groups as a member-facilitator off and on for almost twenty years across experiences of mental distress, substance use and suicidality.

More recently, I worked in public policy as the National Mental Health Commission's inaugural Director, Lived Experience - the first senior designated Lived Experience position in the Australian Public Service. While at the Commission I led projects to co-design and establish national peaks bodies for mental health consumers and carers and a national peer workforce association.

I now regularly consult to public sector agencies and non-government organisations as a Lived Experience expert. Clients include Lifeline National, the Black Dog Institute, Roses in the Ocean and the National Suicide Prevention Office.

CONSULTATION & CO-DESIGN EXPERIENCE

I have facilitated many consultation and co-design processes across a wide range of regional, state and national service and system improvement initiatives.

These processes have brought together service providers, professional experts, and the people and communities most affected by a variety of complex issues, including suicide, domestic and sexualised violence, homelessness, chronic health conditions, and institutional abuse.

Projects include the NSW Ministry of Health's Alternatives to EDs: Safe Haven services across all Local Health Districts, the establishment of regional Mental Health Hubs for Anglicare and Stride Mental Health, as well as a variety of program development initiatives for Primary Health Networks (including South Eastern NSW, Murrumbidgee and South Western Sydney PHNs).

I also provide capability building support to government agencies and non-profits wanting to strengthen their own capacity for co-design and co-production.

Recent projects include undertaking an environmental scan on participatory approaches to public policymaking for the National Mental Health Commission as part of its work to build capacity for meaningful engagement with mental health consumers and carers, families and kinship groups.