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Over the past three decades, "lived experience" designated roles in mental health services in Australia have increased. However, the lived experience of staff in roles not designated in this way is often hidden or unacknowledged. This qualitative study included 33 participants employed in a range of roles at two Victorian mental health services, including 10 social workers. Interviews explored staff perspectives regarding the sharing of lived experience by staff with colleagues and supervisors. Concept analysis identified conflicting ways of thinking about lived experience, which influenced when and how staff shared and how they responded to sharing by other staff. These findings suggest the need to explicitly address the purpose and value of sharing lived experience in the mental health workplace, to better support staff and service users. Recommendations for social workers and their colleagues, working at all levels of the mental health system, are provided. IMPLICATIONS The perspectives and experiences of mental health service staff suggest room for improvement in the valuing and inclusion of staff with lived experience, which may have benefits for service-user experiences of support. Promoting the value of sharing lived experience to reflective-practice and service reform is consistent with core social work values and, thus, the responsibility of all social workers, supervisors, and educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abuse of older people, often perpetrated by family and friends, is a complex multidimensional social problem. In most Australian jurisdictions, responses are currently limited to either primary-level (information, education and referral) or tertiary-level statutory responses. Outside of Australia, Family Group Conferencing has partially addressed this secondary-level service gap by inviting the older person and their wider family system to identify and establish a family-led plan to address potential or actual risk of abuse. This paper presents the core processes of Family Group Conferencing, including the quality of the established evidence base for its use with older people. The limitations and caveats associated with this approach are explored, and a way forward is proposed to explore the utility and suitability of Family Group Conferencing for adults in Australia in response to some types and severities of abuse and mistreatment. The abuse of older people is complex and under-reported, and many older people choose to take no action as a large proportion of perpetrators are family members. Limited Australian responses focus on either primary prevention or tertiary-level statutory responses. Family Group Conferencing may enhance secondary-level service responses to abuse, mobilising the older person's protective networks, and reducing the risk of abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined parents' experiences of family-based interventions for the treatment of adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). Nine parents whose child's weight had reached the healthy weight range post-treatment were interviewed about their experiences of parenting a child with AN in either manualised family-based therapy (FBT) (n = 6) or non-manualised family systematic interventions (n = 3). The interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings draw attention to the impact of AN on the whole family, the gatekeeping role of health professionals in accessing support and treatment, the value of externalisation, the prime importance of the therapeutic alliance between parents and clinicians, and the importance of tailoring treatment to the unique circumstances, values, and culture of each family. IMPLICATIONS Practitioners should be alert to the feelings of shock, guilt, and responsibility felt by parents of a child with anorexia nervosa and recognise the challenges faced by parents in accessing treatment and responding to their child's behaviour, alongside the demands of family, work, and other social roles. The quality of the parent–practitioner therapeutic relationship influences parental perceptions of support and of the effectiveness of treatment. Regardless of the treatment model, parents respond well to therapists who express empathy, pay attention to building trust, respect, and activate the family's unique circumstances and values, offer support, explain the nature and purpose of the treatment, and provide feedback. From the parent perspective, practitioners are more effective if they clarify parents' value and belief systems and use these to engage parents with the treatment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]