Current Projects

The purpose of this project is to strengthen services' capability to collect and use service experience feedback from children, young people and families.

Phase One

Gather and synthesise information regarding the value, key principles and practice approaches to collecting and using client feedback, through:

• A literature review on best practice and principles for collecting and using feedback from young people* (completed)
• Consultation with young people with lived experience via the Youth Reference Group (completed)

Deliverable: an initial paper for the Alliance membership.

Phase Two

Building on Phase One, consider the implications for the use of specific tools and measures within services:

• A scoping review of existing experience measurement tools for children and young people* (completed)
• Development of recommendations for the Alliance membership (in progress)

Next steps

• Practical guidance for services
• Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) for parents and carers

* Dr Alyssa Morse and Ashley Hoye at the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University have been contracted to undertake these literature reviews for the Alliance. The completed reviews are available in Publications.

The purpose of this project is to address challenges regarding barriers to appropriate and ethical information-sharing for young people accessing mental health and other support services with (a) other services that young people are referred to or receiving parallel care from, and (b) parents, carers and families of young people.

Intended project outcomes include:

• Improving shared understanding and agreement on the value of key principles and good-practice approaches to information-sharing
• Developing shared understanding of the capacity or capability constraints and challenges for services, including their support needs

It is recognised that the lack of clarity around the complex policy and legislative context in the ACT, coupled with ethical concerns around information-sharing, can lead services to avoid sharing information altogether. This includes information that could support service transition processes, or contribute to safety and wellbeing planning. The negative consequences of this can include young people being required to repeatedly tell their stories, as well as frustration or helplessness from other services and families/carers regarding how to provide consistent care and support. Additionally, young people have identified that the absence of clear, accessible information about confidentiality and information-sharing in therapeutic contexts can discourage them from seeking help.

This project is being progressed through two avenues:

Avenue One — Understanding young people's preferences

Understanding young people's preferences for good-practice approaches to information-sharing, privacy and informed consent. Dr Alyssa Morse at the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University was contracted to undertake a literature review on this topic, alongside consultation with young people with lived experience via the Youth Reference Group (completed).

Avenue Two — Clarifying and 'translating' legislation and policy

Clarifying and 'translating' existing legislation and policy related to information-sharing, privacy and informed consent. Independent qualitative researcher Dr Ginny Sargent has been commissioned for a six-month scoping review of relevant legislation and policy, with a view to developing translational, 'easy to read' resources for Alliance members. This is being developed in consultation with stakeholders through the Working Group, forums and a sector survey (in progress).