during information sessions, at the beginning of the
program,at the end of the program, and more
recently, during pre-planning for these programs.
During these sessions, the Consumer Consultants
describe their experience when beginning the
program during the program and what he or she did
May 2015
once the participation in the program ended.
Consumers giving back, contributing ideas The two Consumer Consultants who had previously
undertaken these activities are still with the group,
Update for people who use ReGen services but as both have been undertaking studies, their
time has become scarce.
If you want to find out more the Catalyst programs
Welcome
go to
Welcome to the first edition of Respect for 2015, an
http://www.regen.org.au/catalyst for Catalyst and
update of Consumer Participation activities at
UnitingCare ReGen. The reason why that you haven't then http://www.regen.org.au/torque for the Torque
program.
been able to enjoy an edition sooner is that The
Consumer Participation Team at ReGen has been
International Women's Day
flat out setting up and taking part in Consumer
Two international Women’s Day events held at
Participation activities that are connected to the
the the ReGen led sites at homastown and Coburg,
newly reformed Victorian alcohol and other drug
were well attended with those present
service system. To find out about these changes go
having the privilege of enjoying thought
to http://www.regen.org.au/treatmentprovoking presentations. Thank you to Elise who
support/north-and-west-aod-service
presented at both events on Women and Leadership
If you want to subscribe to this update online then
in the Scout Movement. A big thank you has been
type into your URL http://www.regen.org.au/newsearned by Maria who helped with the food at the
advocacy/respect
Thomastown event.
At the Coburg event, Donna Ribton Turner, ReGen's
Recruitment of Consumer Consultants
Clinical Director,.delivered a hard hitting
Jo (ReGenConsumer Consultant) and Regina
presentation on Women in the Workforce and
(ReGen Consumer Participation Facilitator) met with Leadership qualities and Jo Parkin, Financial
7 people individually to select what ended up to be Counsellor educated the audience with her
2 people who now sit on he Consumer Consultant
provocative presentation on economic abuse.
Meeting Group. Jo contributed her time and
At the Thomastown event, Ron Briggs (Aboriginal
expertise actively and enthusiastically to the
Worker) gave the Welcome to Country and Joanna
selection process. Her role is an important one for Jo Wriedt a member of ReGen's board, presented on
is the true representative of the meeting group.
finding your true north. This is knowing where you
Congratulations to Alec and Elise. We wish them all
have come from how this contributes to who you are
the best in their new role as Consumer Consultants.
and what feeds your passion as a means of fostering
A wholehearted thank you is for all the people who
your own leadership abilities.
took part in the recruitment process.
Find out more about economic abuse at
http://www.slideshare.net/ReGenUC/women-andJust a little bit of information about Consumer
money-international-womens-day-2015
Consultants. This role not only involves taking part in a
meeting that is run every two months, but also
Take a look at Donna Ribton Turners presentation on
contributing consumer expertise in governance,
Women and Leadership
presentations, publications, research and focus
http://www.regen.org.au/images/stories/events/Don
groups. It is reimbursed @$25 an hour. The role of
nas_speech_IWD15.pdf.
Consumer Consultants is not an employment
Find out more women and leadership in the scout
position, nor is it a volunteer position. It is simply a
movement at
formalised means that Consumers take part in
http://www.slideshare.net/ReGenUC/leadership-ingoverning the organisation.
women-within-the-scouting-association.
Consumer Consultant Involvement in Catalyst
Programs
Three new Consumer Consultants have taken up
peer activities involved in these programs. One of
whom has been newly recruited.
The Peer work wit the Catalyst programs includes
assisting participants as they complete the survey for
the evaluation of the Torque program, presenting
Consumer Participation Training
The fifth round of ReGen Consumer Participation was
completed by 6 participants, 3 of which were family
members. Despite the different backgrounds, people
were able to all contribute their own experiences
and learn from these. The presentation on Harm
Reduction was the most well received with most
© UnitingCare ReGen – ReSpect: Consumer Participation @ UnitingCare ReGen, April 2015
Page 1 of 1
people commenting on the skills and knowledge of
the presenter. The participants also greatly
appreciated presentations from management. These
presentations included information regarding
different programs that can be accessed by
interested people. You can find out more about
ReGen’s client courses by going to
http://www.regen.org.au/education/client-courses.
of the Victorian alcohol and other drug reform.
Happily a good number of people who use ReGen
services attended and readily asked questions of the
panel.
if you are interested in viewing Sarah's slides type in
link into your URL
http://www.slideshare.net/ReGenUC/a-consumersexperience-of-the-torque-program?related=2
If you wish to take part in UnitingCare ReGen
Consumer Participation, contact Regina Brindle on
9384 8894.
Consumer Consultant Meeting
Home is Where the Heart is
Maria (Consumer Consultant) and Regina(Consumer
Participation Facilitator) attended the annual Home
is Where the Heart is festival. This event is a one
stop for services especially for people who are
experiencing homelessness. Services such as
haircuts, dog grooming, massage, music, food and
more are made available for event attendees. Maria
Kerry(Recovery and Care Coordinator) and I
manned the ReGen table which we shared with STAR
who are and amalgamation of St Vincent’s and
other services.
To find out more about Home is Where the Heart is
Festival go to
http://www.rdns.com.au/public/files/files/Final%20Vol
unteer%20Briefing%20Presentation%202013.pdf.
This was held at the beginning of April, during which
a number of items were discussed. A chief issue of
concern was the recruitment process for consumer
consultants. For people who use ReGen services
there has been a great deal of interest in taking up
such a position. For this reason The Consumer
Consultant Meeting Group want to ensure a fair and
equitable process that selects people who have the
capacity to undertake the role.
Another discussion topic centred on the process of
Breaching the Consumer Code of Conducted,
specifically around the wording 'neat casual attire.'
The point was made that 'neat casual' for someone
who works at ReGen differs from that worn by a
person undertaking Consumer Participation
activities. This is one example of the importance of
the effectiveness of language in communication the
expreince of people taking part in consumer
participation activities.
Methamphetamine Family First Aid Focus
Groups
ReGen have now run 3 focus groups as a major
aspect of the consultative process that has gone into
setting up this program. Most of the participants are
closely connected to people who use
methamphetamines. The input from the participants
have strongly contributed to the structure and
content of this program. Once the materials are
compiled, a further group will be run to check that
the the materials are relevant to people related or
connected to a person who uses
methamphetamine.
This process for the development of this program was
presented at the Innovation Collaboration and
Inclusion Seminar held last month. It is a prime
example of how people impacted by
methamphetamine use contribute to the
construction of a program that will beneft others in a
similar position.
Innovation, Collaboration and Inclusion
Seminar
Attendants of this seminar were fortunate to
experience the strong voice of people who use
ReGen services at this seminar including a
presentation by Sarah on her experience of using the
Torque program and Elise’s participation in the panel
that discussed the challenges and accomplishments
© UnitingCare ReGen – ReSpect: Consumer Participation @ UnitingCare ReGen, April 2015
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