Powering Up Lived Experience Workforce Summit

The ‘Powering Up’ Summit was QLEWN's outstanding achievement of 2025, held over two days at the Sunshine Coast. It was a significant milestone in advancing and strengthening
the Lived Experience workforce and cross-sector collaboration in Queensland.

The Summit was a sold out event and 80% of attendees told us the Summit exceeded their expectations.

QLEWN was funded to organise and host the Summit as part of the Queensland Government’s Better Care Together plan.

QLEWN was grateful for event sponsorship from QMHC, Queensland PHNs, MHLEPQ, Queensland Alliance for Mental Health, Eating Disorders Queensland, and the Thompson Institute. 

Psychosocial Hazards in the Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce

The Psychosocial Hazards in the Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Project was
a collaboration with Mental Health Lived Experience Peak Queensland (MHLEPQ)
to co-write a position paper.

The project identified unique workplace psychosocial hazards of the Mental Health and Suicidality Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce working in the public and community health systems.

Peer Workforce Student Mentoring Program

The Peer Workforce Student Mentoring Program provided independent Lived Experience peer mentors to support TAFE students studying a Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work at the East Coast and Gold Coast TAFE campuses in 2022. This pilot project was under the stewardship of the Queensland Alliance for Mental Health, the Queensland Lived Experience Workforce Network, and TAFE Queensland.

The project was an initiative delivered on behalf of WorkAbility Qld and funded by the Department of Employment Small Business and Training (DESBT) under the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) Training and Skills Support Strategy.

Lived Experience Workforce Day at Leading Reform Summit

In November 2022, QLEWN and BrookRED co-hosted Lived Experience Workforce Day at the Queensland Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs, and Suicide Prevention Leaders' Summit organised by the Queensland Mental Health Commission.

Submission to Queensland Parliamentary Mental Health Select Committee

In December 2021, a Queensland parliamentary Mental Health Select Committee was established to undertake an inquiry and report on the opportunities to improve mental health outcomes for Queenslanders.

Peer Workforce Survey Summary Report

QLEWN approached the Queensland Alliance for Mental Health (QAMH) in 2020 expressing concerns about gaps in available training to meet the professional development needs of the Queensland Lived Experience workforce.

Subsequently, QLEWN, QAMH, and Brisbane North Peer Participation in Mental Health Services (PPIMS) Network partnered to map the extent of the issues through conducting two surveys — one collecting data from individual Lived Experience workers and one collecting data from organisations.