In 2012 AHA was appointed by the Queensland Department of Communities to undertake an evaluation of
Intentional Peer Support (IPS) Training and
Consumer Operated Services (COS) program which are funded by the Department of Communities. The IPS Training and COS program have been developed as part of the Queensland Government’s investment in support services and accommodation in the community for people with a mental illness.
IPS has been adopted as a framework of peer practice within Queensland’s Consumer Operated Services. Training in IPS has been provided by Community Mental Health Programs and Reform area of the Department of Communities (Disability and Community Care Services) since 2008 and to date approximately 200 people have participated in IPS training. The broad aim of the COS program is to provide supportive peer relationships to people who may experience crises, and as a consequence frequently present to after-hours mental health crisis teams or emergency departments. COS were established in Brisbane in August 2010, and the Sunshine Coast in December 2010. The Hervey Bay COS will begin delivering services in 2012.
The intent of this evaluation is to understand the extent to which the IPS training and COS program are achieving their intended aims. The objectives of the evaluation are therefore to:
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the IPS training
- Describe the satisfaction of key stakeholders and any unintended outcomes of the IPS training
- Profile the people who receive support through the COS program
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the COS program
- Determining the type and range of outcomes that are being achieved for the respective target cohort and ascertain the extent to which improved outcomes are linked to the COS program.
The methods to be used to achieve the evaluation objectives include the following.
Evaluation of IPS training component:
- Online survey of those who completed the IPS training, including Facilitator and Co-Supervision training and online survey of those who completed the Manager training
- Consultations with training participants
- Review of existing training data held by Department and other documentation related to training programs
Evaluation of COS component:
- Consultations with COS managers, IPS workers and Co-supervisors at COS
- Consumer snapshot data
- Changes in Recovery Assessment Survey (RAS) scores between entry and exit
- Consultations with consumers.