CONSUMER PARTICIPATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING

A goal of the consumer/survivor/ex-patient movement, as well as Mental Health Reform in Manitoba in the early 1990's, meaningful consumer participation continues to ba a part of the vision for the Mental Health System in Manitoba Health's Mental Health Renewal plan. This participation benefits both our community as well as consumers. Governments, systems, services, programs, and service providers gain information, feedback, and ideas of inestimable value from the experts of mental health services - the users. Consumers benefit from the process of involvement in many ways including an increase in self-confidence, self-esteem, sense of purpose and achievement; reconnecting with their community in a meaningful way; as well as being a role model for other consumers.

Meaningful consumer participation moves beyond surveys, public forums, feedback forms on discharge, or the presence of a token consumer voice on mental health committees and boards. Meaningful consumer participation includes involvement in the development, delivery, and evaluation of mental health services, systems, and programs. It may involve representation on boards, committees, or task groups; it may involve advocacy, public education, stigma fighting, policy development, peer support, or a variety of other activities. This participation demands effective, knowledgeable, skillful, committed persons capable of accessing, gathering, and understanding information about systems, organizations, services, their needs and issues, and the ability to envision, define, and develop solutions.

Capacity building, in this context, refers to the process of assisting mental health consumers to gain the knowledge, skills, supports and resources they require to participate as full and equal members in our society; usiing thier knowledge, skills, and most importantly, their experience to provide valuable ideas, insights and opinions to activities such as those mentioned above.

CONSUMER PARTICIPATION AS GOVERNMENT POLICY AND PCE MANDATE

In October 2003, Manitoba Health released its Consumer Participation Policy, which applies to the mental health programs of all the Regional Health Authorities in Manitoba and Selkirk Mental Health Centre. Manitoba Health has made the gathering, development, and dissemination of capacity building materials and/or resources a priority of the Partnership for Consumer Empowerment (PCE) program a priority. PCE has also been mandated by Manitoba Health to build consumer capacity and participation through a variety of educational activities.

The manterials on this page are resources intended to assist consumers of mental health services in Manitoba to gain the information and skills they may require to take their part in fulfilling the terms and vision of the Manitoba Health Consumer Participation Policy.

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