Background

Please carefully read the details below including the context of the survey, eligibility to participate, and what is involved, before providing your consent and completing the survey.
Background

Butterfly has been funded to create National Eating Disorder Peer Workforce Guidelines to support the development of an effective, safe, and sustainable eating disorder peer workforce in Australia. The Guidelines will build on the work of a 2021 - 22 research project, An eating disorder-focused peer workforce: Needs assessment (2022) as well as previous research findings from the NEDC Peer Work Guide (2019) and the framework developed by the National Mental Health Commission’s National Lived Experience Peer Workforce Development Guidelines (2021). Butterfly’s 2022 research comprised a literature review and 38 in-depth interviews, with peer workers and people with lived experience in Australia.

Peer work can be defined as support provided to a person currently affected by an eating disorder (directly or as a carer), by a person who has a lived experience of an eating disorder, or of caring for someone with an eating disorder. Peer workers work directly with people still experiencing mental health challenges to achieve recovery outcomes, as opposed to those with lived experience who perform advocacy or advisory roles. They are distinguished by the formalised nature of their role in the recovery journey and from informal peer work facilitated through social support networks (Slade et. al, 2014). Peer workers might also be known as peer mentors and coaches. 

In developing principles and in structuring the peer workforce guidelines, we would like to hear from a diversity of stakeholders who hold varying perspectives of, and relationships with eating disorder peer work.

The objectives of the survey are to:
  • Understand the current landscape, including the scope, scale, and nature of the eating disorder peer workforce in Australia.
  • Map current best practices that support a safe, effective, and coordinated eating disorder peer workforce.
  • Understand current challenges, limitations, and gaps within the eating disorder peer workforce that might reduce the safety and effectiveness of peer work practice.
  • Identify supports, structures, and guiding principles that can underpin eating disorder peer work.
  • Embed lived experience perspectives into the development of the peer workforce guidelines.
Who can get involved?

We would like to hear from a diversity of people and key stakeholders on their experiences of the eating disorder peer workforce. You can participate in this survey if:
  • You live and reside in Australia
  • You have a living or lived experience of an eating disorder and have accessed a peer worker to support with your recovery
  • You are a carer or family member of someone with lived experience who has accessed peer work or you have accessed carer peer support yourself
  • You have a lived experience of an eating disorder and/or are a carer for someone experiencing an eating disorder but you have not been able to access a peer worker
  • You are/were previously a peer worker/mentor/coach in the eating disorder system of care and/or are working with individuals with a living experience of an eating disorder
  • You are a peer work supervisor/manager/team leader
Please note that this is a logical survey that is dependent upon your most recent experiences with peer work. Your response to Question 2 of the survey “Select the below statement that resonates most closely with your experience of peer work” will determine the questions that you will answer. To reach the final question of the survey, please continue to click the next page button at the bottom until you reach the end of the survey.
What is involved?

Your responses to the survey will depend on your most recent experience with eating disorder peer work. If you have more than one experience, choose the option to question 2 that is most relevant to you. Depending on the length of your responses, the survey will take anywhere from 15 minutes to 20 minutes to complete. You do not have to answer all of the questions and can discontinue at any time. The survey is voluntary, and you can choose to exit the survey at any point. Each participant will go into a draw to win one of two $50 vouchers and one $100 voucher.

Your responses to the survey will be kept confidential, and all data collected will be de-identified. Before entering the survey, you will be asked whether you consent to have your de-identified data collected and used as a part of developing the Eating Disorder Peer Workforce Guidelines.

When you get to the end of the survey, there is the opportunity to select whether you would like to participate in one of our two focus groups. Please note that you will need to provide an email address to be contacted. One focus group will involve peer workers (including carer peer workers) and another will involve people with lived experience of an eating disorder who have accessed eating disorder peer work (including carers). Within the focus groups, participants will work together in a mapping exercise to identify common themes, concepts, and ideas from the de-identified survey data, will examine the relationships between the concepts, and will design draft guiding principles that will underpin the Eating Disorder Peer Workforce guidelines. Participation in the focus groups will be paid.
How can I get involved?

To get involved, please provide your consent below and click ‘next’ to be taken to the questions. The survey will close at 5 pm (AEST) on Friday the 9th of June, 2023. If you have any questions or concerns you can contact the Butterfly Collective at butterflycollective@butterfly.org.au.

Support

If reflecting on your experiences of peer work or your lived experiences of an eating disorder becomes difficult at any point, please know that there is support available. You can reach out to Butterfly’s helpline by calling 1800 33 4673 or clicking HERE to access the webchat.

Question Title

* 1. Do you consent to having your de-identified data collected and included in the development of the eating disorder peer workforce guidelines

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