The Learning from Experience Forum brought together 80 leaders and practitioners from across the mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) sectors to explore what genuine integrated mental health and AOD support looks like and what it takes to achieve it in practice.
Hosted by Neami National, the event created vital space for shared learning, honest reflections, and cross sector connection, helping strengthen the sector’s collective capability to design and deliver more connected, person centred services.
The forum opened with reflections from Neami CEO Tom Dalton, who highlighted the need to maintain the momentum on integrating mental health and AOD care, not just within individual services, but across the whole system.
The morning sessions showcased innovation in service design, workforce integration, and partnership working. Presenters shared practical lessons grounded in the experience of Neami’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals and of partner organisations.
Presentations included:
- Designing services for mental health and AOD integration – James Coutinho, Neami National
- Innovations in consumer supports – Ky Dixon (Latrobe Local) and Al Murphy (Whittlesea Local)
- Integrating peer and clinical workforces – Caitlin Jablonka, Priscilla Ennals and James Coutinho (Neami National)
- Integration across organisations and sectors – Colin Gallagher, University of Melbourne
- The realities of partnership working – Di Nally and Brooke Paisley, Windana
- Upskilling the integrated workforce – Katrin Oliver and Annie Williams, The Hamilton Centre
These presentations provided real world insights into what’s working, the challenges that persist, and emerging opportunities to improve integration through design, workforce collaboration, and system alignment.
The afternoon shifted into roundtable discussions that encouraged cross sector dialogue, with participants exploring:
- What integration looks like in practice
- How challenges differ across parts of the sector
- What possibilities exist for doing integration better in the future
Attendees described these conversations as refreshingly honest, deeply practical, and energising, with many highlighting the value of hearing diverse perspectives.
Feedback reflected a strong appreciation for the openness, quality of insights, and relational value of the forum.
Attendees were invited to share their lessons from the day through reflection cards, revealing several strong themes:
- Evidence and learning systems: Participants called for more evaluation and sharing of lessons across services and providers.
- Consumer voice and inclusion: A reminder to consider whose stories are missing and to centre the consumer in service improvement work.
- Relationships: Relational work remains at the heart of quality integration.
- Funding and commissioning: The need to resource evaluation and improvement work more effectively.
- The ‘messiness’ of integration: A recognition that meaningful integration takes time, discomfort, and persistence – a willingness to ‘sit in the messy’.
- Power and equity: Awareness of how partnership dynamics shape collaboration and service delivery.
- Designing for reality: Balancing formal structures with the need for reflective practice and relational work.
The event also reinforced Neami’s sector leadership role by sharing lessons from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals and helping build connections that support future commissioning and service design.
Neami extends sincere thanks to all presenters, contributors, and staff involved in delivering the Forum, including: James Coutinho, Caitlin Jablonka, Priscilla Ennals, Anita Holman, Al Murphy, Ky Dixon, Simone Budge, Hariette Farrance, Rebecca Hannon, Carly Wright, Emma Storen, Shilpa Ullagaddi, Pete Warden, and Sara Voegtline.
