5 X Part Time positions available for:
People with Lived Experience of mental health difficulties, family member / supporters, or members of the General Public

Become a member of the Public and Patient Involvement Panel of the VISTA Research Programme!

Specified Purpose Contract
3.5 years Part Time (2 hours per week) at €24 per hour

PLEASE QUOTE REFERENCE NUMBER 2024-020 WITH YOUR APPLICATION. EMAIL ONLY PLEASE

We are looking for 5 people to join our Public and Patient Involvement Panel in the VISTA Research Programme. The PPI Panel member will be responsible for communicating their opinions, views, and perspective regarding different parts of the VISTA research programme. By doing this, they will influence how research is carried out and how it will impact mental health services and society.

The VISTA research programme, which is funded by the Health Research Board, aims to carry out research to identify how best to support the implementation of Ireland’s Mental Health Policy: ‘Sharing the Vision’. VISTA involves researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, University of Galway, and Dublin City University, and representatives from the Health Service Executive, the Department of Health, and other collaborators (e.g. Mental Health Reform and Spunout).

We are looking for people who come from a broad range of types of people (e.g. service users, family members/supporters, members of the general public) with different experiences and backgrounds. We want people from different genders, ethnicities, who are at different points of the recovery journey, who are of different ages, and who have different educational backgrounds. Diversity is desired.

Please note:

• No specific educational qualification or work experience is required for this role.
• You do NOT need to have any experience with, or knowledge of, the research process. We welcome candidates who both have, and do not have, experience with, or knowledge of, the research process.
• Mental health service use is NOT a requirement of these roles. Instead, applicants need to self-identify as having lived experience or be a member of the general public with an interest in the mental health landscape and system.

To apply for this position, you must be over 18 years of age and:

1. Have experience of mental health difficulties, or
2. Be a family member/supporter of someone who has mental health difficulties, or
3. Be a member of the general public with an interest in the mental health landscape and system.

Mental health difficulties can include psychosis, eating ‘disorders’, personality ‘disorders’, low mood, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, experience of involuntary psychiatric inpatient admission, and more.

The PPI panel will use their life experiences, wisdom, and insights to shape all aspects of VISTA’s 6 different research projects. These are focused on: (1) social media and youth mental health; (2) physical and sexual health; (3) digital interventions in youth mental health; (4) factors that a person can change to promote recovery; (5) improving involuntary mental health care; and (6) increasing authenticity and diversity in Public and Patient Involvement in mental health research.

Examples of different tasks that will be involved in this role include:

• Helping to decide what are the most important research questions to ask.
• Reviewing documents and sharing your thoughts on them by phone or email.
• Attending online/in person meetings to discuss research projects.
• Being involved in a research study that aims to explore your experience and the barriers and facilitators to meaningful involvement of people with Lived Experience and the General Public in research.
• Helping to interpret research findings using your unique perspective.
• Coming up with ideas about how best to share research findings with different communities.
• Working with other members of the VISTA PPI Team (e.g. Dr Donal O’Keeffe, Dr Shaakya Anand-Vembar, Dr Rebecca Murphy, and Professor Agnes Higgins).

This position is a specified purpose fixed term contract and a hybrid post (with work being conducted both online and in relevant in-person locations).

How to apply:

To apply for a position, please complete and submit the Application Form (downloadable on the Mental Health Ireland website) to Lisa Manley (Administrative Officer and Garda Vetting Designated Liaison) at recruitment@mentalhealthireland.ie.

Download the full Job Description from the Mental Health Ireland website.

Closing date for applications is Monday September 30th 2024 at 12 noon. Applications received after this time will not be considered. Shortlisting will be carried out based on the information received via the Application Form.

Interviews will be held week commencing October 14th 2024.

For informal enquiries, please contact Recovery Coordinator and ARCHES Recovery College Manager (Dr Donal O’Keeffe) at donal@mentalhealthireland.ie or on 087 656 7785.

Please ensure to include the relevant Job Reference Number 2024-020 in your letter of application and CV.

https://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/mental-health-ireland-jobs/?external…