The case for systemic change when working in Place
by Keith Bryant
Recently I attended the Prevention in Place conference in Naarm / Melbourne where I was inspired by the possibility for large-scale change by re-thinking how our systems interact with people and local services in place.
We have to address the gaps, inequities and powerCore to our work at the Open Dialogue Centre is how we can work in place-based settings with our partners when invited, but always with a way to work through the bigger issues about the role of systems at a local level.
We have to address the gaps, inequities and power imbalances within our systems and the impact this has on people’s lives – as they transition from one phase of learning, work and life to another.
One of most effective ways for Open Dialogue to drive change is within place-based settings where people can shape the way it gets implemented– with local services, so that its highly responsive to each person’s and community’s needs.
Working in Place means working with and in systems if we want to create transformative multi-generational change. What gets me up each day is knowing that we have an innovative approach with Open Dialogue in that it can work on many levels – for people and families who benefit from social networks, but also by enabling local services to transform from a crisis-focus to youth and family-centred care.
Three things stand out to me right now when thinking about Place-based work and the mental health system:
- We need to address systemic issues that are part of Place, as without ways to nudge and shift the things that are not working, we won’t see better outcomes.
- The discipline and structure of an Open Dialogue network meeting facilitates a different way of communicating and coming together between people, families and services and this in itself leads to changes in the system.
- Scaling good initiatives – the key to systemic change – is the best way of ensuring their sustainability. But scaling must involve learning and evaluating as we go, to ensure that each community has their own local Open Dialogue Approach (although many of the ingredients will be consistent).
I’m excited and utterly convinced that with a whole-of-community response to mental healthcare and wellbeing in Places like Shepparton and Townsville (where we have built great relationships with our partners) we will see some amazing results – both socially and economically.
Keith Bryant, CEO