Co‑design of the Women’s Recovery Network (WREN) / Statewide Women’s Mental Health Service (Victoria)
Tracks
Tamborine Gallery
| Monday, August 31, 2026 |
| 1:00 PM - 1:20 PM |
Overview
Emma Titmus, Impact Co
Three Key Learnings
1. Lived experience must lead, not consult. Designing with women with lived experience—embedding peer roles and shared decision‑making—produced a model of care that was safer, more trusted and more responsive than traditional clinician‑led approaches.
2. Gender‑responsive design changes outcomes. Trauma‑informed, women‑specific environments (including the removal of seclusion and restraint) fundamentally shifted experiences of care, dignity and recovery.
3. System reform happens through relationships. Deep listening, transparency and sustained collaboration across health, community, policy and lived‑experience stakeholders enabled change at scale, not just service improvement.
Speaker
Miss Emma Titmus
Head Of Growth
Impact Co.
Co‑design of the Women’s Recovery Network (WREN) / Statewide Women’s Mental Health Service (Victoria)
Abstract
Key themes to highlight:
- Why gender‑specific mental health services matter
- Designing for safety, dignity, and recovery after trauma
- Embedding lived experience as a structural feature, not an add‑on
- What systems can learn from removing coercive practices
- Early outcomes and lessons for scaling women‑centred models nationally
Why this is the best fit for HMHH26?
1. It is explicitly women‑centred mental health work
The project focused on the co‑design of a statewide, 35‑bed inpatient Women’s Mental Health Service, supporting women and people who identify as women, including trans and gender‑diverse people, with experiences of trauma, abuse, eating disorders, perinatal mental health challenges, and severe mental illness.
2. Strong lived‑experience and co‑production credentials
Impact Co led an intensive, trauma‑informed co‑design process with women with lived experience, carers, clinicians, and advocates. The process intentionally embedded peer roles, eliminated coercive practices (e.g. seclusion and restraint), and centred relational and recovery‑oriented care.
3. System‑level impact across the lifespan
The service model spans:
Intake and referral
Inpatient care
Family and carer engagement
Discharge and community follow‑up
4. Demonstrated excellence and national recognition
The WREN project received a 2025 Australian Good Design Award – Gold (Social Impact), providing strong external validation for it's codesign
5. Cross‑sector relevance - the work intersects with:
-Health and mental health systems
-Policy reform (Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System)
-Community services and peer work
-Gender‑sensitive and culturally inclusive practice
- Why gender‑specific mental health services matter
- Designing for safety, dignity, and recovery after trauma
- Embedding lived experience as a structural feature, not an add‑on
- What systems can learn from removing coercive practices
- Early outcomes and lessons for scaling women‑centred models nationally
Why this is the best fit for HMHH26?
1. It is explicitly women‑centred mental health work
The project focused on the co‑design of a statewide, 35‑bed inpatient Women’s Mental Health Service, supporting women and people who identify as women, including trans and gender‑diverse people, with experiences of trauma, abuse, eating disorders, perinatal mental health challenges, and severe mental illness.
2. Strong lived‑experience and co‑production credentials
Impact Co led an intensive, trauma‑informed co‑design process with women with lived experience, carers, clinicians, and advocates. The process intentionally embedded peer roles, eliminated coercive practices (e.g. seclusion and restraint), and centred relational and recovery‑oriented care.
3. System‑level impact across the lifespan
The service model spans:
Intake and referral
Inpatient care
Family and carer engagement
Discharge and community follow‑up
4. Demonstrated excellence and national recognition
The WREN project received a 2025 Australian Good Design Award – Gold (Social Impact), providing strong external validation for it's codesign
5. Cross‑sector relevance - the work intersects with:
-Health and mental health systems
-Policy reform (Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System)
-Community services and peer work
-Gender‑sensitive and culturally inclusive practice
Biography
We would approach our client to present with us on this project. This project won a good design award in australia last year - It is explicitly women‑centred mental health work
The project focused on the co‑design of a statewide, 35‑bed inpatient Women’s Mental Health Service, supporting women and people who identify as women, including trans and gender‑diverse people, with experiences of trauma, abuse, eating disorders, perinatal mental health challenges, and severe mental illness.
