A guide for consumers

Planning for the type of consumer partnership that suits you is the first step , and can include:

• figuring out what you want
• contacting Victoria’s peak body for health consumers, the Health Issues Centre (HIC)
• investigating available roles.

To figure out what works for you, ask yourself:

• Are you interested in short-term or long-term projects?
• What is most important to you?
• Do you want to get involved locally (where you live) or with a statewide organisation?
• Do you want to focus on a particular health issue? For instance, helping to review serious incidents

Use the HIC’s self-assessment tool to get a better understanding of what you want to gain from becoming a consumer representative.

Reaching out

Once you’ve decided what type of consumer role you’re interested in, get in touch with a consumer organisation.

You can:

• register your interest with the Health Issues Centre
• download their overview of the consumer representative role.

There are different ways your input will be valued

SCV and other government agencies have guidelines in place that encourage public organisations to pay consumer representatives for their time. 

Read our Guide to consumer remuneration or the whole-of-government guidelines.

Consumers should always check if these payments are considered ‘income’ and consider the impact this may have on their financial position, particularly Centrelink or similar payments.

Find a role that suits you

View roles advertised by the Health Issues Centre.

Recruitment processes vary between organisations

For example, government roles are more likely to have formal recruitment processes, including police checks, interviews and reference checks.

So, you've been offered a role...

The organisation should provide you with an orientation pack. This might include things like:

• how and when you will be paid (as an employee or external contractor)
• contact information for the organisation and committee members
• background information on the group you are joining
• information on meeting locations and security access
• confidentiality information
• conflict of interest forms.

At the end of this step you should have enough information to clearly understand what, why and how you will be partnering with your chosen organisation.

Are you helping with a serious adverse event review?

Read our guide.

Now that you're an active consumer representative, you may want to consider:

• learning more about consumer representation
• mentoring and networking with other consumers
• evaluating and reflecting on progress towards your goals.

Learn the language

Understanding industry jargon and knowing how to run a meeting effectively are useful skills to have. Read the Health Issues Centre cheat sheets for key terms and for running meetings.

Training is available

The organisation you partner with should encourage and support you to undergo training and professional development

See Health Issues Centre training options.

Connect with other consumers

As a consumer representative, it is not unusual to be the only person on a group or committee who doesn’t have a medical background. Some consumers can find this a bit isolating, so we recommend asking your partner organisation to connect you with other consumers who they may be working with. 

Or check out the Health Issues Centre's Consumers Connect page.