The pilot and evaluation of ‘Recovery Together’ for the NDIS in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs and a stepped vocational pathway for peer work: Report prepared for the Northern Territory Primary Health Network

This report describes the evaluation findings of the ‘Recovery Together’ program for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)1 delivered in Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine for people with psychosocial support needs. This pilot project was built on existing work, such as the delivery and evaluation of the ‘Recovery Together’ after-hour program (PERT) in Darwin (Tari-Keresztes, Gupta, et al., 2023), and also included the pilot and evaluation of the local stepped vocational pathway in peer work as well as the enhanced ‘Recovery Together’ program including an additional module related to the NDIS. The findings demonstrate the capacity and capability of the Northern Territory Lived Experience Network (NTLEN) to: (1) genuinely engage with people with diverse lived experiences across the Northern Territory (NT) and (2) provide peer recovery programs and peer education to upskill the local workforce through a supported, stepped vocational pathway. The report also reflects on participants’ recovery journey and their conceptualisation of recovery. It describes the areas of program impact, participants’ experiences with the program, peer approach and facilitation. It also includes learnings gained about the program implementation and evaluation in rural areas and highlights valuable experiences about the stepped vocational pathway.