The Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS) has auspiced the development of this Lived Experience Engagement Implementation Plan on behalf of the Peaks Forum. The Peaks Forum facilitates coordination and collaboration between sector peaks bodies in Western Australia and works towards united action on shared priorities.
The Forum highlighted a need across the community sector, including within peak bodies and their members, regarding engaging people with lived and living experiences (pwlle). As such, the scope of the Implementation Plan encompasses engagement with people who work professionally as Lived and Living Experience Workers (PWLLE) and are service users, that is, people with lived and living experiences (pwlle). Further explanation of these terms is contained within this Plan.
The benefits to both peak bodies and the community sector of incorporating the diverse perspectives of PWLLE and pwlle in a variety of roles ranging from participation on advisory groups, advocacy, and media work, through to service co-design and production and employment as peer workers or in other roles, is well documented. As such, government policy points to the need for increased participation of pwlle and PWLLE by community sector agencies in service design and delivery.
Whilst organisations are keen to embed lived and living experience engagement, the sector through the Peak’s Forum outlined the need for more support and guidance on how to do this. As a result, this Implementation Plan has been developed, to build and bring to life the WACOSS Lived Experience Framework, Principles and Practices for Lived Experience Partnerships (The Framework).