What do we mean by Lived and Living Experience?
Outcomes improve when people are meaningfully involved in decisions that affect their lives.
We listen to and act on the voices of service participants. SHM is committed to continually strengthening how lived and living experience informs decisions across the organisation.
Having lived or living experience means that you have personal, first-hand life experience of something. It could be in the past, it could be happening now or it could be both.
Our commitment to lived and living experience voice: Strategy 2030
Through Strategy 2030, SHM has strongly committed to meaningfully embedding lived and living experience perspectives in decision-making throughout the organisation. This means:
- Strengthening person-centred approaches through all operations, retail to services.
- Engaging, consulting and partnering with people who use our services to design, shape and improve them.
- Enhancing genuine self-determination for First Nations peoples and communities and working towards culturally safe services and workplaces.
How we embed Lived and Living Experience across the organisation
Read about our Executive Advisory Group on Lived Experience (EAGLE) and our Lived Experience Advisory Framework (LEAF) and Lived Experience Action Plan (LEAP) below.
EAGLE
Our Executive Advisory Group on Lived Experience (EAGLE) brings together people with lived and living experience of using SHM’s services. EAGLE members work alongside dedicated SHM staff, drawing on their insights, skills and expertise to meaningfully contribute to decision-making across the organisation.
Sometimes this is simple – SHM may ask for EAGLE’s perspective on an idea during a meeting. While we aim to act on EAGLE’s advice wherever possible, SHM is a large organisation and there are times when other factors need to be considered.
At other times, EAGLE and SHM can work more closely as partners. This might involve sharing decision-making on a project, or in some cases enabling EAGLE to lead or have greater influence over particular work.
The way EAGLE and SHM work together depends on the project. While we cannot always implement every recommendation, we are committed to being open and transparent about decisions and the reasons behind them.
LEAF and LEAP
EAGLE, with input from staff and service participants, developed our first Lived Experience Advisory Framework (LEAF) and Lived Experience Action Plan (LEAP). The LEAF provides the guidance for embedding lived and living experience across the organisation, while the LEAP outlines the practical actions to make this happen.
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