Connecting with lived experience expertise

Safe and Equal supports best practice engagement with lived experience advocates with the aim to contribute to a future in which solutions to family violence and other forms of gender-based violence that are survivor-led. 

The Safe and Equal lived experience team works together to model our values of safety, respect, authenticity, and diversity. We are experienced survivor advocates with diverse backgrounds and experiences, including different forms of family violence and experiences with the service system. We bring different skills, identities and multiple perspectives which is our strength. Together, we are motivated to change the story, challenge stereotypes, and contribute to survivor led solutions to ending family violence. 

We work with a growing and diverse pool of lived experience advocates who use their living expertise to inform and re-imagine family violence policy, practice, prevention, community awareness and advocacy and are available for external fee-for-service consultancy.  

Our consultancy program provides a range of support services including but is not limited to liaising, scheduling and payment logistics, working in partnership with advocates to hone their skills and lived experience expertise, delivering professional development, and provision of pre-briefing and de-briefing support. Additionally, we offer guidance to the stakeholders working with lived experience advocates to enable safe, inclusive and trauma informed engagements. 

Embedding lived experience into your organization’s processes is a key step in creating safe and respectful responses to family violence and other forms of gender-based violence. 

Learn directly from a guest speaker with lived experience about how family violence impacts people and what you can do to support staff experiencing family violence in the workplace.  

Bring the conversation to life and inspire real action by hearing directly from people who have lived the experience of family violence and are now on their journey to safety. Our trained advocates share their stories and what they have learnt on their journey to safety. Raise awareness, challenge stereotypes and create a space for real conversations that drive change. 

Demonstrate your work is well informed and credible through lived experience formal representation in meetings, on panels or boards, or enquiries.  

Our lived experience team provides the richest source of information about the impact of family violence and what helps to support someone on their journey to safety. Demonstrate to your customers and stakeholders that your work is well informed and credible by having someone with real experience provide expertise and advice.  

Develop and test your work with lived experience advocates in focus groups, interviews and product reviews.  

Our lived experience team provides the richest source of information about the impact of family violence and what helps to support someone on their journey to safety. By engaging with real lived experience to inform the development and testing of your work, you can make strategic decisions from end to end. Uncover blind spots and test your assumptions to get a better understanding about what your work really looks like on the ground. 

To learn more about embedding Lived experience within your organisation, you can reach out to Robyn Stone, Business Partnerships and Engagement Advisor, at robynstone@safeandequal.org.au or complete our enquiry form here.