Lived experience

Lived experience is the knowledge and insight gained from personally facing life-changing experiences of distress, adversity and service use or supporting someone who has. 

Many people have a lived experience, but using it professionally is different.

• The Lived Experience workforce spans a wide range of roles across peer support, advocacy, education, research and leadership. 
• This growing workforce is guided by its own values, principles and ways of working.
• Lived Experience staff take part in training, supervision and skill development to purposefully use their experiences to support others and create positive change. 

Embedding Lived Experience within Neami requires more than just creating roles. It starts with building the right foundations to support, develop, and sustain a strong and thriving workforce.  

We have adopted the National Lived Experience Workforce Development Guidelines as the framework for our approach. These guidelines shape how we grow and support staff in Lived Experience roles. 

We’re investing in clear pathways for learning, development and leadership. This includes rolling out Intentional Peer Support (IPS) training to build a shared understanding of Lived Experience principles, expertise and ways of working across our organisation.  

Through these initiatives, we’re embedding Lived Experience in how we lead, grow, and continue to learn together. 

At Neami, we bring together different kinds of expertise to provide care that is compassionate, inclusive and tailored to each person. 

• Peer Workers are part of our Lived Experience workforce. They draw on their life-changing experiences of distress, adversity and service use, or the impact of supporting someone through these experiences. By doing so, they build trust, offer hope, and support people moving forward in ways that feel meaningful and empowering to them.
• They work alongside our clinical and psychosocial team members, including psychologists, nurses, social workers and occupational therapists. Each role brings a different perspective to care and support.
• We believe diverse perspectives and collaboration are key to challenging assumptions, closing gaps and creating lasting change in how support is delivered.