The Lived Experience Framework – Principles and Practices for Lived Experience Partnerships outlines the principles and practices that WACOSS aspires to for working with people who have Lived Experience.

We are deeply thankful to all of the contributors to this Framework, and from those with Lived Experience, we would like to acknowledge and show our appreciation for your essential contribution to this integral piece of work. 

In developing this Framework, we hope it can be a useful resource when partnering with lived experience advocates and advocacy groups, for community services sector and for advocates working in partnership with all levels of civil society.

Our vision is that:

  • people with lived experience who engage in advocacy, can develop skills, knowledge, networks and meaningful leadership opportunities, and
  • a growing number of lived experience advocacy partnerships result in effective systemic change that benefits people and communities.

Community organisations are encouraged to follow this framework to support lived experience partnerships that are informed by a human rights approach. However, it is not prescriptive, but rather suggests principles and practices intended to complement existing lived experience partnerships.

Community organisations are encouraged to adapt this framework to their organisational strengths, resources, and specific needs.

This framework recognises, endorses and respects existing partnership frameworks and engagement protocols. These include the unique requirements for working within specific cultural, geographical or communal protocols developed by communities with which we partner.

This framework is intended to work in conjunction with such protocols, and where they exist, they take precedence over this framework.