VMIAC is proud to launch a critical new policy position: ‘The Meaning of ‘Lived Experience’.
This position statement was developed in response to growing concern over the widespread co-option and dilution of lived experience language within mental health reform.
As the term “Lived Experience” gains popularity across government and service sectors, its meaning is often stretched beyond recognition, losing connection to the consumer/survivor/ex-patient movement from which it originates.
At VMIAC, we define lived experience as the firsthand experience of using mental health services. This includes navigating, surviving, and often being harmed by a system that has historically failed the very people it was intended to support.
This type of experience is distinct and should not be conflated with other forms of marginalisation or distress.
Designated lived experience roles held by individuals with this specific knowledge are essential to ensuring that reform is grounded in truth, accountability, and the perspectives of those most affected. Lived experience must not only be included – it must lead.
This position statement provides clear guidance to governments and others on how to engage meaningfully with lived experience, ensuring that its integrity is protected and its role in driving reform is fully realised.
In this paper, we’ve sought to clarify our expectations of government and statutory authorities when making appointments to designated roles.
By government and statutory authorities, we mean the Victorian Department of Health, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission and the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Since the Royal Commission, these bodies have collectively introduced numerous designated and high-paid positions that play a crucial role in the design, implementation, and governance of the Victorian mental health system.
It is our view that these positions should be explicitly reserved for individuals who have utilised the tertiary mental health services they are overseeing.