The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System stated that the leadership of people with lived experience is fundamental to an inclusive, compassionate and humane mental health and wellbeing system (State of Victoria, 2021). In Australia, all governments are now encouraged to ““integrate lived experience expertise into leadership and governance structures.” (Australian Governement, 2020 in Loughhead et al. 2022).

Lived Experience leadership is increasingly recognised as core for systems change and ensuring that the development and delivery of new services and improvements is shaped by those with firsthand experience. With the development of Lived Expertise leadership roles and functions, we now see people with lived experience holding responsibilities and influence across all levels of the system including in new and emerging senior leadership roles. There’s increased investment and clarity in understanding what is required to be genuine and effective, but the leadership experience of that journey is rarely heard or understood.

There is also a continuing lack of clarity across the mental health sector on what Lived Experience leadership is, and isn’t. This includes how Lived Experience leadership is different to being a leader with lived experience. The LELAN Model for Lived Experience Leadership (Loughhead et al., 2022) recognised that true lived experience leadership is social movement, where leaders connect their personal, professional and socio-political worlds in unique ways to lead change, linking local experience with organisational and systems change endeavours. The responsibility within this is to understand that as a Lived Experience leader, our leadership approach is shared and our positions see us standing on the shoulders of the giants that came before us. When harnessesd effectively, Lived Experience leadership can build new systems of power and decision-making, grounded in the values, practices and approach that can provide transformative systems change that benefits everyone.

This conversation will shed light on the issues and experiences of Lived Experience leadership in action. It will offer the opportunity to hear from and explore with people in senior Lived Experience roles within large organisations and complex settings the challenges and opportunities of these roles. It will explore the balance of working within these structures while seeking to effect systemic and cultural change both within the organisation, sector and broader community. It will explore how traditional power dynamics function and what it will take for lived expertise leadership to have meaningful impact in those environments.

The discussion will reflect on how the role of an effective Lived Experience leader requires holding the values and history of the movement and accountability back to, which can be both beautiful and brutal. The speakers will explore the balance of professional and traditional models and requirements of leadership and management, with the essential task of challenging these to delivery new models of leadership and decision-making grounded in the principles and wisdom of lived expertise. It will also acknowledge the added layer of challenge in having responsibilities of and for organisations and their interests while doing this ,while also building influence relationally within and across the broader sector and community.
The conversation will also explore concepts including:
• Stigma and discrimination about mental health and AOD use – being out as a leader.
• Lived Experience Management – how we build capability for managers while holding the values, principles and practices of Lived Experience.
• What even is Lived Experience Leadership in action?
• Is the system ready – how traditional and clinical power functions within current decision-making structures.
• Splitting identities – professional leader and experiences of distress, AOD – toeing the line of social and professional acceptance of lived experience.
• What do the next generation of leaders need.

The conversation will be held by:
Ellie Hodges, national thought leader of lived experience led systems change and founder of SA consumer peak, LELAN.

Katie Larsen, who holds an Executive level Lived Experience role in a large mainstream specialist mental health organisation and is undertaking a PhD researching intersectional approaches to leadership and decision-making.

Clare Davies, is the CEO of the Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC). Experts by experience established SHARC over the last 30 years to be a thriving community based on the principles of self-help and mutual support.
This conversation, with vulnerability and insights from the speakers, will explore the challenges, tensions and opportunities of this at the personal, professional and socio-political level.