About
Lived experience engagement
Our purpose is to ensure that lived experience perspectives and expertise are valued across Lifeline Australia’s activities.
The Framework
Lifeline recognises the immense value that people with lived experience bring to our organisation and the services we provide. We are committed to embedding their voices across our work to improve outcomes for help seekers.
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In June 2025 we launched our Lived Experience Framework, created through extensive consultation and co-development with people with lived experience and other stakeholders. The Framework outlines our commitment to ensuring a consistent, positive and meaningful experience for everyone involved in lived experience engagement.
It provides a unified approach across all current and future engagement mechanisms, ensuring that lived experience perspectives are genuinely valued and influence Lifeline’s strategic decisions, service design and continuous improvement.
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Central Purpose
To ensure that lived experience perspectives and expertise are valued across Lifeline Australia’s activities.
The Framework is designed to:
• Ensure a consistent, positive experience for participants and staff
• Embed lived experience insights into our decision-making and service design
• Drive continuous improvement in our engagement approaches
• Support our strategy to transform the experience of help seekers
Key principles
The Framework is guided by seven key principles that shape how we engage with people with lived experience, ensuring every interaction is purposeful, inclusive and grounded in safety and collaboration.
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1
Purposeful
Engagements have clear goals and contribute to Lifeline's mission.
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2
Promotes Agency
Individuals are empowered to have a say and make choices in their involvement.
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3
Adaptable
The framework can be adjusted to suit different contexts and needs.
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4
Iterative
It allows for continuous learning and improvement based on feedback.
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5
Collaborative
Working together with lived experience individuals is central to its operation.
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6
Inclusive
It ensures diverse voices and experiences are welcomed and heard.
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7
Safe and strengths-based
Environments are created where people feel secure and their unique strengths are recognised.
Underpinning elements
Sitting at the foundations of the Framework.
Our leaders and the culture they create.
Capability of Lifeline staff and people with lived experience.
Resources to support engagement.
Governance of the framework.
A tailored engagement approach
New and existing ways of working with lived experience will continue and will be guided by the Framework to ensure consistency and adherence to its principles.
We will enhance our engagements through a distributed model that embeds lived experience throughout the organisation. The Framework will ensure we understand where each mechanism adds value, provide support for groups to complement each other, and ensure strong communications and governance.
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