A key part of this project is supporting the lived-living experience workforce in Queensland to create and develop a Code of Ethics.
In partnership with Queensland Lived Experience Workforce Network (QLEWN), we’re running co-design workshops both in-person and online. View and our past and remaining workshops here.
We’re looking for a wide range of voices across Queensland to participate.
What is a Code of Ethics?
A Code of Ethics is a shared document or resource, which would outline shared values and principles that guide ethical lived experience practice.
Whilst we’re using the term “Code of Ethics” for this part of the project at the moment as it’s a term that some people might understand and recognise from other workforce disciplines, the resource we’re co-creating might not end up taking this name – it’s in the hands of the co-design process.
Ideally this would be a resource that would help guide us in some of the more tricky ethical situations and decision making we face in our work, and be helpful and reflective of LLE workers across Queensland, from different backgrounds and in different roles.
Why co-design matters
We believe a Code of Ethics/Practice cannot be written about lived experience – it must be shaped with it.
Co-design creates space for people with lived and living experience to come together to share knowledge, name tensions, and explore what ethical, safe, and accountable practice looks like in real-world contexts. These sessions are not about producing a single “right” answer. They are about listening deeply, holding complexity, and building guidance that reflects the realities of lived experience work.
What is shared through co-design will directly inform the development of the Code of Ethics / Practice and the guidance tools that sit alongside it.
What the co-design sessions will involve
Participants will be invited to:
- Share perspectives and experiences relevant to lived/living experience work
- Explore questions of ethics, power, boundaries, inclusion, and accountability
- Reflect on the diversity of lived experience roles, settings, and contexts
- Identify what ethical guidance is genuinely useful in practice
- Provide feedback on emerging ideas, principles, and draft content
Sessions will be facilitated by Brook RED in partnership with Queensland Lived Experience Workforce Network (QLEWN), using relational, trauma-informed, and accessible approaches.
Co-design will include a combination of online and in-person sessions, including opportunities for regional, rural, and remote participation.
Who we are inviting
We are seeking Expressions of Interest from people who:
- Hold lived or living experience of mental health challenges, suicidality, alcohol and other drug use, and/or caring
- Are currently connected to, or working within, the Lived/Living Experience workforce
- Bring perspectives shaped by diverse identities, cultures, communities, roles, and regions
- Are willing to engage in respectful dialogue, reflection, and shared learning
- Want to contribute to shaping ethical practice in a collective and values-led way
You do not need formal qualifications, titles, or governance experience. We value experience, insight, and reflection over certainty or polish.
Participation and support
Participation in the co-design sessions will be supported through paid participation and reimbursement, recognising the value of people’s time, labour, and lived experience. We are committed to creating conditions that enable meaningful, safe, and accessible participation, including consideration of access and support needs.
