Glossary

Designing services and environments so everyone can use them with ease

Supporting people to speak up for their rights, or doing so alongside them

A person’s ability to choose, decide and direct their own life

Actively challenging discrimination, stigma and unfair systems.

Showing up as a real, honest human, not hiding behind professional distance

Respecting a person’s right to make decisions about their own life

Limits that keep relationships safe, kind and grounded in purpose

Exhaustion from ongoing stress, isolation or emotional load

Insight gained from supporting a loved one through distress or mental health challenges

A worker who uses caring experience to support families and influence systems

Shared values and principles that guide ethical lived experience practice

Practical guidance that turns ethics into day-to-day behaviour

Involving people from the very start to the end of decision-making or service design

Learning together as equals, drawing on each person’s expertise

Sharing power, decisions and responsibility between workers, services and community

Working respectfully with others rather than in isolation or hierarchy

Multiple groups working together toward meaningful shared outcomes

The deep knowledge that emerges when many lived experiences come together

A group that meets regularly to reflect, learn and strengthen skills

Emotional tiredness from supporting others without enough support yourself

Skills and understanding that support culturally safe and respectful practice.

Lifelong learning, listening and reflection about culture, identity and privilege.

Awareness of how culture shapes experiences and communication

Ensuring people feel respected, heard and safe to express who they are

A supportive conversation after a challenging event to process emotions and learning

Sharing lived or living experience, whether planned or unplanned

When someone’s voice or autonomy is reduced or dismissed

The range of identities, cultures, bodies, histories and experiences in a community

Having more than one relationship with a person, common in small or regional communities.

The invisible effort needed to manage emotions at work

Connecting and understanding another person’s feelings in a caring way

Thoughtful steps taken when facing unclear or complex situations

Seeking guidance or supervision when unsure about an ethical dilemma

Using research, lived experience insights and local knowledge together

Knowledge gained through lived or living experience, not study

Support centred around families’ needs, rights and strengths

People representing and speaking for their own experiences

Controlling access to support, information or rights. Often harmful

Practical strategies that reduce risk and support safer choices

Restoring safety, connection and meaning. Not always about cure

Reaching out for support, information or guidance.

Belief in the possibility of change or improvement, even when things are difficult

Putting dignity, fairness and autonomy first

Creating spaces where everyone can participate fully and feel valued

Supporting people with clear information so they can decide what is best for them

A structured approach to peer work focused on mutuality and connection

Purposeful use of personal experience to support someone else

Understanding how identity factors like culture, gender and class shape experiences

Working in ways that support fairness and challenge systemic harm

Using words that don’t shame, blame or pathologise.

Harm that happens within marginalised communities due to systemic pressures

Knowledge gained through personal mental health challenges or distress

People with lived or living experience shaping decisions and culture

A worker employed to use their lived or living experience in their role

Acknowledges experiences may be current and ongoing

Participation that has real influence, not tokenism

A natural, respectful connection where both people contribute

Using personal stories intentionally to support healing and connection

The natural diversity of human minds and ways of thinking

A system term often used when someone’s choices differ from service expectations. Avoided in LLE practice

A workplace’s ability to support lived experience roles safely and respectfully

Losing grounding by merging your experience too closely with someone else’s

Supportive reflection with another peer after emotionally heavy situations.

Decision-making structures shaped by lived experience leadership

Upholding lived experience values even when systems resist them

A model that guides lived experience practice and expectations

Support grounded in connection, shared humanity and hope

A person employed for their lived or living experience expertise

An organisation guided by lived experience values and leadership

Reflective, values-led supervision designed for LLE roles

Support shaped by what matters most to the person

How power is held, shared or withheld in relationships or systems

Actions that give people more influence and choice

How workers keep relationships clear, safe and ethical

Staying within your role and training, and referring when needed

Feeling able to speak up, ask for help and take risks without fear

Building a life with meaning and connection, even with ongoing challenges

Supporting autonomy, dignity, hope and choice

Thinking deeply about decisions, feelings and actions to learn and grow

Unique challenges faced by workers outside metropolitan areas, including dual relationships and limited supervision

Support based on trust, connection and genuine human relationship

The capacity to keep going through difficult times

Ensuring people’s rights are respected and protected

Knowing what the role includes and communicating this clearly

Recognising that each person’s story is precious and must be handled with care

Language that avoids stigma, shame or judgement

Speaking up for your own needs and rights

Intentional actions that protect wellbeing and grounding

A person choosing their own direction and actions

Recognising the common humanity between all people

Distributing decision-making fairly and inclusively

Trauma arising from specific events or environments

Honouring a person’s right to control their own story

Focusing on strengths, not deficits

Supportive guidance to strengthen safe, ethical practice

Bias built into policies or systems that harms people

Including lived experience in name only without real influence

Emotional weight that builds from hearing many distressing stories

Creating safety and avoiding harm by understanding trauma’s impacts

Making decisions based on core lived experience values such as humanity, hope, dignity and connection