Lived and Living Experience Authority

About the Authority

Following the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System’s report established in 2021, Victoria has started a 10-year transformation of its mental health system. This report emphasises that people with lived and living experience (LLE) should be the focus of the new mental health system.

Lived and living experience in the workforce

Regardless of position type or level of authority, roles are distinguished by a commitment to use lived and living experience to benefit others, uphold human rights and drive transformation.

Wellways’ LLE workforce will become an important agency at all levels and in all settings of the organisation, including leadership, specialist and operational roles and will have authority in governance, advisory and decision-making.

The authority is an innovation in governance co-designed by consumers, carers, service users and the Wellways Board to ensure that the voice of lived and living experience is central to all decision-making.

The role of the Authority

Enshrined in the Wellways’ constitution, the Authority will influence organisational values, and improve how we do business. It will impact strategic direction, planning, policy, culture, budget, advocacy, research priorities and performance.

As leader in the transformative space, Wellways will be active in making deep changes as an organisation. The Authority will have prominent influence in achieving change as part of our governance arrangements.

Connecting the LLE voice and expertise across Wellways’ programs and services throughout the nation, the Authority will support and enable the Wellways Board and CEO to be accountable to participants in the communities we serve.

It will inform decisions of the Board and CEO by sharing LLE perspectives and providing advice and recommendations on specific issues.
It will engage in ongoing conversations with the Board and CEO about challenges of transformation and elevating LLE expertise.
It will connect with Wellways’ operational level LLE advisory groups, ensuring it has ongoing knowledge of the experiences of people and communities who engage with the organisation.
It will develop capability and pathways into LLE governance level roles and connect with relevant LLE governance networks.

The Board expects to learn from, be challenged by and work in partnership with the LLE Authority to ensure that governance decisions reflect LLE viewpoints.