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Homeless Link: Surrey Community of Practice: Experts by Experience – are we listening?

Homeless Link: Surrey Community of Practice: Experts by Experience – are we listening?

Homeless Link: Surrey Community of Practice: Experts by Experience – are we listening?

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

'Being an Expert by Experience acknowledges that lived experience is as valuable as clinical/ professional expertise. It provides me with the opportunity to use my experiences to improve services and feel support, respected and listened to as a person.’ Sarah from the Pathway Involvement Handbook

You are warmly invited to the second Surrey Community of Practice and the first for 2022.

Lived experience, Co-production and other forms of consultation and participation that seek to listen and learn from those who have experienced homelessness is something we are embedding within systems more and more. However, it is easy to do this badly, to listen without acting, and to leave people feeling exploited. Together let’s collectively think about how we can maximise the impact of this experience and expertise to transform our systems and revolutionise service delivery by placing our experts by experience at the centre of all we do.

For this session we will explore:

  • What the existing opportunities are for people to share their expertise and experience of homelessness across Surrey
  • How you might develop opportunities within your service - if this is currently a gap
  • How we can work in partnership with people who have lived experience to maximise this resource both ethically and meaningfully
  • What the challenges and opportunities of doing this might be – making it work for everyone

To support us in our collective learning we will have a presentation from Anthony Pickup the Involvement and Inclusion Manager for MEAM (Making Every Adult Matter). Anthony supports the MEAM coalition and areas adopting the MEAM Approach to increase their involvement of people with lived experience and co-produce their work.

Anthony has worked for Catching Lives in various roles and Porchlight as a member of their Involvement Service, both in the Kent Area. He has managed several peer-led projects and has contributed to research and reports both at a local and national level. He is also a former chair of the Homeless Link Expert Advisory Panel.

We will also have an update from the recent mapping exercise by Surrey County Council on existing networks and forums that focus on listening to peoples lived experience.

This session will also be an opportunity to:

  • Connect and network with a wide range of partners from across Surrey
  • Take a moment to reflect on your own strategy and practice
  • Hear about the activities practice and strategies being enacted across the county aimed at ending and preventing rough sleeping and homelessness

Homeless Link Communities of Practice are open to anyone who is working or volunteering within the homelessness sector and those with lived experience of homelessness. We also welcome those who work in related services such as domestic abuse, drugs and alcohol, criminal justice, mental health, and other health related services.

Homeless Link Communities of Practice are designed to bring together people working in homelessness and related fields within local areas. The aim is to create a safe and informal space in which attendees can share knowledge and good practice, discuss local issues, and explore how best to collaboratively overcome them.

If you have any queries, please contact Greg at greg.headley@homelesslink.org.uk or call 07956396193

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