Lived experience workers – A new union approach

Lived experience workers – A new union approach

Support UNISON to better represent and organise lived experience workers

There is increasing involvement of Peer Support / Lived Experience (LE) workers within mental health services. These are individuals whose role is framed by making constructive use of personal experience of their own mental health difficulties and vulnerabilities.

Such roles exist in a number of different contexts where such use of self is valued as a key element of professional identity, adding a unique contribution to the work of wider teams where they are working openly from an experiential lens.

However, a number of tensions and challenges exist for these valued members of the workforce. Banding and job evaluation can be inconsistent; the mental health burden of the roles can be exhausting; and career progression opportunities can be limited. These roles must be used appropriately and not as a means of diminishing the skill mix of the mental health workforce.

• Join this seminar to hear directly from lived-experience workers and those leading mental health workforce policy.
• Contribute your expertise to the debate on lived experience roles.
• Support the UNISON nursing and midwifery sector to forge a new union approach to represent lived experience workers.