The Lived Experience Charter has a multi-disciplinary assessment panel of people with lived experience and professionals working in organisations that support people with lived experience and promote open and inclusive recruitment practices. The lived experience panel review submissions from organisations and determine whether they should receive ‘Charter status’ based on their evidence. The assessment criteria/awarding process includes a tiered award system, recognising the different stages that Charter applicants are achieving – working towards, bronze, silver, and gold.
Benefits for the Assessment Panel
There are many benefits for the members of the multi-disciplinary panel to being involved in assessing and awarding the Charter:
- Lived Experience voices and perspectives are held and acted on throughout the process.
- All gain increased insight and ownership of the process.
- It increases their knowledge of the services, supporting people with lived experience and open and inclusive recruitment practices for people with lived experience.
- Taking part in the panel provides work experience, builds networks, develops leadership skills, and provides an opportunity to work in a team.
- Career Guidance support is provided to panel members to support them in developing their career progression.
- Pastoral support will be provided from the Career Matters team with peer support and mentoring, when required.
The multi-disciplinary panel are empowered through the process of assessing the Lived Experience Charter and it enables them to help employers shape effective and supportive environments for others with lived experience.
During the pilot stage, there were many examples across the panel of the impact of the professional development opportunities on their career progression. Two members of the panel secured new jobs and others spoke about how it had helped their professional development.
“Both people with lived experience and professionals felt they could not only add expertise to the process but also learn something from the process and each other”.
Independent Evaluators EP:IC
Training and support
Training is provided for the panel members to support with the skills and confidence to access the applications. They receive the following training from the team:
- Assessment Panel Introduction meeting.
- Lived Experience Charter Assessment Panel Training Sessions.
- Opportunity to raise questions and clarifications on the application process.
- Support from the central Lived Experience Charter team at Career Matters.
- A range of resources to support with the application of the Charter.
- Support in accessing the documentation, when required.
- A Career Matters team member available to support through the assessment process.
- Letter of recommendation provided to all participants in the process to highlight the competences they have demonstrated through the process and the activity and responsibility involved.
- Team debrief after assessing the applications.
Interested in becoming a Lived Experience Charter assessor?
The Lived Experience Charter assessment panel is an inclusive multi-disciplinary panel. Lived experience assessment panel member will be paired with a member of the multi-disciplinary assessment panel.
The pair of assessors will assess two site’s applications for Charter status and will award either Working Towards, Bronze, Silver or Gold status.
Want to learn more about becoming an Assessment Panel member?
We are holding two Assessment Panel Briefing events on Eventbrite. To register for either event, please click on the links below:
