The Lived Experience Charter has a multi-disciplinary assessment panel of people with lived experience and professionals who are trained in assessing and awarding the Lived Experience Charter. The lived experience panel review submissions from applicants and determine ‘Charter status’ based on the evidence submitted from applicants. The assessment criteria/awarding process includes a tiered award system, recognising the different stages that Charter applicants are achieving: * Working Towards, * Bronze, * Silver or * Gold.
Benefits for the Assessment Panel
Benefits for the panel:
- Lived Experience voices and perspectives are held and acted on throughout the process.
- Participants gain increased insight and ownership of the process.
- Increased knowledge of services supporting people with lived experience and open and inclusive recruitment practices.
- The panel provides work experience, builds networks, develops leadership skills, and provides an opportunity to work in a team.
- Pastoral support is 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.
- Meeting with services who are being assessed.
- 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.
- Attendance at the annual Lived Experience Charter Awards event to award services their Charter status.
Interested in becoming a Lived Experience Charter assessor?
If you would like to apply to the Lived Experience Charter to be a panel member. Complete the relevant form below and one of the team will be in touch.
Join a committed and dedicated collective of assessors working together to assess applications for Charter status.
