“No effective solutions can be developed without the people most affected by them…Victim-survivors must be at the heart of solutions.”
This opening quote from the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-20321 signifies the importance of engaging people with lived experience and expertise in policy design. A growing body of scholarship and public discourse has highlighted the need for people with lived experience and expertise in domestic and family violence (DFV) to be involved in the design and evaluation of DFV legislation, services, policies and programs.
However, sharing lived experience as part of engagement processes can be stressful and potentially (re)-traumatising whereby a thought, activity, or situation may trigger a stress response in a victim. Engagement frameworks and guiding principles are essential so that professionals can effectively and safely engage people with lived experience.
This report discusses effective models and considerations for engaging people with lived experience in policy development. It was prepared by the University of Technology Sydney and commissioned by Domestic Violence NSW.
