Anew Lived Experience Group will be established to amplify the voices of families who have been directly involved with the child protection system.
The State Government has engaged foster care and other services provider Life Without Barriers to establish and support the Lived Experience Group.
The group will provide a forum for family members of children in care, or engaged in the child protection and family support system, or individuals who have had a direct experience of the system themselves, to contribute to policy and practice development and inform system-level changes.
Up to 10 group members will be appointed through an Expression of Interest process, with the first meeting to be held in the coming months.
The group will ensure that reform is informed by the perspectives and experiences of relatives of children placed in care and those who have had a lived experience themselves.
Life Without Barriers will partner with The Reilly Foundation and DS Consultancy to develop the group, which will report on its findings.
Reilly Foundation is a community organisation providing practical support, education and advocacy for parents who are navigating the child protection and family support system.
DS Consultancy specialises in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and communities, service providers and those with direct experience to improve services.
The government has also recently announced the formation of a new Carer Council and Child Protection Expert Group.
