Lived and Living Experience Workforce Forum 2025

Hundreds of people from across Victoria attended the 2025 Lived and Living Experience Workforce (LLEW) Forum in Melbourne on March 20th, 2025. The sold-out event brought together 300 LLE consumer and family/carer workers, with a further 100 attending via livestream. It was the largest-ever gathering of LLE workers in Victoria, reflecting the growth of the workforce in recent years. Attendees considered issues impacting LLE workers, reflected on achievements across the LLE sector and explored next steps as a workforce. The forum was hosted by SHARC and the Victorian Department of Health in collaboration with Tandem, VMIAC, Harm Reduction Victoria, CMHL and Mental Health Victoria.

Highlights included the launch of five LLEW discipline frameworks, the culmination of years of cross-sector collaboration, and the announcement of more early career opportunities via the Lived Experience Career Compass. Sessions ranged from the evolution of the family/carer LLEW, to applying the consumer perspective to leadership, pressures faced by migrant and refugee communities, and peer-led online harm reduction for young people. Presenters included VMIAC CEO, Vrinda Edan, Carer Lived Experience Workforce (CLEW) leader, Anna Epifanio, and manager of SHARC’s Lived and Living Experience At Heart (LLEAH) Program, Matthew Corbett. Themed Distinct Disciplines – Collectively Leading Change, the free event was designed as an opportunity for discussion, connection, and celebration.