LLEW 2025 - Presenters - Clare Davies - SHARC | Self Help Addiction Resource Centre

Our Presenters

Clare Davies

Distinct Disciplines Collectively Leading Change

The Lived and Living Experience Workforce has undergone significant transformation in recent years, emerging as a vital component of Alcohol and Other Drug and Mental Health services. However, despite this growth, it often remains confined within disciplinary silos—limiting its collective impact and missing critical opportunities for collaboration.

Drawing on her journey from frontline AOD peer worker to CEO of SHARC, Clare Davies will explore the evolution of LLEW in AOD, the challenges of working within a fragmented healthcare system, and the impact this has on not only our workforce but also for the people that use services. She will highlight the importance of uniting under shared values and principles, creating a cohesive, empowered workforce that leads systemic change.

By working together across disciplines, LLEW can strengthen its influence, improve outcomes for people who use services, and drive sustainable change. This presentation will encourage attendees to embrace collaboration, break down barriers, and reimagine the future of lived and living experience leadership.

Clare is the Chief Executive Officer at Self Help Addiction Resource Centre SHARC which is one of the oldest peer led organisations in Australia. Clare’s work is informed by her own experiences and recovery as well as practice expertise gained through being a frontline peer and managing and leading lived and living experience workforces. Clare has developed and managed peer workforces in the Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) sector for many many years. She has qualifications in AOD, social science, social work, governance and strategy, and is the current Vice President of Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA). Clare’s leadership in the Non-Profit sector was recognised in 2023 when she received the Harvard Club of Victoria Non-Profit Fellowship to attend Harvard Business School. The basis of that acknowledgement was leadership from a lived experience perspective.