Representative Panel
What is LEA's Representative Panel?
And how do I join?
Lived Experience Australia (LEA) is a systemic key advocate and recognised peak body for the private mental health sector in Australia. LEA provides high quality information and advice through lived experience representation to improve the safety, capacity and quality of Australia’s mental health system.
LEA regularly provides Government and other organisations with lived experience input through our Representative Panel to support development and review of system policy and reform and contribute to service design, delivery, an evaluation.
Our Representative Panel members provide lived experience input into co-design activities, lived experience advisory groups, working groups, forums, consultations, and research representing a diverse range of demographics and lived experiences.
Representative Panel members can engage in representations at a variety of levels. This can include simply being notified of what opportunities for lived experience representation are available, undertaking ad-hoc representations within their area of lived experience, engaging in lived experience working or advisory groups established to inform project delivery or co-design, and can also include opportunities for short or long-term employment supporting LEA’s projects and service delivery when available.
There may also be opportunities to attend in-person conferences, forums or meetings as a representative of LEA.
As a Representative Panel member we will contact you when opportunities become available relevant to your lived experience, and you can opt-in or express your interest if you would like to participate.
LEA Representative Panel members have differing levels of experience and support networks available to them as mental health advocates. LEA may from time to time provide opportunities for representatives to engage in further personal and professional development and access support through a Community of Practice Program and an individual mentoring program. These are optional support networks for Representative Panel members seeking further support and engagement.
Levels of involvement
If you decide you'd like to be considered for our representative panel, you can select how much involvement and support you access.
You can read about the variety of options below, or if you know which you are looking for you can click on the bulleted list item below.
Keep me in the loop
This option allows representative panel members to receive notification when opportunities are shared with our broad network.
You can choose to opt-in to anything that you are interested in and have capacity to undertake, with no other contact or commitments required. Opportunities will be shared less frequently.
I am actively looking for opportunities
This option allows you to become an active member of LEA’s representative panel.
We will notify you of representation opportunities that link with your lived experience, and you can opt-in to anything you are interested in and have capacity to undertake.
You will be invited to all relevant representation opportunities, including those only shared with our representative panel where there may be requirements for experienced representatives, or short timeframes for recruitment.
You can select to be notified about in-person and/or online opportunities, and let us know if you are interested in travelling for opportunities.
Connect me with a Community of Practice (COP)
This option is for those seeking further development and support, particularly if you are engaged or interested in lived experience advisory group activities.
The Community of Practice (CoP) is exclusive to LEA Representative Panel members and connects you with other lived experience representatives to share, develop knowledge and learn from each others’ experiences in a supported environment.
Support my development with mentoring
This option provides more in-depth support, available to LEA Representative Panel members seeking one-on-one mentoring support.
You will be paired with an experienced mentor to support and enhance your development as a professional lived experience representative and advocate.
Consider me for employment opportunities
Active members of our representative panel can opt-in to receiving information about employment or contracting opportunities that may become available.
This may include projects, admin, research, State and Territory Coordinator roles and more. Being a representative panel member provides a pathway to employment and contracting opportunities with LEA where we work 100% remotely and flexibly to support lived experience employment.