Safe Research Partnership with People with Lived and Living Experience
Resources for Researchers
Lived Experience Australia and the Community Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Research Network (CMHDARN) have jointly developed these resources for researchers to use when conducting research with people who have lived or living experience of Mental Illness or Ill-Health.
These two essential resources have been designed to support safe and empowering lived experience partnerships in research. They are different, yet complimentary resources.
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A Checklist for Researchers without Lived or Living Experience
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A Reflective Guide for Researchers and Participants who have Lived or Living Experience
Resource 1: Safe Research Partnership with People with Lived Experience – A Checklist for Researchers
This resource is a checklist, which is tailored for researchers who DON’T have lived experience who wish to collaborate effectively and safely with those who do. The checklist provides essential guidelines for ensuring respectful and productive partnerships.
This checklist is designed to help researchers without lived experience be mindful of the considerations when engaging people with lived and living experience in participatory research and/or co-design processes.
Resource 2: Safe Research Partnership with People with Lived Experience – A Reflective Guide
The second resource is a guide which is aimed at individuals with lived/living experience, providing them with the knowledge and standards needed for safe and empowering research relationships.
This guide will help people with lived and living experience feel ready and supported when engaging in co-design or participatory research. It aims to build confidence and provide clarity on roles, expectations, and ways to protect emotional safety.
Partnering with people with lived and living experience in research is important as it increases the relevance of research priorities and outcomes and enhances the quality of
knowledge translation.