Lived experience

Lived experience

People with lived or living experience of domestic, family and/or sexual violence (DFSV) have unique perspectives, insights and skills; collectively understood as ‘lived expertise’.

It is essential this lived expertise informs the way the DFSV sector:

  • designs and delivers services to the community;
  • develops policies; and
  • advocates for change.

In 2024, Embolden partnered with the Domestic and Family Violence Safety Alliance (DFVSA) to develop a Roadmap for Lived Experience Engagement, a deliverable under Embolden’s funding agreement with the Office for Women. The Roadmap charts a course for the South Australian DFSV sector to strengthen its engagement with people who have lived experience, with a particular focus on survivor-advocates (people with lived experience who engage in advocacy to improve services, systems and policies).

The Roadmap includes a list of resources to support lived experience engagement in the DFSV sector.