Lived Experience Council Member

Job Description

Lived Experience Council Member

Multiple Disadvantage Governance

 

Join Sheffield’s Lived Experience Council and use your experience to help improve services in Sheffield

In 2025, Sheffield City Council launched a city wide plan to improve how all services across the system support people experiencing multiple disadvantage. This work is about listening better, working together, and making sure people with lived experience are part of the decisions that affect them.

The delivery of our new, co-produced Multiple Disadvantage Strategy will be governed by an alliance made up of local partners together with a Lived Experience Council.  

The role of the Lived Experience Council is to play an active role in shaping services, systems and decisions across Sheffield, not just as a one off, but as part of everyday practice.

We are now inviting people to register their interest in becoming a member of the Lived Experience Council.

 

What is the Lived Experience Council?

The Lived Experience Council will be made up of up to 10 people with lived experience of multiple disadvantage.

 

As a member, you will:

• Share your experiences and insights to help improve services
• Represent the voices of people with lived experience
• Help shape discussions and decisions at a city-wide level
• Have ownership over part of the agenda for the multiple disadvantage alliance governance meetings which will oversee this work

This is a test and learn approach and LEC members will help shape how the LEC works as it grows and develops over time. The LEC is completely new, so this is the first round of recruitment.

 

Who is this role for?

This role is targeted at people with lived experience of multiple disadvantage, which includes people who have experienced at least three out of the five areas below:

• Homelessness
• Mental health challenges
• Substance use
• Involvement with the criminal justice system
• Domestic abuse

We are particularly interested in people who have experience of engaging with services and systems in Sheffield, either through volunteering, paid work as well as their lived experience.

Before registering your interest, we ask you to take some time to think about whether this role feels right for you at this point in your life.

 

The right person for this role will:

• Be able to commit to regular meetings
• Feel mentally resilient enough to talk about systems and services
• Be further along in their recovery journey, with the right support around them
• Feel able to work with others, even when conversations are challenging

There is no “perfect” candidate. What matters most is that this role feels safe, manageable and meaningful for you.

 

What skills and strengths are helpful?

You do not need formal qualifications. Helpful strengths include:

• Confidence to share your views in a group
• Ability to listen to others and work as part of a team
• Being able to think about problems and possible solutions
• Communication and advocacy skills
• A willingness to learn and grow in the role

 

What is the time commitment?

• Monthly Lived Experience Council meetings
• Quarterly governance meetings linked to the wider multiple disadvantage alliance
• Some optional additional work between meetings
• Members will be in the role for up to 2 years.
• Meetings may be in-person, online, or a mix of both, depending on what works best.

 

What support and benefits are offered?

• This role will include reimbursement for your time (To be coproduced with LEC members)
• Full reimbursement of any costs & expenses (travel, childcare etc)
• Full training and induction
• Ongoing wellbeing and practical support
• Opportunities for learning, development and leadership

You will be supported by SYHA’s Changing Futures, Coproduction & Peer Support Service and will have a dedicated main point of contact.

 

Are you Interested?

You don’t need a CV or application form at this stage.

For an Informal Discussion Contact:

Haf Ramzan, Programme Manager, Changing Futures Coproduction & Peer Support Service, 07387417290

Luke Jackson, Coproduction Lead, Changing Futures, 07493868134

Closing Date: 31 March 2026

We will provide further information around next steps to all applicants in due course