Lived experience programs and projects

Amplify the voices of those with lived experience.

Last updated: 21 Jan 2026

An inclusive and empathetic approach

Incorporating the perspectives of real-life advisors is essential in deepening our understanding of the challenges faced by children, young people, and families when navigating child protection and family service systems.

Lived experience experts provide critical guidance to help the Centre to shape policies, programs, and services that truly reflect the needs of the communities we represent.

 

Your real-life experience is powerful

Change comes from the hearts and minds of those whose lives are impacted by the policies, services and systems we seek to improve. People with real life experience of the family and child service systems can help guide us towards a future that truly supports and uplifts children and young people now and in the future.

There are many ways – big and small – that you can participate in the Centre’s work. Your voice matters, and we want to hear it.

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Our lived experience programs and projects

Lived Experience Design Project

Lived Experience Design Project

Bringing together expert birth parents with lived experience of child protection to design policy and reform solutions.
National Families Week Art Competition

National Families Week Art Competition

Get creative and win a prize by showing us in your artwork what family means to you!
Young Person's Media Network

Young Person's Media Network

Paid training, support, and media opportunities to empower young people with an out-of-home care experience to become advocates of positive change.
Latest lived experience news
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Victorian foster carers Amy and Alex

Alex and Amy’s story: foster care is part of everyday life

14 Sep 2026

When Alex and Amy first started talking about foster care, it was not a question of if, but when. Now, more than a year into caring for their foster son, they say the experience has become part of everyday family life.
  • News

‘Open Doors. Open Hearts. Open Opportunities’ — Foster Care Week 2026

11 Sep 2026

Foster Care Week is a time to celebrate Victoria’s foster carers and the important role they play in the lives of children and young people, while raising awareness of the growing need for more people to consider becoming foster carers. 
  • Media Releases

Co-Design: The Word That Ate Strategy 

29 Apr 2026

We’ve seen a staggering rise in references to co-design, but are more people actively shaping services and having a say in decisions affecting their lives?
  • Perspectives
Lived experience resources
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Video
Sector Buzz: The Podcast │ Ep.1: Building Culturally Safe Support for Young People At this year's Family Services Symposium: Together with families, Jo Stanley interviewed Ridmi, Rianne and Mahsa, three Shout-out speakers from the Centre for Multicultural Youth, and young advocates with lived-experience of family services. In this episode, they share valuable insights on the family services system through an intersectional lens and explore the importance of culturally responsive practice when supporting children, young people and families.
File
Families at the centre: Mapping lived experience in Uniting Family Services The newly released report, led by Kerrie McCusker at Uniting Vic Tas, Families at the Centre: Understanding Lived Experience in Family Services, explores the experiences of family service consumers across Victoria and offers practical, evidence‑based insights. It stands as a testament to the power of listening to the very people we aim to serve and support, and is rich with evidence that both inspires and strengthens the embedding of lived and living experience in child and family services.
External Link
Better Practice Guide for Inclusive Engagement The Victorian Government has released the Better Practice Guide for Inclusive Engagement—a practical resource designed to help us create engagement that is accessible, respectful, and truly inclusive. This guide can help you engage with community in a more inclusive way. You can use it before, during and after your engagement.
File
Improving outcomes for young people transitioning from out-of-home care in Victoria This interim report from Monash University examines transition planning for young people leaving OOHC in Victoria. Drawing on 80 interviews, 196 transition plans and reviews of scholarly and grey literature, it found planning is often inconsistent, task-focused and misaligned with young people’s developmental needs. Many felt excluded from decisions and unprepared for independence, with barriers including housing shortages, fragmented systems and limited cultural support. The report recommends youth-led, relational planning, improved workforce capability, culturally safe practices, clearer roles and responsibilities and stronger post-care supports to improve outcomes for care leavers.

Our areas of expertise

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The Centre’s membership benefits build collaboration, advocacy, and capacity within the child and family services sector, ensuring a more resilient and supportive environment that provides better outcomes for children and families.
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