Sharon Marra-Brown (ARTD Consultants, -), Jo Farmer (Jo Farmer Consulting, AU), Jade Maloney (ARTD Consultants, AU), Alexandra Lorigan (ARTD Consultants, AU)Involving people with lived and living experience is becoming a normal expectation of evaluation practice in a range of sectors. It has the potential to be a positive, empowering experience for everyone involved and produce outcomes that are more feasible, effective and respectful.
However, as it becomes a routine expectation, there is a risk that involving people with lived and living experience is done without the required thought and attention, resulting in poor experiences and outcomes. In addition, taking a co-design approach to evaluation and engaging with people with lived and living experience in evaluation can be misunderstood by ethics committees, who may take a conservative or paternalistic view.
Taking a considered, ethical and values-based approach to engaging with people with lived and living experience means that we are more likely to create positive and useful processes. This session will provide insights into how to navigate the ethics of engaging with people with lived experience.
It will begin with a presentation from experienced evaluators who have worked with people with lived and living experience across a range of sectors (mental health, suicide prevention, disability and family violence) covering:
- ethical engagement according to the National Statement and issues with assumed vulnerability
- values and ethical responsibilities in working with lived experience researchers
- principles for ethical engagement
- engaging across the project lifespan
- managing power dynamics
- assuming capability and enabling informed decision making about involvement
We will then draw around a proverbial campfire to explore a set of scenarios that are challenging to navigate in an ethical way, such as what happens when a commissioner does not accept the input of lived and living experience evaluators, managing power dynamics between clinical/academic and lived and living experience advisors on committees, and ethics processes putting up barriers to engaging with program participants. There will also be opportunities to share and have others work through your own scenarios.
