Senior managers provided important leadership when it came to the development of Lived Experience roles. The personal and organisational commitment that the Managers had increased both investment and clarity of the benefits of the Lived Experience workforce. These managers also saw that any risks taken to ensure the development of the Lived Experience workforce, were worth taking.

The more exposure managers had with Lived Experience roles, the more they understood and valued the roles. Those who had more exposure also had more confidence in the capacity of Lived Experience workers.

When managers reported a negative experience with a Lived Experience worker they often said it was due to poor recruitment or poor role clarity. Those from organisations with more experience employing Lived Experience workers said that as they understood the roles more, respective changes were made to the recruitment process.

Managers identified a number of benefits of Lived Experience workers which stretched across the organisation and included by co-workers and service users. Specifically, Lived Experience workers were dais to promote and provide: empathy, hope, equality, trust, mutuality, connection, understanding and education. They were also seen to increase recovery orientation and reduce stigma.

When managers didn’t understand Lived Experience roles or their benefits then there was a greater risk of the roles being absorbed into traditional ways of working. When Lived Experience roles are co-opted like this, they become less impactful and bring fewer benefits. Conversely, when the roles were understood their uniqueness was protected and reinforced.

Lived Experience workers had to face challenges such as prejudicial attitudes towards both their own roles and workforce, and also towards service users. However, when colleagues had more experience with Lived Experience workers the fear and negative attitudes towards people with a lived experience were reduced and understanding and empathy was increased.

Champions were those who advocated for Lived Experience roles and were willing to share power. Champions were noted as a key part of the campaign for valued and supported Lived Experience roles.

When Lived Experience workers were in senior management roles, they were able to provide greater opportunities for cultural and organisational change via their position and presence at key meetings.

Flexibility over and above key guidelines and structure, supported Lived Experience roles and supported a stronger recovery approach.
The professionalisation of the Lived Experience workforce was seen as both beneficial for credibility and status, but also could be barrier by increasing the risk of co-option of the roles. However, the development and training of the Lived Experience workforce was seen as desirable.

While there was varied views on reasonable accommodations, most managers said that flexibility was key in both Lived Experience roles and non-Lived Experience roles.

A whole-of-service approach was seen as including:

• Culture and policies, which helps prepare the organisation for Lived Experience roles
• Equitable structures, which aids Lived Experience success and career pathways, training and education
• Supervision, support and flexibility which maximises the success of Lived Experience roles