Lived Experience Engagement Program (LEEP)
LEEP supports victim-survivors of sexual violence and child sexual abuse from diverse intersectional backgrounds to drive meaningful change by sharing their lived experiences.
Our lived experience workers receive training, mentoring, support, and payment to do this work.
LEEP is available to any external organisation who wishes to hear from or collaborate with our lived experience workers. The program has two main ways it operates through lived experience advocacy and peer support.
LEEP for organisations
We welcome inquiries from organisations that would like to work with our advocates.
LEEP for victim-survivors
Get involved by becoming a lived experience worker or engaging with a peer support group.
LEEP for organisations
We welcome inquiries from organisations that would like to work with our advocates.
Our lived experience workers can consult, collaborate, and lead in partnership with your organisation to ensure its projects, services, and initiatives are safer and more relevant for victim-survivors. For ideas on what such partnerships can look like, read the section below on ‘LEEP: Lived Experience Advocacy’.
Engagement process: what to expect
1
Request
You’ll submit an Organisation Engagement Request Form. Contact Laurel House if you’d like a chat beforehand (sarai@laurelhouse.org.au).
2
Scoping and quote
Ironing out the finer engagement details to provide a quote for the engagement requested. This may include a discussion.
3
Agreement and support
You’ll sign a service agreement and receive support such as resources or mentoring to engage with our Advocate(s).
4
Matching
You’ll be matched with Advocate(s) based on relevant experience. They’ll be briefed on the engagement and you may have an introductory meeting.
5
Engagement
The engagement occurs as planned – whether this is a one off engagement or an engagement that extends over time.
6
Support
Our counselling and lived experience advocacy teams provide trauma-informed support for you and the Advocate(s) every step of the way.
7
Debrief and reflect
We’ll facilitate debriefing with you and/or the Advocate(s) including opportunities for reflection and feedback.
8
Invoicing
For larger projects this may be split across milestones – talk to us about what works best for you.
How to engage with LEEP
Complete an Organisation Engagement Request Form and send to Sarai Sipriano
Get in touch
Sarai Sipriano
LEEP for victim-survivors
Become a lived experience worker!
Laurel House is currently welcoming Expressions of Interest (applications) for lived experience workers – both advocates and peer support workers. We are looking for a range of applicants with lived experience of sexual violence or child sexual abuse from a diversity of backgrounds. If you’d like more information on what this kind of work can look like, see the sections below on Lived Experience Advocacy and Peer Support.
You can apply for LEEP if you have lived experience of sexual violence or child sexual abuse. While there are no other criteria for applications, we cannot guarantee that everyone who applies will become a lived experience worker as places in the program are limited.
If you’d like to join us but are not sure, talk to us anyway – we’d like to find a way for you to participate.
Engage with a peer support group
If you would like to get involved with a peer support group which would be facilitated by a counsellor and a peer support worker, get in touch with Sarai Sipriano on 0490 213 158 or email at sarai@laurelhouse.org.au.
How to engage with LEEP
Fill out your expression of interest here:
Get in touch
Sarai Sipriano
More about LEEP and lived experience
What is lived experience?
Lived experience refers to the unique insights, knowledge, expertise, and understanding that individuals gain through directly experiencing systems, institutions, and social dynamics that drive oppression, marginalisation, and inequity. Lived experience engagement work widely refers to a range of involvement with people of a specific life experience or identity. This includes, but is not limited to, lived experience advocacy, peer support work, co-design and co-production, storytelling, and peer outreach work.
Why does lived experience matter?
Lived experience is valuable to Laurel House because victim-survivors are central to everything we do. People with lived experience are vital to guiding the direction of the organisation, ensuring that the organisation remains aligned with its vision, purpose, and values, and that it remains responsive and relevant to the wider victim-survivor community.
The leadership of victim-survivors helps shift power and re-centres the voices of those most impacted by sexual violence in decisions that affect them. Engaging with lived experience in your organisation will bring a richness of depth and insight no one else can give because those who live it, know it best.
LEEP: Lived Experience Advocacy
Lived experience advocacy involves drawing on personal experiences of sexual violence and the systems surrounding it to influence change at an organisational, sector, and societal level. Advocates use their knowledge to identify gaps, barriers, and opportunities for improvement in service delivery, policy, and community responses.
This form of advocacy is grounded in collective experience, not just individual storytelling, and seeks to transform systems and spaces that have historically excluded, disempowered, or retraumatised victim-survivors.
Practical examples of lived experience advocacy could include (but are not limited to):
- Participating in advisory committees, working groups, and co-design processes
- Contributing to government consultations, inquiries, and submissions
- Engaging in public education campaigns and advocacy initiatives
- Co-facilitating or leading workshops, training, or education sessions
- Consulting on ways to improve new or existing services, programs, or initiatives
- Reviewing or creating resources
- Sitting on interview panels
- Taking part in a focus group or consultation
- Collaborating to co-design, implement, evaluate, and/or produce outputs
- Leading a consultation process with their community on behalf of an organisation
If you’d like to become an advocate, fill out your expression of interest here:
LEEP: Peer Support
Peer support at Laurel House is grounded in shared experience and mutual understanding. It offers a space for victim-survivors to connect with others who have lived through similar experiences of sexual violence in a way that affirms their reality and reduces isolation. We strive to employ peer workers from a range of diverse intersectional backgrounds so that our clients can see themselves reflected in our support services.
Currently at Laurel House, peer support is primarily offered in group settings, with group therapies being co-facilitated by a peer worker and a Laurel House counsellor. This model is especially valuable for building community, normalising responses, providing insight into system navigation, and restoring a sense of agency and belonging.
Practical examples of peer support work could include (but are not limited to):
- Co-facilitating group sessions alongside counsellors to blend therapeutic support with peer support and connection
- Collaborating with other community organisations to establish peer support networks and group programs
- Providing guidance and advocacy to victim-survivors in accessing services, understanding their rights, and navigating complex systems
- Engaging in outreach and community-building activities that foster connection and reduce isolation for victim-survivors
If you’d like to become a peer support worker, fill out your expression of interest here:
If you would like to attend a peer support group, get in touch with Sarai Sipriano on 0490 213 158 or email at sarai@laurelhouse.org.au.
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