Navigating Living Experience and Service Provision Panel Discussion
Summary
Our Service Provider Education session, which took place on April 23, 2026, featured a panel discussion with three members of the Never Too Late (NTL) community: Charlene April, Coordinator for Lived Experts, Nadia George, Curriculum Consultant and Lived Expert Specialist, and Kimberley Miller, Lived Expert Specialists and moderator. The theme was navigating the two worlds of being a professional helper and being a Living Expert of the child welfare system and/or permanency system. All three shared insights about what it is like to be in workplaces or in fields that they have been personally impacted by, and the unique challenges and opportunities inherent in being a professional with living experience.
In addition to their diverse living experiences with the child welfare system, our moderator and panelists had a wealth of educational and professional achievements including: running a non-profit; helping youth with housing initiatives; supporting people with disabilities; working with young parents; training prospective adoptive families; having a private therapy practice; policy work; and event planning.
Key Takeaways
General
Having lived experience definitely influenced the career paths of our panelists. A common denominator was the desire to help others, especially young people affected by the child welfare system, in order to help make things better and to effect positive change for the young people as well as the system. The panelists noted a desire to try to prevent others from going through things they may have experienced.
Seeing people they serve excel in life also propelled them to keep doing this kind of work.
There are many benefits to having lived experience while working in the same kind of system. For example:
Having an appreciation for the relationships that were developed while in the system, and being able to maintain those connections later in adulthood.
Being able to connect more genuinely with people.
Being able to read body signals, non-verbal cues; relates to that extraordinary awareness (also referred to as “hypervigilance”) that many Lived Experts develop early in life- being able to tune in to others, to read the room, to always be looking 10 steps ahead and trying to see the “potholes”. This can allow for being able to advocate for others because of the heightened awareness of one’s own needs.
Having a better understanding of oneself, and how you engage with the world and how you want the world to engage with you.
There can be some challenges that come with having living experience while engaging as a professional. For example:
Being intensely aware of the “potholes” in situations, and focusing on the potential worries
Wanting to jump in and “fix” situations
Being drawn into wanting to protect, i.e. being parental in your role
Emotional complexity that results from having lived experience while trying to navigate professional workplaces and relationships
Being questioned about your feelings or biases because you have lived experience
Having your lived experience minimized or disregarded compared to what might be cited in a book or by other “experts”
Boundaries:
It is a balancing act of trying to be relatable to others (using your lived experience) versus having sufficient appropriate boundaries.
Bringing up your lived experience with someone you are working with can be an important point of connection. Panelists feel it’s important to let others know you are human too, rather than maintaining overly rigid boundaries. For clients, it can make a big difference – it lets them know you “get it”; it can reduce a sense of isolation; it can open a door to deeper conversations.
There can be worries about sharing personal information with colleagues. For example, being discredited by others; being labeled or fueling rumours about your past. Or you may end up being the “token expert” and be the only voice at the table advocating for something while others rely on your expertise. This can feel lonely.
Emotional labour:
People forget the emotional labour involved in telling your story – for example, doing training, being on a panel.
Living Experts are left to work through their feelings after such events.
Living experts may not be properly compensated for their labour. They are using not just professional energy to impart information to others, but personal / emotional / psychological energy.
Being activated by your work (i.e. being “triggered”)
Being activated by certain situations or certain people you work with as a professional can certainly happen. Self-awareness of one’s needs and respecting emotional safety is important. When situations like this happen, it can compel you to look at your own boundaries, grounding tools and support network.
A particular sticky and activating situation that panelists have had to navigate is knowing that their workplaces have sensitive and private information about them, which they are not allowed to access, even though it’s their own story. Or, seeing workers who may have known them in their youth. There can be intense feelings of violation and heartache.
There have been instances of being singled out because of having been in the care of the system, with employers feeling they have to do extra scrutiny of the living expert.
Being activated can be shame-inducing – e.g. I’m not good at my job; I should be able to deal with this.
Panelists agreed it’s important to practise good self-care. For example, taking time and space after certain situations (for example, after doing training); not booking other commitments right away.
Sometimes learning about self-care happens simultaneously while trying to help others.
Workplaces may not fully appreciate the trauma aspect (including the biological underpinnings) of having living experience as a professional.
Colleagues can be more cautious or apologetic in their interactions – this can lead to feeling invisible.
It can be tiring to always be the one to take initiative to educate/accommodate others. It can also be tiring to always be the “go to” person. Saying “no” can be difficult due to not having permission or practise as a living expert in the system to say “no” to others.
Ideas and Activities for Your Practice:
When you are colleagues with someone who has lived experience in child welfare, take time to get to know the person. Show genuine interest, curiosity and leave behind any assumptions or judgments. Take the time to listen. Show that you value what they have to say.
Don’t single someone out just because of their living experience. If they choose not to be called on as the “expert”, respect their no, don’t make them feel ashamed or guilty just because they choose not to speak up on matters they are very familiar with.
Be aware of the emotional labour and cost that comes with having lived experience whle working as a professional. It is important for those who have lived experience to practise self care – creating safe spaces, having boundaries, having someone in their lives who helps the “helper”. It’s important to take the time to decompress.
It’s important for Living Experts and allies alike to stay curious – about people, about the world, and to stay hungry for knowledge. It can be frustrating to see lack of change in systems despite sharing one’s personal insights, however it is important to keep coming together and pushing forward.