Lived experience: A constant companion for the social work relationship

Centring and valuing lived experience flips the dynamic where traditionally knowledge and expertise on a problem often comes from professions, institutions, authorities, and governments that have studied or assessed a situation detached from direct experience. The term ‘lived experience’ has gained greater prominence in social work. It refers to personal knowledge gained from direct experience that would not ordinarily be apparent through observation or via representations constructed by a third party who has not ‘lived’ it through the eyes of those who were in the situation.