Information for Organisations

Do you want to enhance the services you provide to Tasmanians on low incomes? Are you leading a project that would benefit from including lived experience? Perhaps you’re looking to diversify your governance structures?

There’s lots of reasons you might be interested in engaging a Community Partner with lived experience of living on a low income through TasCOSS’s Community Voices Program. We can guarantee that, whatever your reasons, your outcomes will be more effective and inclusive when they are produced in partnership with lived experience.

What is the Community Voices Program?

The Community Voices Program supports your organisation, program, group or project to learn from and partner with the lived experiences of Community Voice Partners ethically and authentically by:

  • Recruiting, training, and supporting Community Voice Partners with lived experiences of living on low incomes.
  • Matching you with Community Voice Partners with experience and skills relevant to your needs.
  • Providing support, resources and expectations for you to engage with Community Voice Partners
  • Administering support, training, mentoring, development opportunities, processes and payment for Community Voice Partners.
What do Community Voice Partners do?

Community Voice Partners share their lived experiences of living on low incomes to help you enhance your services, processes and/or outcomes. This engagement aims to make sure your services, decisions, policies or procedures are fit-for-purpose in supporting Tasmanian communities. This could happen in many ways, but some examples could include Community Voice Partners partnering with you to:

  • Collaborate on projects.
  • Have input into the design or enhancement of new or existing services.
  • Identify issues faced by certain people and communities in accessing services.
  • Participate in organisational procedures or governance — for example, on boards, committees, interview panels, advisory panels or working groups.
  • Contribute to professional development opportunities.
  • Speak to the media or at events.
  • Undertake community consultations.

If you have any questions about the Community Voice Program, please contact Dr Charlie Burton, Deputy CEO, via email.

TasCOSS also facilitates a Community of Practice for staff who engage with lived experience as part of their roles. The Community of Practice is a place to learn, share, develop, and network around everything to do with engaging with people with lived experience. Meetings are held monthly for one hour and everyone is welcome.

To join or if you have any questions, please contact Dr Lucy Mercer-Mapstone via email or phone 0458 173 629.