We Learnt together, We Leant in, We’re Leading the Way!!!
The CLEW Forum is the only annual dedicated 2-day event for the Carer Lived Experience Workforce and was held on online Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th of July 2023.
During the Forum, we heard from leaders and innovators in the Family Carer Lived Experience workforce sector. Presenters and facilitators used a variety of formats to keep everyone engaged and enthusiastic including breakout rooms, workshops, wellbeing activities, video presentations and a panel discussion. We fine-tuned our elevator pitch, leant how to improve our acknowledgement of country, worked with our affirmations and got our glimmers on. The chat was lively, supportive, amusing and insightful.
Highlights from the two days:
An update from the Lived Experience Branch from Mary O’Hagan and Fiona Patterson whose presentation included information about the Lived Experience Leadership Strategy Project. This helped set the scene for the Forum and enabled connection and information sharing between the Lived Experience Branch and the diverse audience that makes up the CLEW.
Andrew Tomlinson – Deputy CEO of Tandem presented ‘Reflections on Leadership’, which enabled connection and deeper thinking around our personal lived experiences and the lived experience expertise we bring to our workspaces. Andrew read his beautiful poem called “For My Fellow Travellers” which was truly moving, and we are incredibly grateful for sharing this with us. Andrew's session embodied the authenticity and leadership he brings to his work.
In the afternoon we participated in two workshops and various breakout rooms. Heather Pickard, facilitated a workshop around CLEW values, which was a timely opportunity to reflect on our values as a family/carer lived experience workforce and will help build the way forward. The Research team at Tandem led by Caroline, Annette, Deua, and Amaya, walked us through the Discipline Framework. The workshop provided an opportunity for us to look at the diversity of work we do and what we need to inform the expertise we bring to our roles. With such growth in our workforce, these sessions were both informative and valuable.
Day two brought us a wonderful session on how to do an Acknowledgement of Country by Kanisha Wills who shared some of her own lived experience as a young First Nations woman. Kanisha inspired us to improve and personalise the ways we can be authentic, creative and genuine when we are called on to say an Acknowledgement of Country. Following on from this, Julieanne James – Aboriginal Project Officer – at the Bouverie Centre, shared a wealth of knowledge and experience from various successful projects and services she has worked on in Aboriginal Kinship care.
Finally, in the afternoon of day two, we threw ourselves wholeheartedly into one of the more challenging aspects of the forum. This was an interactive session involving multiple breakout rooms and padlets aimed at our diverse workforce being able to connect and share their wisdom. The feedback from this session was hugely positive and we just wish we had more time as the conversations were amazing! The closing session panel discussion was a strong finish to a phenomenal two days. Thank you to everyone to presented, facilitated, scribed and contributed.
Some feedback from the chat:
- “Fabulous, authentic, heart-warming, profoundly valuable. They are my words for now. (I'll probably have different ones tomorrow as the reflection continues!) Much appreciation to everyone.”
- “Such richness in our conversations.”
- “Thanks for today CLEW, I am excited at how large our Carer LE Workforce has grown and today showed the level of passion everyone brings to their work!.”
- “Connection and the power & passion of the Family, Carers and Supporters.”
- “Thank you everyone. It was a great first CLEW Forum for me. I am so very proud to be part of the LE team.”
Evaluation is underway and will inform and respond to the growing workforce needs looking towards the future. CMHL would like to thank the CLEW Forum Working Group and everyone who collaborated and contributed to a very successful event.
A resources package is being put together for distribution in late August.
Finally, our CLEW Forum 23 Spotify playlist is just amazing - search CLEW Forum 23 or click 
here
For a copy of the CLEW Forum 2023 Session and Resources Package, please click here
