National Advisory Panel

We are people from across England with lived experience of disadvantage who are passionate about giving people a voice in key decisions made about their lives.

We were set-up in April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way of ensuring that national Government heard the impact of pandemic from those with direct experience of disadvantage.

We regularly meet to discuss the challenges that people experiencing multiple disadvantages face when engaging with housing, homelessness services and the public and voluntary sector.

Read our Terms of Reference

What we want to see

• Effective person-led support through co-production
• Workers equipped with an understanding of trauma
• People to be treated holistically – we are not our labels!

Some of our achievements

The Panel has discussed issues and experiences with key decision makers including Jeremy Swain (Homelessness consultant, then MHCLG); Dame Carol Black when leading the Government-commissioned independent review into drug prevention, treatment and recovery; John White (then MHCLG lead for annual rough sleeper count); Jon Kuhrt (MHCLG Lead on Faith and Community Groups); Matt Downie MBE, Director of Policy and External Affairs at Crisis, the Secretariat for the Kerslake Commission on Rough Sleeping and policy teams from MIND and Homeless Link.

The group have responded to a range of consultations and inquiries, including the HCLG Committee Inquiry: Impact of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) on homelessness and the private rented sector, the Law Commission inquiry into Hate Crime and the Kerslake Commission on Rough Sleeping.

Find out more about us

If you want to hear more about us or are interested in joining the National Advisory Panel, please contact us on info@expertlink.org.uk

Changing Futures | Conversations on Co-production | Co-production in London Day Centres | Gambling Lived Experience Network (GLEN) | National Advisory Panel | Welfare Change Lived Experience Group