The Participation and Communities Team (PACT) works with individuals and communities in Scotland to support their engagement with the Scottish Parliament. The team helps organisations and individuals to have their views and experiences heard by Scottish Parliament committees. This ensures that the debates are well-informed and more balanced. PACT works with partners including voluntary and business groups, charities and community organisations to bring lived experience into the heart of Parliamentary work. Approach: ‘Experts by Experience’ This case study is an example of work to support people with lived experience of debt and low income to contribute and impact upon the work of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee (SJSS). This case study is about the parliament working with individuals with lived experience over a longer period of time to build confidence and trust with participants. This enabled members of parliament and the public to work collaboratively on developing recommendations for improvements on low income and debt in Scotland. This is the first time the Scottish Parliament has used an “Experts by Experience” Panel. Who took part The Parliament worked in partnership with 12 third sector organisations to identify and recruit 11 people from different parts of Scotland and in different demographics. In November and December 2021, a series of focus groups were held. These were designed and co-delivered with participants, in order for them to feel comfortable to participate and ensure the voices of those with lived experience on low income and fuel poverty were heard. The Committee launched an Inquiry into Debt and low income in May 2022. The participants were then involved in three informal, remote (online), meetings, which took place in May 2022. At these meetings the participants were given information about the work the Committee was doing and considered the evidence it had heard. The programme was planned carefully in collaboration with the group to cover team building, group skills, informative sessions and consideration of recommendations. The participants shared their experiences and then considered their own ideas for solutions and improvements that could be made to support people in debt. The group followed the Committee inquiry as it progressed. In the final sessions they moved from directly relating their experiences to working together as a group to make a series of considered recommendations which were then presented to the Committee in a report. Your table facilitator has copies of their report for more context. On Monday 6 June 2022 the group met with the Committee in person at the Parliament to discuss their ideas and experiences in more depth. The Committee then used the Experts by Experience Panel’s recommendations to inform their final recommendations. The Committee report, ‘‘Robbing Peter to Pay Paul: Low Income and the Debt Trap” was published in July 2022. Partnership working Partnership working was central to the success of this engagement method. Working closely with third sector organisations, together we sought to find ways to make this safe, dignified and for people to feel valued for their contributions. This included, confidence building, travel arrangements, payment for people’s time, debriefing and after care. Key Lessons The Committee used the Experts by Experience Panel’s recommendations to inform their final recommendations published in their report published in July 2022. The work of the Panel was referenced throughout the report, and it was clear that the Panel had informed multiple recommendations in the report. The Committee said: Throughout this inquiry we have been guided and informed by people experiencing debt and financial hardship. They formed an experts by experience panel and worked alongside us during this inquiry. We are extremely grateful to our experts by experience panel for reliving their personal experiences with us. They showed a great deal of commitment while engaging in the series of discussions held and carefully reflected upon the improvements that they would like to see made. We thank them all for their time and considered input into this inquiry. The Committee report was then sent to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government. The Cabinet Secretary responded to each of the recommendations in detail outlining what the Scottish Government was doing to fulfil them and “demonstrate the significant importance that Scottish Government places on ensuring people in this country are supported as much as possible in these difficult financial times.” Your table facilitator has copies of the Government’s response for more context. Evaluation/Feedback The Scottish Parliament had great commitment and enthusiasm from the group. 11 individuals took part across 4 sessions and nine people travelled from across Scotland to attend the meet in person with the Committee. Feedback from participants on being part of the Experts by Experience Group: Good experience involved big challenges. Should be brave and confident believe our voice it’s strong be positive though. Hopefully together had power to make better life in future. Thank you. Nanda Being part of Experts by Experience has enriched my life and given it purpose. I look forward to not only continuing to be part of this process personally, but encouraging others to be more involved and hopefully together, we can become part of Scotland's solutions rather than its problems. Thank you. Ann-Marie I think that it has been a great opportunity to be involved in engaging with this kind of work. It makes you feel like you’re voice is heard, that you are contributing and makes you feel that you are important and are valued/respected as an individual. Michelle Feedback from Members and Scottish Parliament staff: The Panel helped the Committee learn things that were not captured in other evidence and it was a very useful process that supported the work of the Committee. The process shaped the way our final report was written. MSP In the final meeting with the committee my overall impression was that participants seemed relaxed, comfortable and confident. They were excited to be in the building and to take part and think felt that they were valued. Everyone contributed fully and seemed excited and on a high leaving. The Convener did an excellent job of making the group feel supported, equal, not judged which they voiced in the meeting. It was good to see their recommendations woven through the final draft report. Committee Clerk Working on a more long-term basis with people with lived experience enabled us to build relationships, trust, confidence and capability. For example to support individuals to learn more about the parliamentary process and policy. It encouraged them to move from sharing personal experiences (often traumatic) to expand and deepen their thinking and to consider a series of improvements and solutions as a group. We were also able to ask them how they would like to share their views, and this informed the final meeting with the committee. Committee Clerk Future work – involving the Experts by Experience The SJSS Committee are considering doing another session with the group to hear their views and experiences on the cost-of living crisis. Parliament is considering how this approach can be developed for future engagement. For example, involving individuals from focus groups with other committees and using the group as a test or a reference group for different areas of work on cross cutting issue, like the cost-of living crisis. You read the Experts by Experience Panel's report here: https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/social-justice-and-social-security-committee/experts-by-experience-experience-and-recommendations.pdf
A specific question and issue was a good thing for this type of engagement.
It was good that you could target a specific demographic impacted by the issue.
Involving lived experience
Building empathy with a group and it was good that the group bonded.
People were empowered by the process because they were treated as an equal
Recommendations Used more often Continuous process Create transferrable model Partnership working with organisations: key part of it – so if do work in partnership with people be transparent
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