Lived Experience Networks
What is a lived experience network?
A lived experience network is a group of people who have personal experience of addiction, recovery, or supporting someone through recovery, and who come together to shape how local services are designed, delivered, and improved.
These networks go by several names — Lived Experience Recovery Organisations (LEROs), recovery communities, peer-led groups — but they share a common foundation: the knowledge that people who have walked the road of recovery are among the most powerful sources of support for others just starting out.
The case for lived experience leadership
The UK Government’s 10-year drug strategy, From Harm to Hope (2021), made explicit commitments to embedding lived experience into every level of the recovery system. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) now tracks the contribution of lived experience organisations as a formal part of the national treatment data system. As of 2023-24, over 50 Lived Experience Recovery Organisations operate across England, working in approximately 70 of 152 local authority areas.
Research consistently shows that peer support delivered by people with lived experience:
- Reduces isolation and builds hope in ways that clinical services alone cannot replicate
- Helps people engage with and remain in treatment
- Supports long-term recovery beyond the end of formal treatment
- Challenges stigma through visibility, storytelling, and leadership
- Builds the wider recovery community that sustains individuals over time
Recovery capital: building what people need to thrive
A key idea underpinning lived experience networks is recovery capital. This concept, developed by researchers including William White and widely adopted in the UK, describes the internal and external resources a person needs to start and sustain their recovery.
Recovery capital has three dimensions:
- Personal capital — physical and mental health, self-belief, problem-solving skills, employment, and stable housing
- Social capital — supportive relationships, family connections, friendships, and peer networks
- Community capital — local resources, non-stigmatising attitudes, and recovery-supportive spaces and services
Lived experience networks build all three. They create the social connections people need, develop personal skills and confidence through peer roles, and shift community attitudes by making recovery visible.
What makes a lived experience network?
The College of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations (CLERO) identifies three broad types:
- Informal community groups — no formal legal structure, often volunteer-run, meeting regularly to provide mutual support
- Constituted community providers — have a written constitution and some governance, may employ part-time workers or manage small grants
- Incorporated and regulated organisations — registered charities or community interest companies, with formal governance, employment, and accountability structures
All three types are valuable. An informal drop-in group run by two people in recovery can change lives just as profoundly as a large funded organisation. The key ingredient is authentic leadership by people with lived experience.
How to set one up
Step 1: Find your founding members
You need a small group of committed people to get started — usually 4 to 8. Look for people with different kinds of lived experience, not just long-term recovery. Include people newer to recovery, family members, and at least one person with links to local commissioning or service delivery.
Step 2: Agree your purpose
Before anything else, answer together: what is this network for? Write a short purpose statement that everyone can get behind. For example:
“We are a group of people with lived experience of recovery in [area]. We exist to make sure local recovery services work for the people who use them, by sharing our experience, identifying gaps, and working with commissioners and providers to improve what is available.”
Step 3: Set up a regular meeting
Meet regularly — monthly is usually best to start. Choose a venue that feels safe and neutral (community centres, libraries, or recovery cafes work well). Set a simple agenda for each meeting and rotate who facilitates.
Step 4: Build relationships with local services
Introduce your network to local commissioners, public health teams, and service providers. Offer to be a sounding board for new service designs. The more visible you are, the more influence you will have.
Step 5: Record and share what you learn
Keep notes of what your network discusses and recommends. Share these with local decision-makers. Over time, this record becomes powerful evidence of community voice.
Planning checklist
| Task | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Identify 4-8 founding members with diverse lived experience | ||
| Write a short purpose statement | ||
| Find a regular meeting venue (accessible, neutral, safe) | ||
| Set a monthly meeting schedule | ||
| Create a simple meeting agenda template | ||
| Identify key local contacts (commissioners, providers, public health) | ||
| Introduce the network to at least one local partner | ||
| Agree how you will record and share meeting outcomes | ||
| Discuss safeguarding and boundaries (see Running Local Groups guide) | ||
| Plan a 3-month review to check progress and adjust |
Local network mapping tool
Use this to identify what already exists in your area before starting something new. Good networks connect to what is already there.
| Type of resource | Name / Organisation | Contact / Location | Who it serves | Gaps you notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual aid groups (AA, NA, SMART) | ||||
| Recovery cafes / drop-ins | ||||
| Drug and alcohol treatment service | ||||
| Mental health community services | ||||
| Housing / homelessness support | ||||
| Employment / skills support | ||||
| Faith communities | ||||
| Other community groups |
Meeting agenda template
Monthly Network Meeting
- Welcome and check-in (10 mins) — How is everyone? Any updates since last time?
- Review actions from last meeting (10 mins) — What was agreed? What has happened?
- Main topic (30 mins) — One focused discussion, e.g. mapping local services, reviewing a new service proposal, planning an event
- Feedback from partners (10 mins) — Any updates from commissioners, providers, or other groups?
- Actions and next steps (10 mins) — Who is doing what before next meeting?
- Close (5 mins) — Date of next meeting, any other business
Example: Northbridge Recovery Network
Composite case study based on common patterns seen in UK lived experience networks.
Three people met outside a drug treatment service in a medium-sized northern town. They valued the treatment they received, but once the session ended, they were back in the same streets, feeling isolated. They started small — a Wednesday afternoon meeting in a local church hall, four people and two mugs of tea.
Within three months, twelve people were attending regularly. They focused on connection, visibility, and building people up. Weekly peer support meetings ran alongside monthly social events. They trained six members as peer mentors and worked closely with the local treatment service, creating a genuine two-way referral system.
The local authority responded by commissioning an evening peer support group and funding a community transport pilot. The network continues to meet and now advises on all new service commissioning in the area.
Key lesson: “Start before you are ready. The first meeting just needs a time, a place, and a kettle.”
Further reading
- OHID — Recovery Support Services and Lived Experience Initiatives
- GOV.UK — From Harm to Hope: 10-Year Drug Strategy
- College of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations (CLERO)
- Public Health England — Building Recovery in Communities (BRIC)