Lived Experience at DCF

Powerful voices shaping how we collaborate, lead, and influence.

Lived experience voice is important to our work. We include many perspectives in shaping positive outcomes for families by engaging these voices in addressing barriers to care and services.

What is “Lived Experience?”

People with lived experience are those directly affected by our programs, policies, and decisions. We prioritize working with youth, families and caregivers as experts because we believe that engaging lived experts in designing policies and programs that directly affect them will result in holistic, integrated, and equity-focused solutions.

Lived experts' voices are key to our vision that all Wisconsin children and youth are safe and loved members of thriving families and communities. By including their perspectives at every level – from county agencies to the state – we can build a more equitable and supportive system where families thrive.

The Engaging People with Lived Experience to Improve Federal Research, Policy, and Practice resource from the Department of Health and Human Services provides information on how to engage people with lived experience.

This resource includes:

Methods and strategies to equitably identify, recruit, engage and support lived experience partners,
Methods for engaging lived experts in shaping policies and programs, and
How critical these partnerships are for improving outcomes for families.

DCF's Commitment to Lived Experience

We are committed to understanding and learning from the lived experiences of those we serve. By amplifying their voices, together, we actively reduce disparities, eliminate barriers, and create relevant, effective solutions for all Wisconsin children and families.

We're investing in lived experience by:

Engaging Stakeholders: Actively seeking recommendations from lived experts.
Creating Opportunities: Providing platforms for lived experience voices to be heard.
Building a Strong Team: Establishing a lived experience team to support our efforts.
Amplifying Voices: Collaborating with stakeholders to share their stories and insights.
Centering Families and Youth: Prioritizing their perspectives in decision-making processes.
Building Capacity: Creating learning opportunities for lived experts and spaces of collaboration that contribute to social connections across Wisconsin.

Get Involved, Your Voice Matters!

We have a variety of stakeholder groups that leverage live expert voices to inform our path forward. Take a look at each group to learn more about this important work.