Lived Experience Integration (LEI) at CWEP centers the voices of families, caregivers, youth, and professionals as essential partners in strengthening New Hampshire’s child welfare system. Through a structured, trauma-informed continuum, LEI creates space for relationship-building, skill development, and shared leadership—ensuring lived experience is not only heard, but meaningfully integrated into training, policy, and practice.
Lived Experience Integration (LEI) at CWEP centers the voices of families, caregivers, youth, and professionals as essential partners in strengthening New Hampshire’s child welfare system. Through structured, trauma-informed training and workshops, LEI creates space for relationship-building, skill development, and shared leadership—ensuring lived experience is not only heard, but meaningfully integrated into training, policy, and practice.
Start Your Path To Growth Today
These opportunities create a pathway for growth and engagement. Participants begin with community building and shared experiences through Better Together, develop communication and advocacy skills through Strategic Sharing, and advance into systems-level leadership and partnerships through FELEIA, creating a continuum of lived experience engagement that strengthens outcomes for children, families, and communities.
Training and Workshops
The journey begins with Better Together, a welcoming space where individuals with lived experience in the child welfare system come together to build connection, foster mutual respect, and share their stories. Participants are invited to reflect on their own experiences while learning from the perspectives and insights of others, creating a stronger sense of community and shared understanding.
After attending Better Together, participants may choose to join a Strategic Sharing workshop. This experience provides an opportunity to further develop and share your personal story while receiving guidance on effective storytelling and communication. Through coaching and practice, participants learn how to present their experiences in ways that are authentic, meaningful, and impactful, strengthening their ability to serve as trusted voices within the child welfare system.
The next step in the journey is the Family Engagement and Lived Experience Integration Academy (FELEIA), an advanced leadership development opportunity for individuals seeking to deepen their impact within the child welfare system. Building on the foundation established through Better Together and Strategic Sharing, FELEIA helps participants develop the knowledge and skills needed to influence policy, practice, and systems-level change. Through a focus on collaborative leadership, systems thinking, and meaningful partnership, participants learn how to elevate lived experience perspectives in decision-making processes and continuous improvement efforts. FELEIA prepares leaders to help ensure that the voices of children, youth, parents, caregivers, and families remain at the center of child welfare practice.