10 years of celebrating lived experience
Introduction
Ten years ago, a simple idea began to ripple out from Stoke-on-Trent: what if the people who know public services best, the people who use them, set the standards for quality and led the celebration of what works?
In 2015, Expert Citizens launched the INSIGHT Conference & Awards to recognise positive and outstanding practice that tackles social disadvantage. Year on year, the event has grown into a national gathering of practitioners, partners, and people with lived experience. Uniquely, the awards are judged and delivered by voices of lived experience. Today, in our tenth year, we honour a decade of courage, collaboration and change.
At the heart of the Awards sit the INSIGHT Quality Standards. Co-produced by Expert Citizens with people experienced in use of services, these standards define what good involvement looks like when working alongside people facing multiple disadvantage. They set out a clear progression, Welcoming, Listening, Learning and Leading, so that organisations can evidence how they include lived experience, build trust, learn from feedback, and ultimately help to build up the power of lived expertise.
In practice, the standards are both a compass and a contract. A compass that orients services towards dignity, empathy and improvement. A contract that commits us to measurable behaviours, transparent evaluation, and sustained systems change.
The Awards shine a light on this journey. Each nomination tells a story of people and teams turning experience into expertise, opening doors more widely, hearing more deeply, adapting more quickly and sharing leadership more bravely. By celebrating those stories, we amplify what is possible and invite others to raise their ambition. The Conference then extends the learning, bringing together lived experience leaders, practitioners, commissioners and researchers to exchange ideas, build relationships and take practical steps that improve lives.
As we mark ten years, we also look forward. The INSIGHT Quality Standards will continue to evolve, informed by communities and evidence, so that recognition remains meaningful and the movement for better services grows stronger. Thank you to everyone who has walked this path with us. Here’s to the next decade of welcoming, listening, learning, and leading, because together we are stronger.
Darren Murinas, CEO
10 years of ‘Welcoming’
Recognising organisations and practitioners who create spaces where people feel safe, respected and included from the very first interaction. This award celebrates work that breaks down barriers, builds trust, and ensures everyone feels they belong.
Huge thanks to @darrenmurinas and the @ExpertCitizens team for organising. It was amazing to see so many members... speak and hear their powerful stories in a space that truly values lived experience.
View our gallery of finalists and winners
Social media post from Network member
FEATURED FINALIST
Dr Sasalu Shivamurthy
Dr Sasalu Shivamurthy shows that flexibility is a characteristic of welcoming with empathetic practice.
When an agitated patient left the room at the beginning of a consultation, it would have been easy to simply rearrange the meeting and move on to the next patient. But, Dr Shivamurthy didn’t give up. Instead, the patient’s support worker was able to answer some preliminary questions so as not to waste the appointment
A few minutes later, the patient was seen pacing outside the window of the consulting room. Recognising this as a further opportunity, Dr Shivamurthy simply opened the window to engage with the patient. It quickly became clear that this unusual arrangement was much more comfortable for the patient.
The consultation was completed through the window and resulted in a beneficial therapeutic outcome for the patient. This positive behaviour also prevented the need to rearrange the appointment.
By adapting with flexibility to an atypical presentation, Dr Shivamurthy offered a genuine welcome with a person-centred delivery on the patient’s terms.
10 years of ‘Listening’
Honours those who demonstrate genuine curiosity and empathy by actively hearing people’s voices. Winners show how they gather feedback meaningfully, value lived experience, and respond in ways that let people know they have been heard.
Listening to and being guided by lived experience is crucial... seeking and valuing the contribution of people with lived experience has been profound and vital.
View our gallery of finalists and winners
Charlotte Bates, Expert Citizens CIC
FEATURED FINALIST
Reina Edmiston
Reina Edmiston exemplifies the power of listening to transform recovery services.
Since joining WithYou as a fundraising manager, she has actively engaged clients and delivery teams, understanding diverse recovery needs across England and Scotland.
Reina’s insights have secured vital funding, enabling tailored recovery options, such as dedicated support for armed forces veterans.
By developing safe spaces and sharing her journey, Reina promotes deeper understanding and effective service design.
Her approach, blending listening and data analysis, led to flexible wellbeing initiatives and expanded recovery options, embodying WithYou’s commitment to client-driven support.
Reina’s leadership in active listening is reshaping recovery, empowering clients and enhancing service outcomes.
10 years of ‘Learning’
Highlights people, services, and teams that adapt and improve based on what they hear. This award acknowledges a commitment to reflection, growth, and embedding lived experience into policies, practices and everyday delivery.
But ultimately that motivation does have to come from within – we just help people light that fire... so they can move away from that label of ‘offender’ or ‘prisoner’ towards… whatever they choose to be.
Marie-Clare O’Brien, founder of New Leaf
View our gallery of finalists and winners
Academic Partnership and Empowerment
The University of Staffordshire has been a crucial collaborator in celebrating and valuing lived experience.
The University’s Catalyst Building has hosted the conference in recent years, symbolising a bridge between academia and community.
More than that, the University actively integrated lived experience into its curriculum and research.
We saw this when Ryan Fox, a young researcher at the university, won the 2024 Insight Award in the “Learning” category for involving experts by experience in research projects.
Under his coordination, people who had been through homelessness or addiction were invited to shape research design, resulting in more impactful studies.
The award for Ryan was a signalling the value of lived experience impact on academic practice, knowledge, and policy recommendations.
10 years of ‘Leading’
Celebrates organisations and individuals who recognise the power of people with lived experience to shape, influence and lead meaningful change. It marks the highest level of partnership, where lived experience drives vision and strategy, and where that learning is freely shared to amplify the value of lived experience.
Listening to and being guided by lived experience is crucial... seeking and valuing the contribution of people with lived experience has been profound and vital.
Charlotte Bates, Expert Citizens CIC
View our gallery of finalists and winners
FEATURED FINALIST
Jane Morton – Advanced Nurse Practitioner with the NHS (Homelessness)
Jane was recognized for her outstanding work ensuring vulnerable homeless individuals get healthcare “when and where they need it”.
She pioneered outreach nursing in Stoke, taking medical services directly to those living on the streets.
Expert Citizens noted Jane’s leadership in reaching people “often furthest away” from care and innovating health services for the most vulnerable.
By teaching student nurses and urging services to be more flexible, she has shared her expertise so that others follow her example.
“Delivering services to people through outreach ensures fair access and inclusion,” her profile explains – a philosophy Jane embodies through her compassionate, trauma-informed care.
Jane’s story exemplifies ‘Leading’ with lived experience, as she draws on her own insights from working in homelessness over many years to improve health outcomes.
The Insight Quality Framework
For ten years, the INSIGHT Quality Standards have defined what good involvement looks like for organisations working alongside people facing social exclusion. Grounded in lived experience, they provide a clear framework, Welcoming, Listening, Learning and Leading, that turns your values into measurable practice.
By commissioning an INSIGHT Evaluation, your organisation gains:
An independent benchmark against nationally recognised standards
Credible evidence of your achievements in involvement and co-production
A powerful way to demonstrate impact to existing and prospective funders
Practical recommendations to strengthen services and partnerships
Recognition for the positive difference you make in people’s lives
Expert Citizens CIC bring independence, authenticity and a rigorous methodology, led by people with lived experience. Each evaluation is not just an assessment, but a catalyst for improvement – helping you build trust, showcase good practice and chart a clear path forward.
If your service is ready to demonstrate its commitment and ambition, or even if you’re just starting to think about it, we invite you to start the journey with us.
Nomination for finalist Kevin Wright, Support Worker
Thanks to supporters of the Insight Conference
As we celebrate the 10th INSIGHT Conference & Awards, we wish to acknowledge with deep gratitude all those who have helped bring this milestone to life. Your support, dedication and shared vision have made it possible.
Our funders and key partners
We are profoundly grateful to:
The Lankelly Chase Foundation
The National Lottery Community Fund
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
University of Staffordshire
Keele University
i•Creation
Inspired Film & Video
Rideout
BArts
Your support has enabled us to convene, celebrate and build momentum over the decade.
Our community of people
We also extend heartfelt thanks to:
Expert Citizens Members and Volunteers
Expert Citizens Staff and Board Members
Conference Speakers (keynotes, panels, performers)
All the Awards Finalists and Nominees
Each of you—whether by offering your lived experience, your time, your creativity or your courage to be visible—helps make INSIGHT richer, more grounded, and more powerful.
To everyone named here, and to those who work behind the scenes, you help to carry the spirit of this movement forward.
Thank you for walking this journey with us.
I can remember sitting there (at the 2015 awards)... it was like a lightbulb moment. It never occurred to me that you could use your lived experience to make such a positive change.
As always, the
Beats Bus crew delivered a fantastic performance... their incredible rap highlighted the power of lived experience, leaving a lasting impact on everyone in the room.
Social media post from Sounddelivery Media
Phil Parkes, Volunteer Coordinator
www.expertcitizens.org.uk
www.facebook.com/ExpertCitizens
www.linkedin.com/company/expert-citizens-cic
We’re incredibly proud to be celebrating ten years of the National Insight Awards – a decade of recognising the power of lived experience to strengthen communities across the UK. The awards clearly mean a great deal to the nominees, and it’s always a joy to welcome so many inspiring people to the event. As we mark this milestone, I’d love to connect with sponsors who share our vision, celebrating those who welcome, listen, learn, and lead in amplifying the voices too often unheard in our society.
Darren Murinas, CEO Expert Citizens CIC