Editorial: the Voice and Influence of People with Lived Experience: our Reflections One Year on

In a UK context, social work and social care have not featured highly in this year’s General Election campaigns, possibly because there are no easy fixes for problems caused by the structural oppressions of poverty and discrimination. It is encouraging, however, to see the British Association of Social Work (BASW) and other voluntary organisations running campaigns to encourage those who may have previously felt disenfranchised to use their vote. However, there remain significant structural and political barriers to amplifying the voices of people with lived experience. We cannot ignore the context in which this editorial collective is seeking to amplify voices in our respective countries: cost of living crises, political change, power imbalances, conflict. For our one year on guest editorial, we have chosen to share our reflections from our own individual standpoints; to use this as an opportunity to amplify some of the challenges we face and to issue a further call to action for us to challenge the barriers restricting the voice and influence of people with lived experience.