Embracing the Dual-Perspective - Learned and Lived Experience as a Lens for Transformative Practice and 10 key professionals you can learn from today

A Dual-Perspective in the context of Children's Social Care is the ability to bring forward a combined insight of professional/learned experience of working within a given field such as Social Work, Commissioning or Care Delivery, alongside being able to draw on personal/lived experience of that system, such as someone who has experienced Fostering, Residential Care or Adoption first-hand. There are many broad, multi-faceted and diverse forms of Lived Experience across Social Care branching across all areas of health, early intervention, education, youth justice and many more.

At this years NCTCC and CHA conferences a colleague spoke articulately about the 'Dual-Perspective' having previously called themselves a 'Care-Experienced Practioner (CEP)' and the reasons for reframing the articulation of the dual lens they apply to their work. This was something that resonated deeply as a powerful and impactful way to hold space for professionals bringing balanced expertise to their roles, whilst acknowleding the nuance and impact of a layered understanding that has the power to bring depth, empathy and critical insight to decision making, policy, direct work, and relationship building with the children and families we support.

My and Our Dual Perspective

I have the honor of being a professional that can apply a Dual Perspective to my work by combining the knowledge, learning and understanding of a nearly nine year career across Social Care improvement, Commissioning, Home-Finding, DFE Regional Innovation Programmes, now as an Innovation and Improvement Manager supporting authorities across the UK to improve Home-Finding practice and through a lived experience as a child growing up in a turbulant household experiencing poverty, prolonged complex physical and emotional abuse, caring responsibilities, disruption and instability, entering the care system as a teen, and working my way through sixteen 'placements' in just 4 years.

There have been times early in my career when the presence of both lenses has created discomfort not in me, but in those around me. It was difficult early on for people to categorise me in their minds or to understand which lens it was that I was applying to my work. And in that there is something telling. My early career taught me that it was more palatable for people to identify someone as either one or the other, as a Professional OR someone with Lived Experience - discounting the merit of a cohort that sits across both, a professional with an internal compass shaped by their experiences, recentering the human-impact of our work.

In reality, there are a growing number of professionals across Children’s Social Care who bring forward a Dual-Perspective—some openly, others more quietly, depending on the culture and context they are working in. And yet, this strength is still too often misunderstood or underestimated. For some, the discomfort lies in the assumption that lived experience somehow compromises objectivity, when it often has the ability to sharpen it. For others, it stems from systems that are still adjusting to the idea that expertise can be shaped just as much by survival, reflection and lived resilience as by academic or vocational learning. But progress is happening. We are slowly starting to see more Local Authorities, Provider Organisations, and national networks acknowledge the depth that Dual-Perspective professionals bring. When embedded meaningfully - not as a token, or add-on - this way of working enhances scrutiny, enriches practice and reframes the way we define success and outcomes for children.

Complimentary NOT Competative

It is important to be clear, this is not about placing the Dual-Perspective professionals in competition with traditional professionalism. Rather, it is about ensuring that those with personal experience of the social care are afforded equity of opportunity to grow, lead, and influence, without fear of stigma, that both their professionalism and the extra lens they can apply are not seen to invalidate the other. Many professionals across Social Care that may not identify as having a Lived Experience or Dual-Perspective already draw on deeply personal insights whether through their own childhoods, family experiences, or encounters with challenge and adversity and these, too, bring richness to the system. The Dual-Perspective simply highlights one distinct but valuable way of combining personal understanding with professional expertise. Its strength lies in the nuance it can offer - the capacity to hold policy and practice up against the reality of how it feels on the ground, and to do so with both technical clarity and emotional truth. In aiming for equity, the goal is to widen access, not to narrow it.

10 Professionals with a Dual-Perspective you can learn from today

With that in mind, below are ten (11 really as it was hard to refine to just 10 and could have arguably gone up to 20+) professionals with Dual-Perspective backgrounds across the sector who are making significant contributions to social care, commissioning, policy, and leadership. Each offers a different pathway, a different tone, but all are demonstrating the value of integrating personal insight with professional skill embodying the power and impact of a Dual-Perspective (in no particular order and of course not an exhaustive list):

• Dr Emma Woodward FRSA - Child Psyhcologist and incredible speaker whose professional practice is informed by their Dual-Perspective of the care system. Emma specialises in translating complex trauma theory into practical strategies for teams working with children and families and delivers incredible keynotes and workshops. (https://www.thechildpsychologyservice.co.nz/)

• Steven Russell - Author, Director of Elements Support CIC and an experienced Keynote Speaker that draws on his Dual-Perspective and experience of nine foster families and two children's homes to lead trauma-informed mentoring and SEMH services. Steven is a resillient leader and heartfelt advocate for children and young people focusing on the power of Patience, Presence, Curiosity, Creativity, Authenticity and Connection when delivering care. (elementssupport.com) (His book Drip By Drip Day By Day is available here and is an invaluable reasource for any social worker, Foster Carer, IRO, advocate, Commissioner, Home-Finder or professional working directly with children and young people).

• Lucy Barnes - CEO and Co-Founder of Lawyers Who Care an organisation showcasing and empowering those with a Lived Experience of care in Legal fields. Lucy expertly weaves professional insight with personal experience to advocate for rights-based care practice and through dynamic speaking engagements and tailored training, she empowers professionals and care-experienced young people to understand and assert their rights. (lawyerswhocare.org)

• Luke Rodgers BEM - Founder and CEO of The Care Leaders embracing a Dual-Perspective informed by his experience of foster care and youth homelessness which fuels his work reframing care leadership through fellowships, transformational keynotes, and co-designed youth participation programmes that centre care-experienced (voices.careleadersfellowship.com)

• Terry Galloway and Chris Wild - Both co-leading the campaign to recognise Care Experience as a protected characteristic a movement that has seen 107 Local Authorities commit to treating Care Experience as if it were a Protected Characteristic. Both bring an advocacy-driven Dual Perspective to policy, employment protections, and anti-discrimination frameworks—pushing the system to view care history with equity and respect. (Chris is also author of 'Damaged' and 'The State of It' available via his website - https://www.chriscwild.com/)

• Matt Smith and Andy Smith - Brothers who co-founded Smash Life to empower care-experienced individuals through workshops, mentoring, and community support. Their lived insight drives the transformation of grassroots support into strength-based personal development programmes ensuring we are #leadingfromtheheart. They deliver enggaging and impactful keynote and traning sessions. (smashlifeuk.com)

• Mary-anne Hodd - Consultant and Founder of Vital Voice Training. Mary-Anne has a background in education, psychology, with a Dual-Perspective informed via a lived experience of the Care System, Mary‑Anne empowers professionals to better understand and support children with care backgrounds through empathy-led training and reflective practice. (www.maryannehodd.co.uk)

• Rachel W - Director of Living Legacy Learning, offering consultancy that integrates lived-experience insight into leadership development and commissioning informed by a Dual-Perspective as a Survivor of CSE, CSA, severe neglect and CPA. Her work ensures that care-experienced voices shape policy, strategy, and systems designed to support children and young people. (Home | Living Legacy Learning)

• Andrew Fuller - Founder of Hood Lessons Ltd, Andrew is a senior trauma-informed trainer, consultant, and behavior specialist with expertise in trauma-informed practice, neurology, psychology, and the compassion theory coined by Professor Paul Gilbert. He specialises in youth violence, gangs, and criminal exploitation, working with some of the UK’s most vulnerable young people, guiding them through healing and helping them regain control of their lives. (Home | HoodLessons - Behavioural Intervention)

Holding space for professionals with a Dual-Perspective is not only about representation - it is about changing the system from the inside out. Creating space for others to step forward into their professional journey without fear of reproach, not in spite of their lived experience but because of how powerfully it informs their work. As a sector, there is still a long way to go for equity and inclusion. But every time a Dual-Perspective voice is elevated into leadership, and every time someone steps into a room with both credibility and compassion, it brings us closer to a more human, equitable, and impactful system for children and families. This isn’t about identity, or which box someone best fits, its about insight, knowledge, experience and impact. And the time for it is now.

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Your insights and perspectives are invaluable. Together we can forge a path towards an inclusive and equitable social care system. Drop your thoughts and comments below and please do @ tag and share your notable Dual-Perspective professionals below as it wasn't possible to mention everyone here.

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