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Oct 5th, 2023 | Latest News

Expert Review Panel: Experts by experience papers

In 2022 the Minister for Climate Change, Julie James MS, established an Expert Review Panel (ERP) to make recommendations for legislative reform to improve how Wales prevents and responds to homelessness.

Cymorth Cymru was a member of the ERP and took on an additional role in facilitating involvement with experts by experience. Over the course of the Panel’s work, Cymorth engaged with over 300 people with lived experience, gathering their views and experiences through online surveys, in-person events, conversations on the streets, and visits to temporary accommodation, supported accommodation, prison and probation services.

This engagement resulted in six reports being submitted to the ERP, each focused on a different element of the proposed reforms. Each paper was introduced and summarised in advance of the relevant discussion and the feedback from experts by experience was considered carefully by ERP members before decisions were taken on recommendations for legislative reform.  Both the ERP’s report to the Minister, and the Welsh Government’s subsequent White Paper, were heavily influenced by the contributions from people with lived experience, and included proposals for earlier prevention, removal of barriers, and new duties on public services.

You can read the reports here: