If you’ve experienced social injustice firsthand, your voice matters—and the UK Parliament needs to hear it. This was the joint perspective that led our Clore Social Leadership group to create our resource, “A Lived Expert Guide to Giving Evidence to Select Committees,” offering practical advice for people with lived experience who want to influence government decisions and policy.
Select Committees are groups of MPs or Lords who scrutinise government work in areas like health, housing or education. They gather evidence from experts, organisations, and crucially—people directly affected by the issues. This evidence helps them make recommendations to improve laws, services, and public spending. You can share your story by submitting written evidence online or being invited to speak directly to the committee at a public hearing.
We created this resource during our time on the Clore Social Leadership Emerging Leader programme 2024-25, which brings together social sector leaders who are passionate about social change and keen to develop their leadership skills to have a greater impact.
As part of the Clore Social programme, we formed groups to look at solutions for real-world issues. We identified a challenge, researched into that challenge and into potential solutions that we could test and take a deeper dive into. Our group formed at a time when a new government had just been sworn in. As six people interested in how ‘lived experts’ can influence social change, passionate about those voices of people with direct experience of social injustice being heard in government settings, we got to work formulating our project focus.
Our guide is broken down to cover an explainer of what Select Committees are, a guide to giving written evidence, giving oral evidence, and experiences and advice from ‘lived experts’ who had given evidence to select committees sharing their direct experiences.
This guide is designed to make the process more accessible and supportive. It includes links, tips, real-life stories, and ways to protect your wellbeing throughout. We welcome you to download and share it with your colleagues and communities.
Change doesn’t happen overnight, but your voice contributes to a growing record of evidence that influences government thinking. The guide reminds us that firsthand experiences bring authenticity, expertise and insight that are vital to influencing policy. Your story can make a difference. We hope this guide shows you how.
Authors of the guide were:
Rae Cahill, Trussell
Patrick Calver, Head of Strategic Communications, Economic Change Unit
Marina Fontenla, The Nelson Trust
Helena Hastings, Sounddelivery Media
Alison Forbes, Equality and Diversity lead, Forestry and Land Scotland
Tanya Taylor, Young Ealing Foundation
Phoebe Westwood, Bristol Refugee and Asylum Seeker Partnership (BRASP)
Further reading:
For those trying to reach MPs and influence politically read this report on MPs’ media and Social Media habits, April 2025.