“…it’s always good to have somebody to know your situation and not have to sit and explain yourself over an over again, but on the other side you don’t want to be judged by what your
[past] so there’s two different sides to that.” (Male, 35-39, urban)
These concerns echoed issues raised in both of the Lived Experience groups, although particularly in the men’s group that:
staff in services look at your past before your future, judging you on ‘bits of paper’ rather than getting to know you and taking you ‘at face value’.
Peer relationships are
often more positive than professional ones as
they are built on a shared
understanding of the damage caused by being judged, the importance of hope for the future, and the reality of the fear felt by people every day36
