The Lived Experience Coaches Transforming Support Services

239: The Lived Experience Coaches Transforming Support Services for People with Learning Disabilities and Autism with Shaun Armour and Lindsay Henderson

In this Episode

Our host Julie Flower, dives into an inspiring conversation with guests Lindsay Henderson and Shaun Armour from Your Voice Counts, a charity based in Northeast England. Discover how they are challenging perspectives with a groundbreaking scheme that trains people with learning disabilities and autism to coach the professionals responsible for their support. Shaun, one of the coaches and Lindsay, Head of Communities, share how co-production and lived experience aren’t just buzzwords – they are essential tools for transforming support systems, empowering individuals and creating meaningful change.

Learn how this innovative model developed, the training process and the shift in power dynamics that occurred during the coaching relationships. Lindsay and Shaun offer honest reflections on what it takes to make this approach work, why accessibility and representation matter and how the scheme is making a tangible difference for both coaches and professionals. They also share their hopes for the future, including plans to expand the model and embed it into services across more regions. If you're looking to make your coaching practice more inclusive, authentic, and impactful, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

You Will Learn

• How lived experience can reshape professional coaching and improve services for people with learning disabilities and autism.
• The importance of co-production and accessible training in building inclusive coaching programs.
• The challenges and triumphs of implementing a lived experiences coaching model within professional settings.

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Guest Bio's

Shaun Armour is a Commissioning Officer for the NENC ICB in South Tyneside and Sunderland and employed by Your Voice Counts. Shaun has a Learning Disability and uses his lived experience to ensure that people’s voices are at the heart of everything that the Commissioners do and decisions they make. Shaun is also a Lived Experience Coach, Oliver McGowan Mandatory trainer and facilitates the Skills for Care National Workforce Advisory group.

Lindsay Henderson joined Your Voice Counts as Head of Communities in 2020 after previous roles in youth work, mental health and homelessness fields before moving into partnership development and systems change work.

Lindsay oversees services across Gateshead and South Tyneside for people with learning disabilities and/or autistic people including financial, mental and physical health, drop-ins, training, employability, research, self-advocacy support and supports and develops leadership roles for people with lived experience.