The Diverse Experiences Advisory Panel (DEAP) brings together people from different communities and backgrounds with varied lived experiences and perspectives. DEAP members draw on their experiences and perspectives to inform government policy and how it can support better mental health and well-being for people and communities across Scotland.
Now in its third year, this new initiative was initially running for two years and began in the spring of 2022. DEAP is a partnership with the Mental Health Foundation and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) and is fundded by the Scottish Government.
On this page, find out more about DEAP, our opportunities to join DEAP, panel members share more about being involved, their ongoing work and the latest updates.
We are recruiting
We are currently recruiting for new members to join DEAP. The panel currently has a membership of 22 people, and we are seeking up to 5 new members to join from August 2025.
Applications are open to anyone aged 18 and over who lives in Scotland and has an interest in a preventative approach to mental wellbeing
- You don’t have to have used mental health services, or been diagnosed with a mental health condition, to bring your life experience.
- You don’t have to have any previous experience or knowledge about policy or services to get involved.
We are interested in hearing from people with different life experiences and perspectives to understand how diverse experiences shape mental health.
We are particularly interested in hearing from people who belong to the following groups to ensure the panel continues to be reflective of diverse communities in Scotland:
- Unpaid carers
- Deaf/deaf people or people who experience hearing loss
- People with learning disabilities
- People with experience of forensic mental health, the criminal justice system or addictions
- Trans women or trans feminine people
- Hindu or Sikh people or people from Hindu or Sikh backgrounds
- People from Chinese, East-Asian or South-East Asian origins or backgrounds (including Scottish Chinese, British Chinese etc.)
New members will be asked to commit to participating in the panel for a minimum of 12 months. You will also be asked to sign up to the DEAP ‘ways of working’ agreement and will receive a Basic Disclosure Check.
How do I apply?
To apply, please complete the online expression of interest form and equal opportunities form. We’ll ask you to tell us about your individual experiences and say why you are interested in joining the panel. The deadline to express your interest is Monday 23rd June 2025 at 12 noon.
We will doing informal interviews for those shortlisted on 7, 8 and 9 July. The next DEAP meeting should be on Tuesday 19 August.
If you find it difficult to complete this form online, we can support you to complete it in an alternative format. This includes the option to complete it as a Word document, over the phone or via video call.
Please call 07852 805 840 or email Sabre at sjones@mentalhealth.org.uk and give your name and contact details.
Who are DEAP?
We are a group of 20 to 30 people with diverse identities and life experiences. We meet at least four times annually and are kept updated on progress by email. We draw on our lived experiences and perspectives to advise the Scottish Government and others on how public policy can help to reduce inequalities and support more people to experience good mental health.
We come from a wide range of backgrounds, including geographies and ages, racialised groups and ethnic communities and different sexualities and genders. Among us, we have wide-ranging life experiences. These include, but aren’t limited to, experiences of long-term health conditions, disability, neurodiversity, care experience, homelessness, unemployment, poverty, immigration and asylum seeking, discrimination, abuse, loneliness and isolation, substance use, bereavement, trauma, unpaid caring and/or experiences of mental health problems.
None of us is defined by a single experience or identity; we are each unique, complex individuals with many experiences that shape our lives. We advise on policy from our lived experiences and perspectives rather than from a professional or academic perspective.
Why do diverse experiences and perspectives matter for mental health?
We all have mental health. Many things shape our experience of mental health. Experiences of inequality, discrimination and/or exclusion can increase the risk of poor mental health and create barriers to well-being.
Our work considers the many factors that shape mental health and well-being and how these interact. These factors aren’t just about physical and mental health; they are not limited to health and social care services.
They also include:
- Our social circumstances. Do we have a support network? Do we feel able to be ourselves with our family and friends, in our workplace and in our community? Do we experience stigma or discrimination? Can we make decisions about our own lives?
- Our economic circumstances. Do we have safe, warm and comfortable housing? Do we struggle to pay for essentials? Are we paid a fair wage? Are we unemployed or in insecure work? Do any benefits we receive support us in living a comfortable and healthy life?
- Our environment. Do we have access to green spaces? Are we able to get around our community? Do we have space to go outside, exercise, or meet our friends? Are we excluded from activities and services because buildings, transport or other facilities are not accessible to us?
- Our life experiences. How do our life experiences affect our mental health and well-being, both good and bad? What do experiences like having a long-term health condition, facing discrimination, experiencing poverty or homelessness or being an unpaid carer mean for our mental health and well-being?
What are we working on?
We are sharing our views to inform the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Mental Health and Well-being Strategy. Two of our members sit on the Leadership Board for the strategy and ensure the voices of DEAP members lived experience is brought to the table. In March 2025 we met with MSP Maree Todd who is the Minister for Social Care, Mentel Wellbeing and Sport to ask questions and share our experiences.
We are also working to ensure the mental health impacts of a variety of policy areas consider the impact on mental health and wellbeing as a result of inequalities and will keep you posted on our progress via this webpage.
What's it like being on the panel?
DEAP member Carola has written a blog about her first year as a member of the panel.
If an individual or organisation would like to discuss a project, event or piece of policy that may be of interest to DEAP, please email Sabre Jones.
Email Sabre
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