Supporting involvement with public services

Following on from the five‑year Project Dewi programme, our next phase of work provides strategic, project‑based support with Public Services Boards (PSBs) to strengthen co‑production and involvement in practice

This work will support PSBs to tackle priority issues, deepen relationships with their communities, and build robust evidence of learning that can be shared across Wales. Each project will be rooted in strong community relationships and aligned to long‑term strategic purpose, rather than one‑off engagement or standalone training.

This offer is open to all PSBs, not just those previously support through Project Dewi, and will run until Summer 2027.

Developing our PSB direct support offer

As part of this next phase, we are taking a more focused, place-based approach, working with PSBs to identify key areas where co-production activity can have the greatest impact. In this way, projects are more likely to deliver meaningful results, while also building the evidence base for involvement through case studies, which can inspire new ways of working elsewhere.

Our structured support offer provides a dedicated pool of capacity for strategic delivery, including support from our co-production consultants. All projects are developed collaboratively, with a strong emphasis on strategic purpose rather than short-term facilitation or consultation. In return, PSBs commit their own resources and capacity, which helps to embed involvement into everyday practice.

Each project will deliver an evidence-based case study which we will share here as well as through our newsletter.

What we provide

To ensure this support is used where it can have the greatest impact, we are using a light-touch application process. This helps us work collaboratively with PSBs to clarify strategic purpose, align expectations, and make best use of shared capacity and resources.

Project supported through this offer can expect:

• Capacity building and mentoring
• Strategic training, where required
• Implementation-focused training, where appropriate
• Support to build and strengthen trust with communities
• Support to build and strengthen relationships with community-based organisations
• A case study capturing the successes and challenges of the project
• A national platform to showcase PSB work and influence improvements across the wider partnership landscape

The role of our partner-PSBs

All of the projects we work with are strategic in purpose, rather than focused solely on facilitation or training. Each project includes a minimum of 10% match funding from the PSB hosting the project – this helps to shape the scale of what can be delivered and supports organisational buy-in. There is also an expectation of match capacity, recognising that our support is designed to complement PSB deliver roles rather than replace them.

While we provide the focus on the Involvement principle of the Five Ways of Working, these projects consider how each Way of Working is applied and evidenced.

Linking local learning to national change

Alongside this direct support we continue to connect local PSB learning to the national agenda. This includes strengthening strategic leadership for co-production through the Strengthening PSB Progress Group; and the roll out of our new Strategic Approaches to Co-production leadership programme.

Learning from each project is shared through events, resources, and case studies, helping to build a clearer, evidence-led picture of what works in practice, the barriers to embedding co-production and involvement, and how those barriers can be overcome.

---