National Principles for Public Engagement explained
On this page
- Introduction
- 10 to the top: Principles for Effective Public Engagement in Wales
- Why they matter now
- What they help organisations do
- The Principles
- Next steps
Introduction
The National Principles for Public Engagement set out a simple, evidence-based framework to support meaningful and effective involvement with communities in Wales.
10 to the top: Principles for Effective Public Engagement in Wales
- Make engagement matter
- Invite the right people
- Plan well
- Work with other organisations
- Provide accessible information
- Make taking part easy
- Value people’s contribution
- Resources and capacity are crucial
- Feedback is vital
- Learn and share to improve
Why they matter now
- They support the delivery of Welsh Government’s Communities Policy and wider participation agendas
- They help public bodies meet expectations under the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, the Social Services and Wellbeing Act (Section 16), and other engagement related duties.
- They help maintain consistency and quality regardless of political change
- They respond to a clear need identified across Wales for stronger involvement, meaningful consultation and better collaboration
What they help organisations do
- Ensure that consultation is accessible, inclusive and realistic
- Enable co-production and shared ownership of solutions
- Plan and deliver engagement that leads to better decisions and outcomes
- Strengthen relationships between public bodies, communities and the voluntary sector
- Embed culture change around involvement, not just compliance
The Principles
1. Design your engagement to make a difference – only engage when this will be the case.
Be clear about your purpose:
- How will people’s input be used?
- What are you trying to influence or change?
- What decisions are open to influence?
2. Invite people to get involved, if they choose to – involvement should always be inclusive and welcoming.
Be clear about the invitation:
- Are you reaching the right people?
- Is your invitation accessible and welcoming?
- Are you going to where people are?
3. Plan and deliver your engagement in a timely and appropriate way – plan effectively.
Be clear in your planning:
- Have you designed the right level of engagement from the start?
- How are you reaching people?
- What methods are you using?
4. Work with relevant partner organisations – identify who else is doing this or has the expertise
Be clear about who you can partner with:
- Can you use existing information from elsewhere?
- Who might be able to help?
- What would reduce time and resources?
5. Provide jargon free, appropriate, and understandable information – is it user-friendly?
Be clear about the information needed:
- Do people have the information they need?
- Is the information clear & accessible?
- Is it available in Welsh, English, and other required languages?
6. Make it easy for people to take part – identify the barriers and work to remove them
Be clear about what might prevent people taking part:
- Ask people what prevents them taking part
- Are you using a mixed method approach?
- Do you need additional specialised support?
7. Ensure people benefit from the experience – what are people getting out of it?
Be clear about what benefit people will get from the engagement:
- How will you make the engagement meaningful for people?
- What will you do to ensure people feel valued?
- What skills might people gain?
8. Ensure the right resources and time are in place – do you have enough of what you need for your engagement to be effective?
Be clear about the resources you have in place before you start:
- Do you have sufficient resources to do this effectively?
- What are the risks of not enough resource?
- Are your staff ready to engage effectively?
9. Let people know the impact of their contribution – make sure the feedback loop is timely
Be clear about how you’ll feed back:
- What will you feedback, to whom and when?
- How will you feedback?
- What variety of methods will you use?
10. Learn and share to improve your engagement – reflect to improve
Be clear about what you have learnt:
- Are you continually monitoring progress?
- How are you involving people in evaluating the process?
- How will you implement lessons learnt?
Next steps
Explore more support:
Tools and templates for planning engagement
National Principles for Public Engagement in Wales – Easy Read version
Training and events
Public engagement: theory and practice
This comprehensive three-day course is aimed at providing a greater awareness and understanding of participative engagement.
