Involvement is at the heart of the Well-being of Future Generations Act.

Since my appointment in 2016 we have spoken to many people to gather information to feed into our work. We have engaged with and taken on the views of over 5,000 people. This includes giving experts, organisations, groups and individuals across all sectors in Wales the opportunity to get involved with my work and to work together to help solve the issues that matter to them.

I have sought the views from the different communities who form the fabric of our society in Wales, and I look forward to continuing to work with many people in the future to achieve what we want for Our Future Wales.

Involvement requires being open to influence from, rather than just being informed by, the views of people and stakeholders.

Involvement approaches work most effectively with people when they’re at earlier stages of policy design or decision-making, such as through helping to identify issues and potential solutions.

I look forward to continuing to engage and draw on the views of people across Wales so that we can, collectively, improve the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales.  

Through the interactive online version of the Future Generations Report 2020, you can navigate a future Welsh city and its surroundings. This is a vison where well-being is at the centre of decision-making, including how policies are made and money is spent. It brings to life 168 recommendations for Welsh Government and public bodies – You can find the top 20 recommendations here. 

And for it to be a reality, we need those in power to be bolder and braver. The Well-being of Future Generations Act has already achieved a great deal, from changing the government’s approach to the M4 Relief Road to securing more spending to tackle the climate and nature emergency that’s going to change all of our lives.

Frustrated champions, infuriated by the old ways of doing things, tell me the Act gives them the support and permission to challenge the system – encouraging working collaboratively, listening to what people say, supporting change where possible, sharing case studies and helping good practice travel across sectors; all of these things help us keep the pressure on.

Join the conversation and the movement for change.

Involvement projects we have undertaken to date

In 2017, I undertook a large piece of work, engaging with academics, stakeholders, experts, and the public to identify my areas of focus. These areas are where I have dedicated my office resource.

In 2019 and 2020, in order to produce the Future Generations Report, I used the following specific and additional methods of involvement:

  • The People's Platform
    The People's Platform

    The People’s Platform is an online tool using a programme called ‘Sensemaker’ which was designed by Cognitive Edge. It has been described as the first example of distributed ethnography by a leading anthropologist in the British Government, and the software represents a radically new approach to narrative research. Using Sensemaker adapted for this phase of involvement on our report has enabled us to gather people’s stories in a quantitative and qualitative way.

  • Big Ideas campaign.
    Big Ideas campaign.

    I launched an online campaign calling for innovative ideas or examples people wanted to propose for inclusion in the report. Sixty-six big ideas were sent to me and were tested during events and roundtables as they came in. I also held ‘ideas parties’ with the Wales Young Farmers Club and the National Federation of Women’s Institutes in Wales, which both provided strong rural context.

  • Regional stakeholder Our Future Wales events.
    Regional stakeholder Our Future Wales events.

    We met with people from the local community including town and community councils, public bodies, voluntary sector, and the private sector

  • Roundtables and meetings.
    Roundtables and meetings.

    I have regularly held roundtables and meetings with experts and key partners to shape the report and test the findings and recommendations with umbrella organisations and in specific parts of the report – for example on procurement, health, and skills. In addition to this, I held specific roundtable meetings with over 87 representatives of different groups and sectors.

  • Pop-up conversations
    Pop-up conversations

    Going where people already are, including conferences, public places and workplaces, to enable people who we may not otherwise have reached to contribute to the conversation.

  • Written submissions to Our Future Wales.
    Written submissions to Our Future Wales.

    More traditional ways were also used in my involvement, and alongside utilising my usual public correspondence, I have received written submissions to Our Future Wales to help identify general sentiment and issues which matter to them now, and in the future.

  • Survey about my draft recommendations
    Survey about my draft recommendations

    I decided to make my draft findings and recommendations publicly available for comment in a ‘you said, we did’ approach. The top recommendation people chose was ‘Changing funding arrangements across sectors and services to encourage collaboration to keep people well and reduce demand’. (94%), as per the section on A Healthier Wales in Chapter 3. 

Help us persevere.  Join the conversation and the movement for change. Tell us what you need from Wales for the future.