My hope was that this project would provide a single framework for public participation and involvement for Birmingham City Council and my expectations have been met well in this regard. The framework is specific enough to be useful but not so restrictive as to confine innovation. Through the process I have gained a better understanding of the tiers of participation and the skill set needed to operate effectively in this space. The approach has been pragmatic, evidence informed and enabling which has been really effective as a route to achieving sustainable change. It has been a good experience and the final products position us well for the next steps
Dr Justin Varney
Director of Public Health, Birmingham City Council
Embracing this opportunity has resulted in one of my most rewarding experiences of my working life.
LGE participant, 2023 Cohort
As an organisation, we sometimes struggle to take a step back and explore areas that aren’t as familiar. How you coached us on this journey and explained not only what we should do but why, and responded to things that emerged along the way, was all helpful for indicating where we needed to focus our attention. You helped us understand what was important from your perspective and presented us with options to weigh trade-offs. Through skilled and thoughtful facilitation, you surfaced meaningful insights and steered us efficiently to where we needed to go. You guided us effectively and in a supportive way.
Michelle Man
Head of Impact and Learning, ClientEarth
Collaborate provided invaluable support to Barnet Council in understanding our organisational culture and how this could be reset to become more collaborative and outward looking. They engaged widely with staff and stakeholders, listening and responding to local context and working collaboratively with us while providing the right amount of challenge. Their findings and ideas were shared throughout the process, and they generated support from those they spoke to. We would not hesitate in recommending them to other councils
John Hooton
Chief Executive, Barnet Council
It’s been such a pleasure working with you and we really appreciate the obvious time and effort that’s gone into this from your end. I’ve particularly appreciated how collaborative the process felt and how much you listened to us, even when we’ve not always known what we’re trying to get to! I know this will be transformational for our work.
Tamsyn Nichol
Senior Healthcare Improvement Consultant, DUK
Collaborate has managed to pull together useful insight from a complex set of engagement and research activities in a way that has illuminated quite a nebulous topic. We now have a set of recommendations that make our way forward very clear and actionable.
Tom Hook
Assistant Director Adult Social Care & Health (Planning, Performance & Engagement)
After working with Collaborate, we’re in a different and a better place, with a great foundation from which to move forward. Collaborate were very open to listening but also to challenging us when needed, always in a way that was reasonable, sensible and well-delivered. I was delighted with how well Collaborate engaged with our stakeholders, who were really positive about the experience of working with them.
Pascoe Sawyers
Head of Strategy and Partnerships
It has been invaluable in helping us, from our various perspectives, think about what ‘systems change’ means to us and to our work and to think about how we can remove the barriers to this change and lay the foundations for longer-term, systemic change.
Jenny Field, former Deputy Director at City Bridge Trust
Trying to navigate and convene partners to fundamentally rethink how systems can prevent the widening of the inequality gap for children is complex and messy. The Maturity Model has enabled us as convenors of the system to reflect on the approach we are taking. It has enabled us to begin to understand distance travelled and has been a catalyst to learn and share the principles and practice of our approach.
Rebecca Thomas
Bettws (Newport) ELC Lead
Collaborate provided invaluable support to Barnet Council in understanding our organisational culture and how this could be reset to become more collaborative and outward looking. They engaged widely with staff and stakeholders, listening and responding to local context and working collaboratively with us while providing the right amount of challenge. Their findings and ideas were shared throughout the process, and they generated support from those they spoke to. We would not hesitate in recommending them to other councils
John Hooton
Chief Executive, Barnet Council
Participating in the HLS learning community, coordinated by colleagues at Collaborate CIC, has also allowed me to connect and share with fellow travellers from across a wide range of local authorities, all keen to learn from and support each other. It’s been a highly encouraging, energising and inspiring experience.
Ed Anderton, Redbridge Council
