Introduction

Every organisation wants to design services that improve outcomes. Yet despite the best intentions, many services struggle to engage the communities they were created to support.

Often, the issue isn’t a lack of investment, commitment or expertise. It’s that communities are invited into the conversation too late.

Too often, consultation happens after priorities have been agreed, budgets allocated and service specifications written. At that stage, communities are asked to comment on decisions that have already been made rather than helping shape them.

Co-designing is different. It recognises communities as experts in their own experiences. It values lived experience alongside professional expertise and uses insight to create services that are more relevant, trusted and effective.

At Changing Suits, we believe meaningful engagement starts long before procurement. It starts with listening.

This guide outlines practical principles that can help commissioners, funders and service providers move beyond consultation and towards genuine co-design.

Consultation vs Co-Design

Although consultation and co-design are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. Here’s why they’re different.

Consultation	Co-Design
Communities are asked for feedback	Communities help shape solutions
Usually happens towards the end of planning	Begins before decisions are made
Organisations lead the conversation	Communities and organisations work together
Focuses on validating ideas	Focuses on understanding needs
Engagement is often one-off	Relationships continue throughout delivery

Why Community Insight Matters

We all think community insight comes second, but here’s why it should be a part of the very first stages of co-designing.

Data tells us what is happening and community insight helps us understand why.

Performance data might show that a service has low uptake and community conversations explain why people don’t trust it.

Research may highlight health inequalities and communities can identify the practical, cultural and social barriers that create those inequalities.

Without community insight, organisations risk designing services based on assumptions rather than evidence. It should be viewed as evidence in its own right.

Six Principles of Meaningful Co-Design

1. Start with curiosity, not solutions

Avoid beginning with a predetermined programme or intervention.

Instead, ask:

What matters most to this community?
What barriers do they experience?
What strengths already exist?

Listening first creates better solutions.

2. Build trust before asking for feedback

Trust can’t be established through a single consultation. Communities are more likely to engage when relationships already exist and this often means investing time in community networks, local organisations and trusted leaders before engagement begins.

3. Recognise lived experience as expertise

Professional expertise is essential and so is lived experience.

People who use services understand barriers, challenges and opportunities that data alone cannot reveal. Co-design values both equally.

4. Make engagement accessible

Ask yourself can everyone participate?

Think about:

Language
Timing
Venue
Childcare
Digital access
Cultural considerations

You have to try to remove barriers that increase participation.

5. Be honest about influence

People quickly recognise tokenistic engagement. If communities are asked for their views, explain:

what decisions are open to influence and what isn’t
how feedback will be used

Transparency builds trust.

6. Close the feedback loop

One of the biggest frustrations communities express is never hearing what happened next. Always report back to them no matter how long the process takes.

what you heard
what changed
why certain decisions were made

People are far more likely to engage again when they know their voice made a difference.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many organisations have good intentions but fall into common traps.

Avoid:

Consulting after decisions have already been made.
Assuming one person represents an entire community.
Only engaging communities when funding requires it.
Measuring attendance instead of meaningful participation.
Relying solely on surveys.
Treating engagement as a project rather than an ongoing relationship.

The Changing Suits Approach

At Changing Suits, we believe effective services are built on understanding.

Our work supports commissioners, funders and public sector organisations to engage communities in meaningful ways through culturally informed research, workshops, facilitated conversations and lived experience.

We help organisations move beyond consultation by creating opportunities for communities to influence decisions from the earliest stages of service design.

Our approach focuses on:

Building trust with communities.
Understanding cultural contexts.
Challenging assumptions through evidence.
Amplifying lived experience.
Creating practical recommendations that lead to lasting change.

Co-Design Checklist

Before you begin, ask yourself:

Understanding the Community

☐ Have we identified who is missing from the conversation?

☐ Do we understand the barriers people face?

☐ Have we engaged trusted community organisations?

Planning Engagement

☐ Are we listening before proposing solutions?

☐ Is the engagement accessible and inclusive?

☐ Have we explained how feedback will influence decisions?

During Engagement

☐ Are all voices being heard?

☐ Are we creating a safe environment for honest discussion?

☐ Are we recognising lived experience as expertise?

After Engagement

☐ Have we shared what we learned?

☐ Have we explained what changed?

☐ Are we continuing the relationship beyond this project?

Final Thoughts

Communities don’t expect organisations to have all the answers.

They do expect to be listened to.

Co-design isn’t simply another stage in the commissioning process.

It’s a way of creating services that reflect the realities of the people they exist to support.

When organisations move beyond consultation and place community insight at the heart of decision-making, they create services that are more trusted, more inclusive and more likely to achieve meaningful outcomes.

At Changing Suits, we believe that better services start with better conversations and those conversations begin with communities.

If you’re reviewing a service, developing a commissioning strategy or looking to strengthen community engagement, we’d love to start the conversation here.