The group brings together a stellar cast of more than 20 eminent individuals with experience of having worked at the highest levels in government, public services, academia, think tanks and independent research organisations. It includes members with experience as national and local politicians, political advisers, senior civil servants, senior managers in local government, health, the criminal justice system, schools and higher education.
Our Advisory Group helps to ensure that the Centre’s work is rigorous, authoritative, and independent. The group are our critical friends, helping to steer the Centre’s overall strategy and future development, and advising on ways to ensure that our work makes a positive difference.
Reflecting the Centre’s commitment to work at national and local level, the group brings a detailed knowledge of working in both spheres and the challenges they currently face. It also combines expertise in all four of the key policy areas that the Centre’s work is focusing on including health and social care, the economy and skills, social justice, and environmental sustainability.
Some of the group are steeped in the challenges that the Welsh Government and public services are grappling with. Others bring invaluable knowledge of how similar issues are being tackled in Scotland, England and internationally. All the group share a belief in, and commitment to, enhancing the role that evidence can play in informing responses to these policy challenges.
At its inaugural meeting in November, the group discussed the Centre’s mission, its ways of working with ministers and public services to co-produce and mobilise evidence, and how we can maximise the impact of its work. We homed in on the Centre’s work on the economy and on health and social care, discussing its recent activities, events and reports in these policy areas, and the ways in which we will build on this over the coming months.
We are delighted to have the advice, experience and insight of such a strong, experienced and influential group and look forward to working with them to ensure that the Centre’s work continues to extend its reach and supports policy makers and practitioners across Wales in ways which make a positive difference by improving outcomes for citizens and service users.