Provision of Lived Experience Specialist Equality Partners

Aims and objectives

The overall aim is to ensure that the development of Social Care Wales’s 2027–2032 Strategic Equality Plan is informed by meaningful, high‑quality engagement with people who have lived experience and lived expertise, so that the final plan is inclusive, evidence‑based and reflective of the diverse communities we serve across Wales.

The objectives of the contract/s are to

• Engage representative voices
• Deliver safe and accessible consultation
• Gather insight on the draft Strategic Equality Plan
• Identify gaps, barriers and improvements
• Provide actionable recommendations

What is required / ‘The Requirements’

Social Care Wales is seeking specialist equality-focused suppliers to facilitate targeted consultation sessions with people who have lived experience and lived expertise. Sessions may be delivered either in person or online, depending on what the supplier believes will generate the strongest engagement. To ensure meaningful participation, we aim to keep group sizes manageable, with a minimum of ten participants involved across the consultation activity.

The purpose of these sessions is to gather honest, constructive feedback on the draft Strategic Equality Plan and ensure the plan is relevant, inclusive, and meaningful for a diverse Wales.

This work is not tokenistic. We want to work with trusted partners who have strong relationships with the communities they serve and who can gather high‑quality, critical feedback that will strengthen our final plan.

The successful supplier(s) will be required to

• Prepare and present a short engagement plan at the initiation meeting.
• Invite participants with lived experience through your existing networks.
• Deliver one or more consultation sessions in a psychologically safe, accessible, and consensual way.
• Ensure appropriate consents are obtained and that all feedback shared with Social Care Wales is anonymous. The supplier will be solely responsible for the processing of any personal data.
• Signpost participants to support services if needed.
• Provide a written feedback report that:

~ Identifies what changes are needed

~ Explains why changes are needed (rationale)

~ Offers clear recommendations for improvement

• Attend a follow‑up debrief session, if required, to discuss your report.

Lots

Social Care Wales intends to procure suppliers across a series of specialist Lots. Each Lot focuses on a specific community or equality priority to ensure that the draft Strategic Equality Plan is tested through an informed, expert lens.

• Lot 1: Anti-Racism
• Lot 2: Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) Communities
• Lot 3: LGBTQ+ Communities
• Lot 4: Women’s Rights and Sex Equality
• Lot 5: International Social Care Workforce

See Specification for more detail