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A FUTURE
JOINED UP

The Next Chapter for
Community Advice.

Conference 2026

Our workshops

We're working together to build a stronger, more inclusive advice sector. Our workshops have been designed for you to discover new tools and resources to implement in your work. We've got something for everyone! And if you're struggling to choose, we'll be capturing the content of all our workshops so you can access everything you want to.

Morning sessions

Our morning sessions look at the big-picture issues and broad themes surrounding advice and community cohesion.

Session 1 - Shaping Better Services with People with Lived Experience

How can services move beyond consultation and place lived experience at the heart of evaluation, learning and change? We’ll be exploring creative and participatory approaches that enable people with direct experience of issues to shape how services are assessed and improved. Drawing on pioneering local examples, including Theatre Informed Policy Making and other lived experience-led initiatives, we’ll consider how storytelling, participation and shared decision-making can influence practice, policy and outcomes. This workshop will provide inspiration for organisations seeking more meaningful ways to understand impact, strengthen accountability and ensure community voices help drive the future of advice services.

What you'll do:

Gain an understanding of what lived experience work is and what it can look like.
Uncover the steps needed to undertake meaningful lived experience work.
Discover ways that you can use creative and participatory approaches in lived experience work.
Learn how lived experience insight can translate into practice and influence policy change.

Session leads: Coming soon.

Session 2 - Building Stronger Community Partnerships

Strong community partnerships are essential to creating advice services that are trusted, responsive and rooted in local experiences. We’ll be exploring how organisations can build meaningful, values-led relationships with community groups, moving beyond consultation towards genuine collaboration and shared decision-making. We’ll consider practical approaches to sharing power, creating positive and rewarding experiences for those involved in shaping services, and developing partnerships that are sustainable and mutually beneficial. The workshop will also examine what successful community engagement looks like, how impact can be demonstrated, and the next steps needed to strengthen community-led influence across the advice sector.

What you'll do:

Understand what community partnerships are and how they can be forged.
Discover methods and techniques which can help share power in communities.
Discuss different ways of building sustainability into community partnerships.
Learn how we can measure the successfulness and impact of partnership work.

Session leads: Coming soon.

Session 3 - The Future of Joined-Up Advice

As demand for advice continues to grow, stronger collaboration across the sector is essential to delivering a more joined-up and effective system. We’ll explore how organisations of all sizes can benefit from working together to improve access, coordination and outcomes for residents. Using the emerging advice strategy and developments such as Liverpool’s new integrated directory and referral tool as a starting point, we’ll consider practical ways to strengthen partnerships, improve referral pathways and embed advice within wider anti-poverty efforts. The workshop will focus on the value of collective action, showcasing how collaboration can create benefits across the whole advice ecosystem and help shape a more connected future for community advice.

What you'll do:

Discover how technology can be used to improve referral pathways and harness data.
Discuss the role the advice sector plays in eradicating poverty.
Debate how the advice sector and advice provision needs to be factored into anti-poverty work.

Session leads: Coming soon.

Session 4 - Stronger Together: Collaborative Funding in Practice

As funding landscapes become more complex, collaboration offers opportunities to achieve greater impact, reach wider communities and make the best use of shared expertise. We’ll explore when a collaborative funding approach can add value, how organisations can identify opportunities to work together, and the practical considerations involved in developing joint bids. We’ll also consider the benefits of partnership working for organisations and communities alike, alongside examples of collaborative applications in practice. This workshop will provide a space to reflect on what makes effective funding partnerships successful and how collaboration can help strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the advice sector.

What you'll do:

Discover the steps involved in developing a collaborative funding bid.
Learn about ways to evidence how collaboration adds value to communities.
Uncover tips and tricks to make funding partnerships effective and sustainable.

Session leads: Coming soon.

Afternoon sessions

In the afternoon, we'll be focussing on specific approaches and tools you can use to foster community, build inclusive services, and champion access to justice.

Session 1 - Beyond Referrals: The Future of Health Justice Partnerships

People's health, social and financial needs are often deeply interconnected, yet services can remain fragmented and difficult to navigate. We’ll discuss the future of health justice and advice partnerships, examining how organisations can work together to provide more joined-up support and improve outcomes for individuals facing complex challenges. We’ll consider the barriers that can arise when services operate in isolation, including the need for people to repeat their stories multiple times and the challenges of information sharing across organisations. The workshop will also explore opportunities to strengthen relationships between advice, health and social care services, improve professional understanding of each other's roles, and create more seamless pathways of support.

What you'll do:

Gain an understanding of what health justice partnerships are and how they work effectively.
Uncover pioneering ways of providing joined-up support across communities.
Discover the challenges of sharing information cross-partnership, and how they can be managed.

Session leads: Coming soon.

Session 2 - Creating Safe and Inclusive Conversations in the Advice Setting

Advice services often support people who are experiencing significant stress, uncertainty and frustration, and advisers can sometimes encounter challenging conversations involving prejudice, misinformation or strongly held views. We will explore how organisations can foster inclusive and respectful environments while maintaining clear professional boundaries and prioritising staff safety and wellbeing. Drawing on perspectives from specialist community organisations, we’ll consider practical approaches to responding to difficult conversations, understanding the impact of stereotypes and assumptions, and promoting constructive dialogue where appropriate. This workshop will also reflect on organisational policies, staff support needs and the importance of creating safe spaces for both residents and advice workers.

What you'll do:

Gain an understanding of how prejudice and misinformation negatively impacts communities.
Uncover practical approaches to responding to difficult conversations.
Discover ways that you can foster an inclusive environment within your service.
Learn how workplace policy can support safe spaces for communities and advice staff.

Session leads: Coming soon.

Session 3 - A Place to Call Home

Housing remains one of the most significant issues facing communities, with access to safe, secure and affordable housing closely linked to health, wellbeing and financial stability. We’ll explore the role of advice services within the wider housing landscape, beginning with the strategic context provided by Liverpool's housing ambitions and priorities. From there, we will consider how advice organisations, Registered Social Landlords and other partners can work together to support residents, prevent problems from escalating and contribute to stronger, more cohesive communities. The workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss challenges, share perspectives and explore how collaborative approaches can help address the impact of the housing crisis.

What you'll do:

Gain an understanding of Liverpool's housing landscape and strategic housing ambitions.
Discover examples of partnership working preventing problems from escalating.
Explore how collaboration can lessen the impact of the UK's housing crisis.

Session leads: Coming soon.

Session 4 - Harnessing Research Partnerships for Social Impact

Advice services generate significant social value, but demonstrating that impact and translating frontline experience into wider change can be challenging. Together, we will explore how partnerships with universities and researchers can help advice organisations evidence their work, influence policy and strengthen funding and advocacy efforts. Drawing on initiatives such as the Centre for People’s Justice and Interchange, we will consider the opportunities that research collaborations can offer, from knowledge exchange and evaluation support to access to funding, student placements and collaborative projects. The workshop will examine how organisations of all sizes can harness academic partnerships to better understand, measure and communicate the social and economic value of advice.

What you'll do:

Gain an understanding of how research partnerships can help evidence the value of our work.
Uncover the ways in which partnerships can unlock funding support.
Discover ways that you can engage the support of student placements and research projects.
Learn how research partnerships help demonstrate the social and economic value of advice.

Session leads: Coming soon.

Notice
In the event of changes to session lead availability or other unforeseen circumstances, we may make changes or cancellations to workshops. Delegates will be able to choose another workshop to attend in that eventuality.

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